Jenrry Mejia and Other New Prospect Breakdowns

Looking for more prospect info? Find out where every prospect fits into the The Hardball Times ongoing Top 100 Prospects List.

New Player Breakdowns

31. Trevor Cahill / SP / Oakland / MLB / 3/1/88 / ETA: 2009 / High: #31 / Low: #46 / This Week: +15
2009 Thoughts:
Oakland is committed to allowing Cahill the chance to work through his struggles, and that trust has paid off. He has slowly turned into a strong back of the rotation asset in fantasy leagues.
Average Year Projection:
Coming soon.
Prime Year Projection:
Coming soon.
Notes:
6/24/09 – After a very rough start to his season, Cahill has started to slowly figure out the major league game, and most of his stats are following suit. Everyone is still waiting for his strikeouts to surface, and they just might as soon as he is fully comfortable facing the some of the best hitters in the world. Cahill works best as an attacker. Currently, he is working on sharpening up his movement and attacking the inside part of the plate. Good things are on the horizon. Is he still a future ace? Time will tell.

34. Tyler Flowers / C / Chicago White Sox / Double-A / 1/24/86 / ETA: 2010 / High: #34 / Low: #48 / This Week: +5
2009 Thoughts:
Flowers deserves the chance to show what he can do in the majors, but A.J. Pierzynski stands in his way. Unless a rumored Pierzynski deal goes down, expect Flowers to finish up his 2009 at Triple-A Charlotte.
Average Year Projection:
Too early to tell.
Prime Year Projection:
Too early to tell.
Notes:
6/24/09 – Flowers’ bat has begun to heat up, and his plate discipline isn’t far off from Matt Wieters and Carlos Santana’s. He is coming on strong as the South Side’s replacement for A.J. Pierzynski, if the team is looking to move on. Pierzynski is having himself a heck of a year, though. We’ll see just how serious the White Sox are about a youth movement.

35. Nolan Reimold / OF / Baltimore / MLB / 10/12/83 / ETA: 2009 / High: #35 / Low: #75 / This Week: +3
2009 Thoughts:
Reimold has burst onto the radar screen of fantasy owners everywhere. He looks like a strong #3 outfielder for the rest of the year.
Average Year Projection:
Coming soon.
Prime Year Projection:
Coming soon.
Notes:
6/24/09 – Reimold is the missing piece of an extraordinary Baltimore outfield along with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. Those men, along with a little help from their friends, are on a quest to get Baltimore back to their winning ways. It’s unclear as to how much upside Reimold really has, as he is 25 years old already, but his bat is legit. He can hit for both power and a respectable average. He will probably never be a .300, 30 home run hitter or a true No. 1 fantasy outfielder, but the production of a No. 2 fantasy outfielder is a good bet for his future. If he keeps hitting like this he will move even further up this list. Don’t let his age get you down, as Reimold is a good prospect and has plenty of good major league seasons ahead of him.

38. Jenrry Mejia / SP / NY Mets / Double-A / 10/11/89 / ETA: 2011 / High: #38 / Low: UR / This Week: New
2009 Thoughts:
This young man has snuck up on everybody, but don’t expect the Mets to push him beyond Double-A. Lets see how the kid adjusts to his current league and the advanced hitters he’s facing.
Average Year Projection:
Too early to tell.
Prime Year Projection:
Too early to tell.
Notes:
6/24/09 – I will admit it, I missed the boat on Mejia. Earlier this year I glanced at his High-A numbers, which were impressive on the surface but not all that spectacular peripherally, and then moved on to the next player that caught my eye. But, at the age of 19 I should have at least added him to the bubble. I didn’t even consciously realize that he was promoted to Double-A Binghamton until a few starts in. That’s when my eyes were opened. Right on cue, kindly Hardball Times reader Suchit Patel emailed me no more than an hour later looking for my thoughts on Mejia. Dear Suchit, go get Jenrry Mejia. I will admit another thing, I haven’t even seen him pitch yet, but I’m hoping to catch his next start. I am being aggressive with this ranking, as I’ve essentially moved him ahead of Fernando Martinez as the team’s No. 1 prospect, but the numbers and the age don’t lie. He’s riding on a lot of hype, and I usually don’t just blindly buy into hype, but this time I will take the plunge.

39. Desmond Jennings / OF / Tampa Bay / Double-A / 10/30/86 / ETA: 2010 / High: #37 / Low: #58 / This Week: -2
2009 Thoughts:
Tampa’s advanced outfield depth chart is crowded, allowing for little wiggle room. If Jennings keeps opening eyes, though, a shot at Triple-A is a no-brainer.
Average Year Projection:
Too early to tell.
Prime Year Projection:
Too early to tell.
Notes:
6/24/09 – All of the hype is starting to become real. The best two things about his current Double-A run are not the eye popping fantasy stats, but two fantastic ratios that scream future success; a 38/31 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an 87 percent stolen base success rate in 26 attempts. There is a lot to like. But will a Tampa Bay outfield opening present itself in the near future? That’s something Jennings can’t control.

Read the latest installment of The Hardball Times ongoing Top 100 Prospects List.


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Sam Page
14 years ago

I don’t get your comment about Mejia’s (no “c”) peripherals. His strikeout and walk numbers certainly weren’t the best ever, but they were good and his GB% was a ridiculous 66%.

LetsGoMets
14 years ago

and the Mets AA team is Binghamton not Birmingham. Reports are that he hit 102mph on the gun at Bing (NYSEG stadium) during his last start.

garik16
14 years ago

Your title spells Mejia wrong.  Just a minor bit.  Otherwise good show…..Mejia’s last start was a bit of a dissapointment (bad 5th inning) but that ground ball/fly ball ratio is still sexy.

Jake
14 years ago

I was at his last start in Binghamton. He hit 102 on the stadium gun and sat regularly from 95-97. The 5th inning had several controversial calls that rattled him.