Is Mike Carp the first baseman of the future for the Mets?

Our tour of the minors last week focused on the lower rungs of the minors, so this week we will give a little love to the players in Triple-A and Double-A.

Starting in the International League, the majority of the home run leaders are also-rans and castoffs from the big leagues – the Shelley Duncans of the world – but there is one prospect that sticks right out, Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has four home runs, ten RBI, and thirteen runs on the season so far, and he has been hot, hitting .308 with two home runs, four RBI, and seven runs in his last ten games. The Pirates have aggressively pushed their future star through the system, and our bet is the 21-year-old is going to have his first beer in Pittsburgh before the season is over, probably by midseason.

Homer Bailey is in Louisville refining his stuff, which he should have been doing last year instead of blowing up in the bigs, and his results have been spectacular so far. Through four starts, Bailey is 3-1 with a 1.03 ERA, .204 batting average against, only one home run allowed, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 16:4 in 26 1/3 innings. Three of his four starts have been quality starts – ironically, his first start, a loss, was, while his second, a win, was not, at only 5 2/3 innings. The smart move for the Reds would be to let Bailey rebuild his confidence in Triple-A for a while longer before calling him back up. While our money in years past might not have been on the Reds making the smart move, at least with their young pitchers they appear to be.

As for Reds hitters, well, Jay Bruce is not so pleased with how the Reds have handled him. Hitting .333 on the season, Bruce has been on a tear, hitting .395 with two home runs, eight RBI, and six runs in his last ten games. With Corey Patterson maintaining a batting average comfortably below the Mendoza Line, there is no reason whatsoever for the Reds to continue to wait here on calling up Bruce, as he is clearly ready – every day Bruce remains in Louisville is another example of stupidity.

A fifth-round selection out of the 2005 draft, Bradley Coon continues to hit after moving up to Triple-A to open the 2008 season. The 25-year-old (his birthday was back in December) is hitting .354 with one home run, seven RBI, twenty runs scored, and six stolen bases in 16 games. The bad news is that Coon does not always show the best baserunning judgment, as he has been caught stealing four times, and while he did successfully steal 56 last year, he was caught 21 times. However, where he does show great judgment is at the plate, as he has 13 walks and only 9 strikeouts so far in 65 at-bats. While the Angels’ outfield is crowded, Coon will pop up to the bigs at some point this season.

On the pitching side of things in the Pacific Coast League, Max Scherzer continues to dominate. In his last start, Scherzer pitched five scoreless, allowing two hits and one walk, and he struck out 11. This was his second start where he has struck out 11. Through three starts, Scherzer has yet to allow a run, has walked just three, is holding the opposition to a .121 batting average, and he has 29 strikeouts in 17 innings. Either as a starter or as a closer replacement for Brandon Lyon, Scherzer will most definitely be in the majors before the season ends.

A ninth-round pick by the Mets in 2004, Mike Carp is ripping up the Double-A Eastern League right now. Through 17 games, Carp is hitting .446 with five home runs, sixteen RBI, and fourteen runs scored. Carp is repeating at Double-A, so some dominance should be expected, but not like this, and he is still just 21, not turning 22 until the end of June, so it is not like he is any older than his competition. Carp is definitely working himself back on to the Mets’ radar.

Clean and sober this year, Anthony Swarzak has opened the year in Double-A, but there is no way that he stays there for much longer. Through three starts, Swarzak is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA, a .161 batting average against, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 18:1 in 16 innings. Note to the Twins: I think he is ready to move up…

Another pitcher completely emasculating Eastern League batters is the Red Sox’ Justin Masterson. While the Sox are keeping his pitch count low, with no start going past five innings, Masterson already has 23 strikeouts, while walking only five, and his record is 1-0 with a 0.95 ERA. Opponents are hitting barely above the Mendoza Line against Masterson, and both runs he has allowed this season came in his third outing. The Red Sox do not want to rush him, but a move up to at least Pawtucket has to be coming soon.

A name to watch in the Southern League that might not be on many people’s radars yet is Ivan DeJesús, a shortstop for the Jacksonville Suns. A second rounder in the 2005 draft by the Dodgers and the son of the former Dodgers’ infielder by the same name, DeJesús is currently hitting .328 with one home run, seven RBI, eight runs scored, two stolen bases, and he has more walks (12) than strikeouts (10). There is future power potential as the 20-year-old DeJesús develops, with five doubles already, and 22 doubles and 4 homers last year – those doubles will start turning in to homers.

Down in the Texas League, the battle for the right to be the future catcher of the Rangers is on. Well, it really is not much of a battle right now, as Max Ramirez is hitting .291 with 5 home runs, 9 RBI, and 13 runs scored in 55 at-bats. The other combatant, Taylor Teagarden, is hitting only .176 with two home runs, five RBI, and six runs scored in 51 at-bats. Most troublesome with Teagarden is that he has already struck out 20 times. While it is still very early, the clear advantage right now is with Ramirez.

That wraps up this week on the farm – next week, another run through the names and numbers you need to know in the minors.