Welcome to the second installment of the UpAlongFirst.com official prospect list. Here are numbers nine and ten.
9. Cesar Puello- OF
(Photo Courtesy of Michael Baron)
HEIGHT: 6’2”
WEIGHT: 195
THROWS: R BATS: R
BORN: 4/1/1991
COLLEGE: none
ACQUIRED: Signed as IFA in July of 2007
This guy is an amazing athlete, by far the best in the Met system. Puello combines speed, as well as the improving contact that he has been developing. Puello has fantastic range in center, plus a great arm. He isn’t great at judging balls in the outfield, but can often outrun mistakes with his great speed. Speaking of his speed, Puello stole only 19 bases last year, but that may have been due to his low on-base percentage. The year before in 2010, he stole 45 in the South Atlantic League. Here is a better look at his statistics:
| Year | Tm | Lg | Lev | G | PA | H | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mets | GULF | Rk | 40 | 163 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 32 | .305 | .350 | .364 |
| 2009 | Kingsport | APPY | Rk | 49 | 221 | 58 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 51 | .296 | .373 | .423 |
| 2010 | Savannah | SALL | A | 109 | 469 | 118 | 22 | 1 | 34 | 45 | 10 | 32 | 82 | .292 | .375 | .359 |
| 2011 | St. Lucie | FLOR | A+ | 117 | 488 | 114 | 21 | 10 | 50 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 103 | .259 | .313 | .397 |
| 4 Seasons | 315 | 1341 | 336 | 59 | 17 | 124 | 92 | 29 | 65 | 268 | .282 | .349 | .384 | |||
| Rk (2 seasons) | Rk | 89 | 384 | 104 | 16 | 6 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 15 | 83 | .300 | .363 | .398 | ||
| A (1 season) | A | 109 | 469 | 118 | 22 | 1 | 34 | 45 | 10 | 32 | 82 | .292 | .375 | .359 | ||
| A+ (1 season) | A+ | 117 | 488 | 114 | 21 | 10 | 50 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 103 | .259 | .313 | .397 | ||
Projections for Puello are often very different from each other. Many say that he is a speedy leadoff hitter, while others see him developing power and becoming a Carlos Beltran-type player. Personally, I have no idea. Having “power potential” in the minors is so subjective. Nobody knows for sure how a player will hit in the big leagues. Minor league stats only provide so much. A player who hits 20 homers in the minors may not be projected to have the same type of power that an A-ball player has after a five homer season. With Puello, it is really way too early to tell. After all, he’s still only 20 years old. He alreadt has the speed and solid batting average.
10. Darin Gorski- P
HEIGHT: 6’4”
WEIGHT: 210
THROWS: R BATS: R
BORN: 10/6/1987
COLLEGE: Kutztown University
ACQUIRED: 224th pick (7th round) of 2009 Draft
Gorski was the best pitcher in the Met organization in 2011, without a doubt. Gorski was a 2009 7th round draft pick, with not-so-high expectations. Coming out of college, he lacked the arm strength, stamina, and proper mechanics to be considered a top prospect. After two average campaigns in Brooklyn and Savannah, Gorski was promoted to PSL in 2011. In PSL, after moving into the rotation from the bullpen just a few weeks into the season, he had the best season of any minor league pitcher in the organization, going 11-3 with a 2.08 ERA. His K/9 rose from 8.6 to 9.1 and even more impressively, Gorski’s walks per nine dropped from 3.4 to just 1.9. Here is a better look at his stats:
| Year | Tm | Lg | Lev | W | L | G | GS | IP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Brooklyn | NYPL | A- | 3 | 4 | 4.91 | 13 | 11 | 62.1 | 1.235 | 7.4 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 7.2 |
| 2010 | Savannah | SALL | A | 6 | 8 | 4.58 | 25 | 18 | 114.0 | 1.474 | 9.9 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 8.6 |
| 2011 | St. Lucie | FLOR | A+ | 11 | 3 | 2.08 | 27 | 21 | 138.2 | 0.995 | 7.1 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 9.1 |
| 3 Seasons | 20 | 15 | 3.54 | 65 | 50 | 315.0 | 1.216 | 8.1 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 8.5 | |||
(Photo Courtesy of Michael Baron)
Gorski has an average fastball, topping out at 90-91, averaging in the high 80s. He also possesses an above-average changeup, which he uses heavily to get hitters out. His biggest strength, though, is his command. What has gotten Gorski to this level has been his command, and it is what is going to bring him into the future. Much like current Met Dillon Gee, Gorski will use his command and wits to get him to the big league club, likely sometime in 2013, with possibly a start or two in September this year if the big league staff suffers many injuries.
Rankings so far (click to view post):
9. Cesar Puello
10. Darin Gorski
11. Michael Fulmer
12.Cory Vaughn
Come back on Monday as we announce numbers seven and eight!
Loading ...