Top 25 Mets Prospects for 2018: 14-13

14. Nabil Crismatt, RHP

Height: 6’1”, Weight: 220 lbs.

DOB: 12/25/94 (23)

Acquired: IFA 2011, (Colombia)

Bats/Throws: R/R

2017: Columbia (Low-A): 26 G (25 GS), 145.2 IP, 161 H, 82 R, 64 ER (3.95 ERA), 36 BB, 142 K

Nabil Crismatt was signed as an international rookie out of Colombia in 2011 and made his stateside debut in 2014, after spending two years with the DSL Mets. Transitioned between the starting rotation and bullpen, the right-hander quietly had success, putting up solid numbers. While the Colombian had a yet another solid season in 2017, with most of his innings coming in the starting rotation, Crismatt’s high-water mark for the season came in March, when he started a game for his native country against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and held his own against MLB all-stars, allowing two runs on three hits over three innings, walking one (Robinson Cano) and striking out one (Jean Segura).

Crismatt’s fastball sits 88-92, which is fringy velocity for a right-hander. The pitch has natural sink and run, so he gets above-average ground ball rates and is able to induce weak contact and limit home runs. He complements it with an above-average changeup that sits around 80 MPH with slight armside fade, a slider that acts almost like a cutter with late run, and a loopy, high-60s 12-6 curveball. Crismatt attacks hitters, mixes his pitches well, and is comfortable throwing all of his pitches in any count thanks to the above-average control and command he has exhibited his entire professional career. The right-hander does not necessarily have any major standout pitches, but is more than the sum of his parts.

Greg Karam says:

Reports have him sitting in the lower 90s and I’ve also heard he touched 95. His changeup is a major league-quality pitch. The problem has been the lack of a third pitch, which last I saw was a loopy curveball. If he’s able to tighten up the curve, or perhaps add a slider (RIP the Warthen slider), he will be a mid-rotation starter.

Lukas Vlahos says:

He was too old for the level, but Crismatt put together a solid 2017 performance at High-A, striking out almost a batter per inning and running a 4/1 strikeout to walk ration. His ERA was bloated due to a high BABIP and a low LOB%. He doesn't have swing and miss stuff, so he'll have to make it as a back-end starter rather than as a reliever. At this point, a potential starter with a pulse is a pretty good prospect in this system, however.

Steve Sypa says:

In a very limited sample, Crismatt faced and held his own against a major league calliber line-up, which is more than most of the guys on our list can say. After bouncing around a lot in past seasons, from level to level and bullpen to rotation, Crismatt remained in St. Lucie’s rotation and had decent success. Thanks to his profile, it might be a tight-rope walk between success and failure going forward, but the right-hander is not someone I would bet against.

13. Corey Oswalt, RHP

Height: 6’5”, Weight: 250 lbs.

DOB: 9/3/93 (24)

Acquired: 7th round, 2012 Draft (Madison High School, California)

Bats/Throws: R/R

2017: Binghamton (Double-A): 24 G (24 GS), 134.1 IP, 118 H, 40 R, 34 ER (2.28 ERA), 40 BB, 119 K

The Mets’ 7th round pick in the 2012 Draft, it has taken Corey Oswalt a while to climb up the Mets’ minor league ladder. After years of solid-yet-unspectacular numbers, everything came together for the big right-hander in 2017. Assigned to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Oswalt was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, posting a 2.28 ERA in 134.1 innings pitched, allowing 118 hits, walking 40 walks, and striking out 119.

Oswalt certainly had sterling numbers in 2017, but the stuff does not match the results. His fastball sits 88-93, with life and sink when he extends his arm, but he often struggles to extend it consistently, causing the pitch to leak back over the plate. He complements it with a slider and a changeup, both of which are fringe pitches that flash average. The slider, which sits in the low-to-mid 80s, has shallow break, and the changeup, which sits in the mid-80s, lacks much fade or fastball velocity separation.

Lukas Vlahos says:

Over the past two seasons, Oswalt has started to look more viable as a back end / sixth starter type. It'd be nice to see more strikeouts (and there's no more gifting every pitcher in the system a Warthen slider), but cheap pitchers who can eat some innings and keep their ERA below 5 have some modicum of value, and sometimes they turn into something more.

Steve Sypa says:

In a system that had a little more meat in it, Corey Oswalt would be a bit further down. As a starter, the stuff is underwhelming and he doesn’t necessarily have the profile where pitching out of the bullpen can be a fallback option. Still, the right-hander is in the upper minors and has the ability to accumulate innings while putting up non-terrible numbers, a valuable thing. Though unlikely, all it would take is a new grip or a new pitch to breathe new life into the big guy.