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3 Mets MLB Pipeline top 100 prospects that were busts
Prospects can be exciting yet overhyped commodities.
The New York Mets have experienced many rebuilds throughout their history. The point of rebuilding is to strengthen the farm system and build for the future. This can be achieved by trading for prospects, drafting well particularly in the first few rounds, and spending on international free agents. Some trades are successful, such as sending Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants for Zack Wheeler in 2011. Some are complete busts, such as the Seattle Mariners trading James Paxton to the NY Yankees for Justus Sheffield in 2019.
Having a high pick in the draft means the organization can select just about any of the top high school or college players in the United States. Once this player is selected in the first round, evaluators from sources such as MLB Pipeline label this player a "top 100 prospect" since they are so highly regarded. Most evaluations are correct, such as Michael Conforto being drafted 10th overall in 2014 and becoming the Mets' top prospect. However, being taken in the first round guarantees nothing and the evaluators can be just overhyping a young prospect. Since MLB Pipeline began posting their top 100 prospects in 2011, which of the Mets' young assets turned out to be busts?
1. Gavin Cecchini
The 2012 MLB draft turned out many all-star players we are still watching today. At 12th overall, the Mets selected infielder Gavin Cecchini out of Alfred M. Barbe High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Cecchini was profiled as a solid defensive middle infielder with the tools to become a low-strikeout, gap-to-gap type of hitter, similar to that of Jeff McNeil. Upon all of the hype, Cecchini became the Mets' 6th best prospect by the end of 2013.
After missing time due to injury in 2013, Cecchini did not impress in his first full season in the minor leagues. In 2014, he played 126 games between Single-A Savannah and High-A St. Lucie, batting just .247 with 8 home runs and 56 RBI. He gave the Mets confidence after bouncing back to hit .317 with 7 home runs and 26 doubles at AA Binghamton in 2015.
Though Cecchini improved offensively with each step he climbed through the minor leagues, he would not make his debut until September of 2016 playing in just 4 games. He did have a memorable 2 RBI game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the team’s stretch run for the Wild Card. However, Cecchini would only play 32 more games for the Mets in 2017, hitting just .208 with 1 home run and 7 RBI. After an injury-plagued 2018, he was then released by Brodie Van Wagenen in the spring of 2019. Given Cecchini’s prospect hype, he never lived up to the potential the Mets once had for him in 2012.
2. Dilson Herrera
This prospect was once described as a “small but powerful tank” by the SNY broadcast in 2015. Acquired at the waiver deadline for Marlon Byrd in 2013, Dilson Herrera was a Columbian-born 19-year-old second baseman. He was analyzed as a potential 15-20 home run infielder with a strong arm but struggled to turn double plays efficiently. His power and a good eye at the plate were the exact ‘Sandy Alderson type of player’.
With David Wright missing going on the disabled list in September 2014, the Mets made the call to Herrera. He impressed Terry Collins and the coaching staff in his short 18-game sample size where he hit 3 home runs and 11 RBI. This drew the attention of MLB Pipeline to make him the Mets’ 6th best prospect, above both Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith at the time.
Herrera would play just 31 more games for the Mets in 2015, hitting just .211 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI. He hit a memorable home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the Mets’ division-clinching series. Though Herrera never became the future second baseman Mets fans had hoped for, he did net a return of Jay Bruce at the trade deadline in 2016. At the time, we thought trading Herrera would come back to bite the Mets in years to come. In hindsight, the Mets gave up very little to acquire Bruce.
3. Cesar Puello
Omar Minaya had a knack for finding international talent. Cesar Puello signed as a 16-year-old corner outfielder out of the Dominican Republic in July 2007. He rose through the Mets minor league rankings quickly, reaching High-A as a 20-year-old in 2011. Puello always hit for a high batting average between 2007-2011 with great plate discipline and gap-to-gap ability. His arm strength and incredible speed profiled him as a future right fielder that was built to handle the Citi Field corner.
Puello’s offense took off when he reached AA in 2013. Across 91 games, he hit .326 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. He became one of the Mets’ top prospects by midseason before being suspended for illegal use of PED substances. Puello would never bounce back upon his return in 2014, seeing his batting average and power decline to .252 with 7 home runs and 13 stolen bases.
Puello is another unfortunate story of a player losing their potential following a PED substance suspension. With all the talent he had as a young player, Puello had no reason to search for more power at the plate. He would eventually play at the major league level, most recently for the Boston Red Sox in 2020. However, Puello’s resurgence never came as he has yet to play another professional game in the United States since 2021.
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