With the minor league playoffs bringing an anti-climactic close to a season on the farm, it’s time to take a look back.
It was a mostly disappointing campaign for the Yankees system, deeply invested in the development of homegrown, low-cost roster options for 2014, as a number of top prospects stalled in the upper levels.
The Mets system had more success. Zack Wheeler and Travis d’Arnaud progressed to the majors more or less on schedule and a bumper crop of power arms continued to impress.
Here’s our best and worst of 2013:
The Standout
Yankees: Greg Bird, 1B
One of few promising first-base power prospects in the minors, Bird, 20, finished with 20 homers, 36 doubles and a .428 on-base percentage for Low-A Charleston. A scout told Baseball Prospectus: “He recognizes pitches early as well as anyone I saw in the minor leagues this year. His swing is fluid, he’s got bat speed, he can drive pitches on the outer half to left-center field already and he looks like he is going to get a lot bigger.”
Mets: Noah Syndergaard, RHP
Progressed from Baseball America’s No. 54 overall prospect in the spring to No. 23 by midseason, and likely would be even higher on a list published tomorrow. Did not flinch in the least when he was bumped to Double-A Binghamton halfway through his age-20 season (69 Ks/12 BBs in 54 innings), featuring a fastball that clocked at 100 mph several times in his start this week, according to onlookers, and a rapidly improving curve.
Biggest Disappointment
Yankees: Brett Marshall, RHP
The sluggish outfield triumvirate of Mason Williams (.646 OPS, one DUI arrest), Tyler Austin (six homers in 81 games before a wrist injury) and oft-injured Slade Heathcott (.327 OBP at Double-A) were candidates, but are young enough to have wiggle room. The nod goes to Marshall, a changeup/command guy who labored to ratios of 9.3 hits, 1.1 homers and 4.4 walks per nine innings in a nearly full season at Triple-A.
Mets: Cesar Puello, OF
A 50-game Biogenesis suspension overshadows and casts doubt on what had the makings of a breakthrough season for the toolsy 22-year-old at Double-A (.326, 16 homers, 24 steals in 91 games).
Made a Leap
Yankees: Peter O’Brien, C
The 2012 second-round pick out of the University of Miami had 11 homers at two different stops (at Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa) after a desultory debut with the Staten Island Yankees last summer. His defense and discipline remain works in progress.
Mets: Jake deGrom, RHP
The 25-year-old traversed three levels of the minors (from High-A St. Lucie to Triple-A Las Vegas) and fashioned himself a dark horse for the 2014 rotation by limiting walks and generating a ton of ground balls with his hard sinker-slider repertoire.
Second-Generation Shrugs
Yankees: Dante Bichette Jr., 3B
Of Bichette’s .623 OPS and 119 strikeouts in a second crack at Low-A, hitting coach P.J. Pilittere said, “He’s trying to figure out what type of hitter he is.” Still just 20 years old.
Mets: Cory Vaughn, OF
The former fourth-round pick and son of outfielder Greg Vaughn hit .267 with 10 homers and 78 strikeouts in 71 games as a 24-year-old in Double-A when he wasn’t injured.