While Mets Wait On Brandon Nimmo, Other 2011 Draftees Shine

Tonight is the deadline for MLB teams to sign their 2011 draft picks.  For the Mets, that means they have the rest of today to sign their first round pick, Brandon Nimmo.  Sandy Alderson is confident a deal will get done, although Nimmo’s father said there hasn’t been much progress.  I can’t see any way  the Mets will let Nimmo slip away, but like most other fans I’ll feel better once he’s signed on the dotted line.  In the meantime, Alderson and the rest of the front office have been hard at work signing many other 2011 draft picks, some of whom have already seen action this year.  With that, here is a quick look at how some new members of the Mets organization are performing early in their careers.

Michael Fulmer (RHP, Compensation Round, GCL): The Mets second pick of the draft has only had two short outings in Rookie ball.  He struggled with his command in the first, allowing two runs (one earned) on three walks despite not allowing a hit, in two thirds of an inning.  In his second outing, he allowed one hit and retired one batter before the game was called due to rain.  Fulmer, who signed with the Mets for $937,500, features a mid-90s fastball and a hard slider, and is just eighteen years old.  Hopefully he’ll get some longer stints in the waning days of the minor league season.

Cory Mazzoni (RHP, 2nd Round, St. Lucie): Mazzoni tossed six scoreless innings, yielding just five hits and two walks while fanning ten, at Brooklyn before being promoted to St. Lucie.  In the FSL, Mazzoni has thrown just two innings, allowing one run on two hits with one punch out.  The North Carolina State product threw 114.2 innings in college this year, so the Mets will probably limit his innings down the stretch.

Tyler Pill (RHP, 4th Round, Brooklyn): Out of Cal State Fullerton (the same place Justin Turner went to school), Pill began the year in the Gulf Coast League before moving onto Brooklyn.  In a total of five innings, Pill has allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six.  He relies mainly on control (Pill posted a fantastic 5.0 K/BB this season in college) and throws a fastball, curve and change  The righty threw 98.2 innings at Cal State Fullerton this past season, so like Mazzoni, the Amazins will limit his use.

Jack Leathersich (LHP, 5th Round, Brooklyn): Leathersich (or @LeatherRocket as he’s known on Twitter) has thrown only seven innings for the Cyclones, but they have been impressive.  The southpaw has allowed just one run on five hits, walking two and striking out sixteen with a ground out to air out ratio of 4:1.  So out of the twenty-one outs recorded by Leathersich, sixteen have been strike outs, four have been ground outs, and only one has been a fly ball.  A product of Division II UMass-Lowell, Leathersich set school records this year in single-season strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings and will be interesting to watch as he develops.

Cole Frenzel (1B, 7th Round, Brooklyn): Projected as a power hitter by Amateur Scouting Director Chad MacDonald, Frenzel has struggled a little while with the Cyclones.  The University of Arizona product is hitting just .229/.336/.303 with one homer over his first 128 plate appearances, although considering the low average, the OBP is still pretty respectable, thanks in part to fourteen walks against twenty-two strikeouts.  Frenzel hit .346/.461/.465 this season with Arizona, so there is reason to believe he’ll turn it around.

Daniel Muno (SS, 8th Round, Brooklyn): In 200 plate appearances with the Cyclones, Muno is raking.  Hailing from Fresno State, the switch-hitting twenty-two year old is batting .341/.447/.491 with two homers.  Granted, he’s been aided by a ridiculous .414 BABIP, but he also has drawn 31 walks while fanning 32 times.  Given his success and his age, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Muno promoted to Savannah or St. Lucie before the season ends.

Travis Taijeron (OF, 18th Round, Brooklyn): Like Muno, Taijeron has impressed with the cyclones, but has shown more pop in his bat.  In 195 PA, the righty out of Cal Poly Pomona sports a robust .303/.400/.558 line with eight long balls.  He’s striking out a lot (53 times so far) but the power his there.  Also like Muno, I wouldn’t be surprised if Taijeron was promoted in the near future.