Mets Minor League Blog Report 9-11-08
Toby Hyde
In this issue
- Callis Explains Flores over Martinez
- Sunrise in Stockton
Callis Explains Flores over Martinez
In his introduction to Monday’s Ask BA feature, Jim Callis expanded on his Wilmer Flores over Fernando Martinez answer from the week before:
My
ESPN.com chat last Wednesday 
caused
a furor in the
Mets blogosphere. When asked whom I liked as New York's No. 1 prospect, I went
with
Rookie ball shortstop Wilmer Flores over Double-A outfielder Fernando
Martinez.
The question came during the lightning round, which is essentially pithy questions and pithy answers, so I didn't explain my thinking. I'll do that here. Both Flores and Martinez have interesting bats, and the big difference between the two is that there's more to Flores' game than just his offense. He has a chance to play a premium position and at worse will be a third baseman, while Martinez will be a left fielder.
While Martinez has been pushed aggressively by the Mets and consistently has been very young for his leagues, he hasn't been overwhelmingly impressive since a 45-game stint in low Class A as a 17-year-old at the beginning of 2006. Flores will be 17 when he heads to low Class A next year, and I think he'll outperform Martinez. It's still very early in Flores' career, but I've had scouts compare his ceiling to Miguel Cabrera's.
Emphasis added.
Sunrise in Stockton
Wednesday night in Lancaster, CA the Lancaster JetHawks beat the Lake Elsinore Storm 10-8, to capture the Southern Division title, the second in the team’s history. The two teams combined for 11 runs in a wild third inning that ended both starting pitchers’ nights. After the Storm tied it at 8 with two runs in the top of the eighth, the JetHawks shortstop Yamaico Navarro singled home the winning run as part of a two-run rally in the bottom of the inning.
The players and coaching staff sprayed champagne and made merry for a few hours before a 1 AM departure to Stockton, CA for the Championship Series against the Stockton Ports. After a five hour bus ride, the sky was pinkish with dawn when the bus pulled into the hotel in Stockton. Game one of the championship series is now 12 hours away.
As the east
coast work day begins, I’m going to bed.
I have audio clips from this
game up at metsminorleagueblog.com
Toby Hyde has written about the Mets organization since 2004. Please pass this along to friends, family, co-workers, and Mets fans of all stripes. To sign up for the email newsletter, click here. Even better, please visit my site at http://www.metsminorleagueblog.com.
