As the minor league season is coming to a close, teams will have to start making decisions about which prospects they need to protect ahead of the Rule V draft this winter.
For the first time, teams will have to decide to put high school players drafted in 2007 or college players drafted in 2008 on their 40-man roster, or risk losing them to another organization.
The vast majority of players left exposed are not drafted, let alone become stars. But, as players such as Josh Hamilton, Johan Santana, Joakim Soria, Shane Victorino and Dan Uggla have proven, teams occasionally can unearth an impact player. Mets fans have seen the benefits of the Rule V draft this season in the form of reliever Pedro Beato.
One recent case that could have come back to haunt the Yankees was right-hander Ivan Nova. Now a key cog in the Yankees’ starting rotation, Nova was left exposed for the 2008 Rule V draft, when he was taken by San Diego. But he was sent back to the Yankees after he failed to make the Padres out of spring training, and since then has developed into arguably the Yankees’ No. 2 starter.
Here are some players that both organizations have to make decisions on in the coming weeks:
Jeremy Bleich (Yankees supplemental first-round pick in 2008): The left-hander from Stanford has missed the last year-and-a-half following shoulder surgery midway through the 2010 season. Chances are he’s left unprotected because of it.
Reese Havens (Mets first-round pick in 2008): The second baseman, taken four picks after Ike Davis, has suffered through one injury after another practically since the day he was drafted after playing every single game of his career at South Carolina. But it would be a stunner if the Mets chose not to protect a player that could become their long-term answer at second base as soon as next season.
David Adams (Yankees third-round pick in 2008): Adams was desirable enough that he was part of the package of players rumored to be headed to Seattle for Cliff Lee at last year’s trade deadline. But after missing much of the last season-and-a-half with ankle injuries, he, like Bleich, could be left unprotected.
Brad Holt (Mets supplemental first-round pick in 2008): The right-hander from UNC-Wilmington rocketed through the minors for the first year of his pro career. But after reaching Binghamton in June 2009, his career has come to a dead stop. After back-to-back rough seasons in Double-A, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets take a chance and leave him unprotected.
D.J. Mitchell (Yankees 10th-round selection in 2008): The 24-year-old right-hander from Clemson was impressive with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre this season, going 13-9 with a 3.18 ERA in 28 games (24 starts). But given the amount of depth in pitching the Yankees have in their farm system, he may be left unprotected.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Mets third-round pick in 2008): Nieuwenhuis was tearing through the International League for Triple-A Buffalo this spring when he was lost for the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. Like Havens, expect the center fielder to be kept, and possibly have a shot at winning a starting job for the Mets next season.
David Phelps (Yankees 14th-round pick in 2008): Phelps was putting together a fine season for SWB until a shoulder injury sent him to the disabled list for several weeks. But after going 6-6 with a 3.19 ERA in 18 starts, he likely will be protected, because he’s exactly the kind of player that a team would take a chance on in the Rule V draft, because he could be an immediate possibility to pitch in a major league rotation next season.
Pat Venditte (Yankees 20th-round pick in 2008): The switch-pitcher from Creighton, Venditte had a brutal outing in his last appearance (seven runs allowed in three innings) that skewed his final numbers. But despite his respectable performance for Double-A Trenton this season (3.40 ERA in 51 games, 88 strikeouts and 31 walks in 90 innings, .244 batting average against), it will be a surprise if the Yankees make room on the 40-man roster for him.
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The Mets announced their minor league awards this week, naming infielder Josh Satin as the organization’s minor league player of the year and left-hander Darin Gorski as the minor league pitcher of the year.
Satin, who made his major league debut earlier this month, hit .323 with 12 homers and 76 RBIs this season between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo. Gorski spent the entire year with High-A St. Lucie, where he went 11-3 with a 2.08 ERA, striking out 140 and walking 29 in 138Ò innings.
The Mets also named their most valuable players for each of their minor league affiliates. Award winners included right-hander Chris Schwinden for Buffalo, right-hander Jeurys Familia for Binghamton, right-hander Matt Harvey for St. Lucie, left-hander Angel Cuan for Low-A Savannah, infielder Daniel Muno for the Brooklyn Cyclones and catcher — and Long Island native — Cam Maron for the rookie-level Kingsport Mets.
tbontemps@nypost.com