Dilson Herrera ranked fourth best second base prospect by MLB.com

Dilson Herrera, who the Mets acquired along with Vic Black in exchange for Marlon Byrd and John Buck in August of 2013, has been ranked the fourth best second base prospect by MLB.com.

Jose Peraza of Atlanta was first on the list, and the other players ahead of Herrera were Micah Johnson and Forrest Wall.

Players who checked in behind Herrera included Sean Coyle, Rob Refsnyder, and Ryan Brett.

On the scouting scale, Herrera received the following grades:

Hit: 55
Power: 40
Run: 55
Arm: 50
Field: 50
Overall grade: 50

Writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com:

"Herrera has always shown a knack for hitting, with a balanced swing and an ability to make consistent hard contact to all fields. He has excellent bat speed and doesn’t strike out a ton, with more power than you’d expect given his small frame. Herrera is a solid runner who can steal a base as well. Herrera has played both shortstop and second in the past, but his defensive tools, from his arm to his actions, will work much better on the right side of the infield.Herrera arrived in New York well ahead of schedule a year ago. Now he’ll have to wait to see when he can get another opportunity at Citi Field."

Herrera, who turns 21 in March, hit .340/.406/.560 in 278 plate appearances over 61 games after being promoted to Double-A Binghamton midseason.

After being promoted to the Mets in August, Herrera hit .220/.303/.407 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI in 66 plate appearances over 18 games. His season was cut short in late-September after injuring his right quad.

It’s expected that Herrera will open 2015 with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Thoughts:

Ever since being acquired in 2013, Herrera has been incredibly impressive, tearing through three levels of the minors before his surprise promotion to the majors last season after Daniel Murphy‘s injury.

While Herrera is small in stature, he packs a punch, making the fact that MLB.com gave him just a 40-grade regarding power quite odd. For comparison, over at Fangraphs, Herrera’s raw power is graded at 50, with his current game power at 45 with a ceiling of 50.

Semantics aside, Herrera is the complete package: a smart hitter who hits for both average and a bit of power, who should be an above average defender at second base.

Earlier this offseason, Buster Olney of ESPN predicted that Herrera would be an All-Star within three years.

Aside from being a tremendous prospect, the presence of Herrera has also made current second baseman Daniel Murphy expendable.

Expect Herrera to get another taste of the bigs in 2015, with the exact date perhaps dependent upon whether the Mets trade Murphy during the season.