Three Mets issues today: a top 10, politics, and more Rule 5 analysis. 

Top 10

            My man Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus released his top 10 Mets Prospects today.  Unlike much of the content at Baseball Prospectus which is premium and requires a password, this is FREE.  You, penny-pinching reader get lucky on this one.  Go read it.  Seriously. 

Kevin breaks down the Mets top 10 Prospects in this order:

Excellent Prospects
1. Fernando Martinez, cf
2. Philip Humber, rhp
3. Mike Pelfrey, rhp
Very Good Prospects
4. Carlos Gomez, of
Good Prospects
5. Alay Soler, rhp
Average Prospects
6. Jon Niese, lhp
7. Kevin Mulvey, rhp
8. Mike Carp, 1b
9. Deolis Guerra, rhp
10. Joe Smith, rhp

            I really like Kevin’s work and think he just about nailed the Mets top 10.  Kevin and I will be doing a Q&A about his Mets Top 10.  I need good questions from you, my dear readers.  If you have questions about any of the guys on the list, how Kevin compiled his list, why your favorite Met prospect was left off, or why he thinks the Beatles are overrated shoot me an email, and I will ask for you. 

            I think it’s fair to say that Kevin is my favorite of the national writers on the prospect beat.  One, I learn something even when he takes on a subject I know well.  Two, I generally agree with his conclusions, because he’s so thorough which leads to….  Three, his sources are the best.  So, hit me with questions for Kevin.  We’ll do a little chat on Friday, I think. 

Politics

            After managing St. Lucie to a FSL title, Gary Carter doesn’t have a job in the Mets system.  I heard nothing but good things about Carter, and I wish the Mets would find a spot for The Kid. 

Rule 5

            Generally, the reaction around the Web regarding the Nationals’ drafting Jesus Flores from the Mets was positive.  Good for the Nats, bad for the Mets.

            At the Hardball Times Jeff Sackman broke out his translations:

The Nationals also drafted a catcher, Jesus Flores. Flores played in the high-A Florida State League last year, putting together a respectable .267/.335/.491. That translates to a major league line of approximately .230/.280/.390, which isn't much worse than Brandon Harper's translated Triple-A numbers. If Flores is kept around, he might have to be stashed as a third catcher, but keep in mind that this is the team that held on to Tony Blanco for an entire season. Flores has a higher ceiling than either Budde or Donachie; if the Nats are punting the 2007 season, he could turn out to be an excellent use of their 25th roster spot.

            I added the emphasis on the final two clauses, because I agree with the analysis almost 100%.  The Nationals will be absolutely terrible.  If there’s ever a team that can stash a guy who’s not ready to contribute at the big league level on their roster for a full season, it’ll be the 2007 Nats. 

Clay Davenport at BP also went a-translating:

Jesus Flores                   Born 10/26/84 Age 22   Bats R   Throws R  

Year Team               BA   OBA  SA    EQA EQR    Defense

2005 Hagerstown__ SAL  .193 .220 .298  .183  19   70-C   -9

2006 St_Lucie____ Fla  .264 .317 .514  .277  66  102-C   13

---------------------------------------------------------

         Minors        .234 .278 .426  .244  70  173-C    3

Clay writes:

            What he did in Florida last year strongly suggests he'll be a quality major league hitter. While the lines above have six years of growth built into them, even without them he still projects to hit well enough to be a decent backup catcher. The Nats expect nothing in 2007 and are looking more at 2009-10, which means they really should hang on to this guy.

            By the way, the first three columns above Batting Average, OBP, SLG should be familiar to you.  Then comes EQA - Equivalent Average, which is total offensive contribution rate stat, normalized for park and league.  EQR – Equivalent Runs is another stat that measures a player’s total offensive production. The final two columns under defense are first the number of games played at a player’s primary position, while the last is a defensive rate stat, in Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA) per 100 games. 

Hit me with your Kevin Goldstein questions.