John Sickels again answering questions about Met prospects

John Sickels had a all question answered thread again. For the benefit of those that don't want to read through all the comments on the page, I have copied and pasted those questions about Met prospects. Most interesting I think were his evaluations of what Reese Havens can be and his basic assessment that the Mets will mess up their good young talent (a-rod). All Q's after the jump.

Every pitching prospect the Mets have has regressed terribly this year, and most of them seem incapable of throwing a strike. I hate to use minor league coaches as scapegoats, but when do the Mets wake up and look into this? I didn’t mind the Harvey pick, but I’m less than confident they’ll be able to hardness his stuff …

by MetfanBren on Jul 21, 2010 2:55 PM PDT reply actions  

Yeah it seem odd that so many of their guys would have problems like this. If I were running the Mets, I’d have an inquiry about this, assign a staffer I trust and who has some independent authority to find out if there is a commonality or if it is just a fluke. Is it a particular coach? Something wrong with organizational philosophy or teaching? Or just bad luck?

by John Sickels on Jul 22, 2010 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions  

If healthy, what kind of hitter is Reese Havens in the bigs?

by limozeen on Jul 21, 2010 2:57 PM PDT reply actions  

Chase Utley is a career .294/.380/.518 hitter. Shave that down to .264/.350/.460 and that is what havens can be.

by John Sickels on Jul 22, 2010 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions  

Keith Law has infamously torn him a part, but Mets 4th round pick Cory Vaughn is impressing in the NYPL. Granted, it’s the NYPL. But still, his line is impressive:

.303 / .381 / .607 / .988
14:21 BB:K ratio in 32 games
9 homers
7/8 in SB attempts

If the draft were to be held again today, could you see Vaughn going higher? What is his ceiling?

by brianthefantasyking on Jul 21, 2010 3:43 PM PDT reply actions  

Vaughn….well I still think third or fourth round is where he’d go, given the totality of his track record. He’s off to a fast start obviously and the tools have always been there, but the flaws he showed in college aren’t likely to have just disappeared. Let’s see how he handles full-season pitching next year. The Florida State League could chew him up.

by John Sickels on Jul 22, 2010 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions  

What’s his power ceiling, and if moved off shortstop, can he stick at third base?

by BryceHarper on Jul 21, 2010 3:51 PM PDT reply actions  

I suspect he can handle third base, yes.

Power ceiling….hmmm…..given his age it could be enormous, but I’ll say “expect a 20-homer guy and be happy if he hits 30”.

by John Sickels on Jul 22, 2010 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions  

Just a sentence or two on these guys:

1. Oswaldo Arcia
2. Aderlin Rodriguez
3. Oscar Tejada

by King Billy Royal on Jul 21, 2010 8:44 PM PDT reply actions  

Arcia: Very intriguing bat, tearing up the appy league but low walk rate is a caution flag. 2011 in the Midwest League will tell us a lot
Rodriguez: Same deal….power potential is very impressive, but problems with the strike zone could chew him up at higher levels. He is younger than Arcia and probably a better long-term prospect, though I trust the Twins to develop Arcia more than I trust the Mets to develop Aderlin.
Tejeda: already answered above.

by John Sickels on Jul 23, 2010 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions  7