A Quick Glance at Who the Mets Could Get from the Brewers

It was a guessing game about who the Mets would trade Francisco Rodriguez to, and now it’s a guessing game again–that is, who the Mets will receive from the Brewers. The Mets received two “players to be named later” in exchange for K-Rod (and $5 million), but considering the Brewers essentially emptied their farm system by acquiring Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the off-season, it makes the Mets return a little unknown. Sandy Alderson will have until September to decide which players he’ll pluck from the Brewers–most likely from a provided, Brewers-approved list. Knowing how Alderson operates, he’s unlikely to pick a more well-known “prospect” like Mark Rogers, who has notorious upside, but even more notorious control issues. Without further ado, below are five players from the Brewers current top twenty list who the Mets could conceivably acquire.

Scooter Gennett, 2B (#7 Pre-2011 Ranking):

"Grade B-: A very good hitter, needs to polish defense but could make a lot of noise in ’11. Keep close track of him."

Scooter Gennett enjoyed a great debut in the Brewers minor league system last season. At Single-A, the second baseman posted a .309/.354/.463 line with nine homeruns, fifty-five RBI, eighty-seven runs, and fourteen stolen bases. Gennett has followed-up a fab 2010 with a very good showing at Advanced-A, posting a .284/.322/.374 line with five homeruns, thirty-one RBI, forty-four runs, and eight stolen bases. Minor league expert John Sickels obviously believes Gennett needs to impove his defense, but the hitting talent is there. Given the Mets current unknown future at second base and Rickie Weeks being a mainstay for the Brewers, adding twenty-one year old Scooter Gennett seems like a no-brainer.

Tyler Thornburg, P (#11 Pre-2011 Ranking):

"Grade C+: Very good stuff, could move quickly if used in bullpen."

Tyler Thornburg has started twenty-one out of the twenty-four games he’s appeared in the minors, so as of now, the pitcher is a starter. In fact, Thornburg has posted a combined 1.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 3.12 K/BB between 2010 and 2011–including a jaw-dropping 11.2 K/9 (which saw its height at 14.7 K/9 last season). His control could use some work (career 3.6 BB/9), but to his credit, his BB/9 has improved from 4.2 last year, to 3.4 this season. At age twenty-two, the righty needs to see more advanced hitters to qualify his lower-league dominance, but John Sickels thinks a move to the bullpen might be the compromise. If Alderson is looking to snag a pitcher from the Brewers, Thornburg looks to be an interesting, versatile piece.

Tyler Roberts, C (#14 Pre-2011 Ranking):

"Grade C: Strong power potential, needs a lot of defensive polish."

Tyler Roberts showed the Brewers what he was capable of with the bat in 2010, posting a terrific .283/.352/.503 line with six homeruns, twenty-three RBI, and thirty runs in 179 plate appearances at Rookie-Ball. Like most young catchers–and as Nickels noted–Roberts needs to improve on defense. Then again, how many twenty year old catchers are polished game-callers and pitch-blockers? Defense aside, Roberts again dominated offensively in Rookie-Ball in 2011, earning a promotion to Single-A. However, the catcher has struggled there so far, posting a .211/.274/.349 line with four homeruns, twenty-seven RBI, and fourteen runs in 168 plate appearances. Roberts is obviously a bit away from the majors, but given the Mets complete lack of catching depth anywhere in the minors, Roberts could conceivably tantalize Alderson.

Eric Farris, 2B (#15 Pre-2011 Ranking):

"Grade C: Forgotten man after injury season, but he can steal bases and has a good glove."

In the minors, especially, suffering injuries can be detrimental to development or in some cases more importantly, getting recognition. Eric Farris owned a combined .301/.343/.451 line between 2007 and 2009, including a seven homerun/seventy stolen base season in 2009. However, Farris suffered an serious knee injury, which led to disappointing 2010, posting just a .271/.305/.366 line with three homeruns, twenty-four RBI, thirty-three runs, and fifteen stolen bases in 284 plate appearances. At age twenty-five, his road to recover has been a little bumpy. The second baseman hasn’t shown the same speed (just eleven stolen bases in 2011), nor the same hitting ability (.263/.313/.360 line) that excited the Brewers. Between Scooter Gennett and Farris, it would seem like they’d value Gennett higher. Regardless, maybe Alderson would take a chance on Farris in the hopes he’ll return to his pre-injury production.

Khristopher Davis, OF (#16 Pre-2011 Ranking):

"Grade C: Good power production in the Midwest League, but a bit old for the level. Grade will rise if he hits in Double-A. . .might be able to pull a Jerry Sands."

At age twenty-three, Khris Davis is certainly old for Advanced-A, but it’s hard to ignore his production. The outfielder boasted a .280/.398/.499 line with twenty-two homeruns, seventy-two RBI, eighty-six runs, and seventeen stolen bases in 555 plate appearances at Single-A last season. Davis has followed-up his impressive campaign with another one, this time posting a .326/.426/.564 line with fourteen homeruns, sixty-two RBI, forty-six runs, and ten stolen bases. The only hurdle preventing Davis from becoming a viable prospect is if he could continue hitting like this in Double/Triple-A. With his ceiling, it would be surprising if Alderson didn’t ask for Davis.