Josh Satin (Binghamton B-Mets) and Matt Den Dekker (St. Lucie Mets), were recently awarded the offensive players of the week in their respective leagues for the week of April 18, 2011 to April 24, 2011.  See below for their excerpts from milb.com.

Matt Harvey, the 7th overall pick of the 2011 draft, was named the Pitcher of the Week, last week, after getting off to an incredible 2-0 start.  Since then, Harvey has not cooled off.  He now boasts a 4-0 record with an ERA of 0.00.  Yup, he hasn't allowed an earned run yet in 22 innings of work, which also includes 27 Ks and only 8 walks.  He will look to up his record to a perfect 5-0 tomorrow night when St. Lucie takes on the Bradenton Marauders in the 2nd game of their series.

Speaking of St. Lucie, after sweeping a doulbe header from the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins farm team) yesterday, St. Lucie now has an unbelievable record of 17-2 on the year.  It is by far the best start in team's history and is the top record in all of baseball at the moment, at any level.  Along with Harvey and Den Dekker, St. Lucie holds a handful of some other up and coming Met hopefuls including: (Jeurys Familia, Wilmer Flores and Cesar Puello). 

For all the minor league action, be sure to check out the Mets Forum at metsparadise.com

Eastern League
Josh Satin, Binghamton
.643/.706/1.143, 4 G, 9-for-14, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 RS, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS
The B-Mets' Josh Satin, who hit .308 over 79 games at Double-A last season, enters the new week with 14 hits in his last eight games, with nine of them coming over his most recent four games. He doubled, homered (good for his second longball in as many days) and worked a walk on Monday, and between Thursday and Friday he combined for three more doubles, three singles, a stolen base and a run scored.

Florida State League
Matt Den Dekker, St. Lucie
.478/.500/.696, 5 G, 11-for-23, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 6 RS, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 SB, 1 CS
Mets prospect Matt Den Dekker opened the week by notching multiple hits in four straight games, and he had a double in his final tilt of the week. He's currently on an eight-game hitting streak — he has 21 hits in 15 games this season — and he's knocked in at least one run in five straight. He was 2-for-4 with a double in his first game of the week and 3-for-5 with another double and three runs scored in his second. He doubled twice more and scored two more runs in another 3-for-5 game Thursday.

Name:  Kai Achim Gronauer

Age/Birthdate:  26 years old / 11/28/1986

Home:  Solingen, Germany

Height/Weight:  6'1'' / 200 lbs.

Bats/Throws:  Right / Right

Drafted:  International Free Agent signing from the Solingen Alligators in 2008.

Scouting Report:

Although the Mets have been knocked by many regarding their inability to pay over slot in the June amateur drafts, they have been able to develop an extensive system via International Free Agency.  Normally their target resides in the Latin American region, although in the case of Kai, they reached across the Atlantic to snag away what some scouts believe as the organization's top catching prospect now that Thole is in NY.  Offensively he is an average hitter, although his 2010 numbers don't necessarily agree.  His stance is a slight crouch that feeds into his ability to hit line drives.  He is very aggressive early on in the count, but he consistently is able to put the ball into play, cutting down on his Ks and walks.  He prides himself on his defense, which he has continuously improved upon since coming to the US.  His quick catch and release mechanics and powerful arm make him a stud at defending the running game.  His main focus now lies in understanding each batter's mentality as they step into the box and trying to control the game precisely with his pitch calling.  If he is able to combine these attributes along with his arm and great plate blocking ability, the Mets may have found a gem from beyond the sea.

2010 Season:

2010 was a coming out party for Kai.  He began and spent the first 2/3rds of the season in the Sally league with the Sand Gnats.  There he anchored a pitching staff that finished #2 in the league with a team ERA of 3.08.  Defensively he threw out 23 of 51 would-be-base-stealers (45%) and only allowed 7 passed balls in 49 games.  His offensive numbers were modest at .267 BA with 23 runs driven in.  In late July, Kai was promoted to High A in St. Lucie where he finished out the season.  Florida was where his bat began to shine.  Kai produced almost identical total #'s as he did in Savannah in just over half the amount of games he played in Florida.  He raised him average to .324 in his time there, boosting his total avg to .291 for the year.  He mimicked his RBI and HR #s and proved he could get the job done at the higher levels.  His caught stealing numbers declined a tad, catching 15 of 40 runners (38%), but still finished the year with a 41% ratio.

Career STATS:

After spending five years in the German Bundesliga League, the 23 year old faced a daunting task when he was drafted by the Mets.  In Germany, Gronauer was considered a premiere player, but the competition was nothing compared to the US, even in the lowest of levels.  Kai began his career in the Rookie League with the Gulf Coast Mets.  He started 16 games as catcher that year and batted .356 with 10 RBIs.  Although his opportunities were limited, he threw out 6 of 10 base runners and solidified his position behind the plate.  In 2009, Kai completed his first full season with the organization as a member of the Savannah Sand Gnats.  The fiercer competition seemed to have taken a toll on his offensive numbers, but he continued to mature and develop behind the plate.   He posted a .984 fielding percentage in 515 chances and threw out 37% of the 79 potential runners.  He claims the season was a learning process and vowed to take it to the next level in 2010, a promise he would keep.

Click here to see a complete list of his career statistics (thanks to baseballreference.com)

2011 should be a good year for Kai.  With the catcher position being so thin within the organization, Kai could have a very prominent role.  Although he has only spent a few months in High A ball, I see Gronauer starting as the catcher in Binghamton, with Mike Nickeas starting the year in Buffalo.  Nickeas will most likely get the first opportunity to join the bigs as he is already a member of the Met's 40-man squad, with his 2010 call-up, but Kai certainly has much more potential.  If visa problems still hinder Paulino for any reason and Nickeas is called up, Kai could even find himself in Buffalo at some point in the season.  He still needs to work on his hitting and continue to learn the art of calling a game, but my guess is we see him in New York in 2013 as the backup catcher to Josh Thole.  He could have the opportunity in 2012, but my guess is that with Thole being a young catcher himself, the Mets will look to fill the back-up position with a veteran who can help Josh adjust.

Thanks to scout.com for some of the information provided

Name:  Joshua Satin

Age/Birthdate:  26 years old / 12/23/1984

Home:  Los Angeles, CA

Height/Weight:  6'2'' / 200 lbs.

Bats/Throws:  Right / Right

Drafted:  Selected by New York Mets in 6th Round (194th overall) of 2008 amateur entry draft – University of California

Scouting Report:

Up next in our countdown is infielder, Josh Satin.  Satin makes his way to our list for one reason; Offense!  He's not a power hitter, he's not a speedster, in fact he really has no position on the field, but the boy can hit.  His approach at the plate is unique, as his hands and bat are constantly moving, but has a very good understanding of the strike zone.  He is able to adapt to the individual umpire's zone, which is a rarity for most minor leaguers.  At 26 hes is no spring chicken, however the extra years he spent at California seemed to have payed off for him in regards to discipline.  His natural extending swing leads to a number of strikeouts, however he compensates that by hitting the ball to all parts of the field.  He is primarily a line drive/gap type hitter and consistently hits the ball on the sweet spot.  In college he served as a 2nd baseman, but has since been moved to each of the corner infield spots in his minor league career.  The one comparison I've read that sticks in my mind is a right handed version of Daniel Murphy.  He's able to play multiple positions on the field, but he's not great at any of them.  Hopefully he is able to hone in on first base so that he can be used as a compliment to Ike Davis if he ever makes his way to New York.

2010 Season:

In 2010, the Mets watched Satin blossom into fruition and relevance among the organization.  He started the season in Single A ball with St. Lucie, before being promoted midway through the season to Binghamton.  Between the two clubs, Josh batted .311 with 39 doubles and 74 runs batted in.  Most importantly was the consistency he displayed between both with .316 and .308 BAs, respectively.  In June he was named a starter in the FSL All Star Game and went on to win the honor of MVP.  His seemingly easy transition from High A to Double A, was enough to warrant an extension to play in the Arizona Fall League once the regular season was completed.  His torrid pace continued in the AFL where he batted .390 in 12 games, capping off a very impressive third year.

Career STATS:

In 2 1/2 seasons with the Mets, Satin has already played at 5 different levels within the organization.  In each season he has been promoted to the next level and his numbers show he gets better with the tougher competition.  After being drafted in '08 he was immediately sent to the Appalachian League accumulating 7 hits in only 12 at bats.  From there he was shipped to Brooklyn where he spent the remainder of the season with the Cyclones.  In 2009, Josh continued to show improvement with the Sand Gnats, hitting .284 for the season with 38 doubles and 60 RBIs.  He was promoted to St. Lucie at year's end and finished the season with a .364 batting average and 1055 OPS. 

Click here to see a complete list of his career statistics (thanks to baseballreference.com)

As mentioned earlier, it will be tough to see how Satin's career develops until he is able to find a permanent residence in the field.  In 2011, I see him as the starting first baseman in Triple A with the Bisons.  He will most likely be moved around the infield (maybe the outfield as well) to see if he can find himself a niche, but the versatility may be good for him moving forward.  It will be tough for him to make the big league club as a Met as the bench spots normally are given to veterans and rightly so.  His best value may be as a trading chip to an AL team in need of young designated hitters.  If he does stay with the Mets, I think his ETA would be 2013 as a right-handed compliment to Ike Davis at first base.

thanks to scout.com for some of the imformation provided

Name:  Robert Shields

Age/Birthdate:  23 years old / 12/07/1987

Home:  Dade City, FL

Height/Weight:  6'1'' / 195 lbs.

Bats/Throws:  Right / Right

Drafted:  Selected by New York Mets in 3rd Round (103rd overall) of 2009 amateur draft -  Florida Southern College

Scouting Report:

At Florida Southern, Shields spent the majority of his time on the field as a shortstop, though he is capable of playing both middle positions at the big league level.  His footwork around second base has improved since college as he's working on the transition between the two positions.   His arm strength is average, which better suits him for 2nd base, but he possesses a nice lateral movement which kept him at shortstop for most of his career.  In the batter's box, Robbie is your typical MIF.  Not a lot of pop in his bat but some.  He is more of a contact hitter with the ability to place the ball in the gaps.  He has vastly improved on the inside pitch, attributed to his quick bat speed.  On the basepaths he has average at best speed, but appears to have good recognition and reaction to how the fielders are playing out the situation. 

2010 Season:

2010 was not a completely lost year, but it was a rough one for Shields.  The first half of the season was spent re-habbing his elbow after receiving Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2009.  It wasn't until the end of June that he was actually able to get on the field with the Gulf Coast Mets.  Robbie played 23 games for them hitting at a .244 clip with 11 walks and 7 RBIs.  Certainly not impressive numbers that jump out at you, but commendable after a 12 month break.  In the second half of the season, Robbie was promoted to Class A – Savannah, where he showed no ill-effect of his surgery.  He served primarily as a designated hitter, as coaches did not want to test his elbow at short.  He was able to bounce back and hit .290 to finish the season, in 162 at bats, including 5 homeruns and 26 RBIs. 

Career STATS:

Shields left for the Pros after his strong Junior year campaign at FSC.  Considered by many as a top 15-SS in the 2009 draft class, Robbie led the team in runs scored at 65 while hitting .345 with 37 runs batted in his final collegiate season.  Robbie then went on to the Cape Cod League to showcase his skills, but spent the majority of the summer in the duggout with an elbow injury after batting .349 in just 12 games.  Once drafted by the Mets, he spent his 1st minor league season in the short-season A, NY-PENN League.  Brooklyn turned out to be a difficult struggle due to his elbow and he never made the splash he was hoping for.  He batted .179 in his pro debut and committed 7 errors on the season, before shutting it down for half of 2010.

Click here to see a complete list of his career statistics (thanks to baseballreference.com) 

2011 will certainly be that of a redemption year for Robbie as he looks to put his horriffic 2009 performance and injury behind him.  If he is able to maintain the poise he showed throughout college and the finish of the 2010 season, I expect to see a vast improvement.  At 23 years of age, I would expect Shields to start in St. Lucie, High Single A, although with his lack of time in the field last year, there is a strong possibility that he starts in Savannah with an early call-up to St. Lucie.  He needs to prove that his arm is no longer effected from the surgery if he wants to continue to stay at SS, but I see him more as a 2nd baseman, due to the lack of mlb-ready or quality players at the position throughout the Met's organization.  With the high hopes and aspirations of Reese Havens and the hopeful re-signing of Jose Reyes, Shields is probably best suited as a utility infielder on the big league team.  If all goes according to plan, there is a chance we could see Shields on the bench of Citi in 2014.

Thanks to scout.com for some of the information provided.

Name:  Joshua Randall Stinson

Age/Birtdate:  22 years old / 03/14/1998

Home:  Shreveport, LA

Height/Weight:  6'4'' / 210 lbs.

Bats/Throws:  Right / Right

Drafted:  Selected by New York Mets in 37th Round (1114th overall) of 2006 amateur draft -  Northwood H.S, LA

Scouting Report:

Like many other pitching prospects throughout baseball, Stinson finds himself in the grasp of the age-old pitchers dilemma, (relief pitcher or starter?)  Josh has spent significant time in both roles as he enters his 6th season with the organization, but as a starter he's been able to showcase his array of pitches and quite well.  Stinson's complete arsenal includes a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup.  As a 37th round pick, not much was every expected of Josh, but his persistence in refining his pitches has caught many scout's eyes in recent years.  He features two different fastballs (two-seamer and four-seamer), both used in opposite circumstances.  His two-seamer has a natural tailing action which he uses most often later in the count to get the ball in play, while his four-seamer is used primarily to set the hitter up.  His slider (85 – 87 mph), is his knockout punch.  He's able to consistently keep the pitch in the lower corners of the zone, helping to get the final swing and miss.  His change and curve are nothing special, but help expand his weaponry to keep the hitters off balance.

2010 Season:

2010 was by far Josh's best year in the Minors and is the main reason why he has been able to climb up on so many critic's prospect lists.  The majority of Josh's 2010 campaign was spent in Binghamton, NY with the B-Mets, where he was even named to the Eastern League All-Star team.  His time was split relatively evenly between the pen and rotation, although the latter was where he made his mark. With an ERA of 4.24 in 32 appearances (14 as a starter), Stinson compiled a record of 9-3 between his two roles.  Being seen by most as a player who was seemingly destined to be a reliever, Josh thrived as a starter and was promoted to Buffalo in the final month of the season.  In Triple A, Josh was given four starts and accumulated a 2-2 record.  Impressively he saw his ERA drop to 2.57 over those starts including a gem complete game three hitter in his final performance of the year. 

Career STATS:

In his 5 seasons with the Mets, Josh has seen time at every level possible with the organization.  After being drafted as an eighteen year old directly out of highschool in 2006, Stinson was sent immediately to work in the Gulf Coast League and Sally League.  Again he split time as a reliever and starter, but impressed the team with a 1.79 ERA in just over 40 innings of work.  Over the course of the next two seasons he traveled back and forth between the Sand Gnats and Single A St. Lucie Mets.  As a full time starter in 2007, he struggled mightily and essentially was moved mainly to the pen for the majority of 2008.  In 2009 in seemed as though his pitching fate had been sealed as he was all but relinquished to the pen, where he dominated both Savannah and St. Lucie.  2010 appeared to hold the same fate early on but when given the opportunity to start, he made the most of it and it just happened to be at the two top levels of the minor league system.  Overall, Josh has a record of 23-30 with a 3.75 ERA in 155 appearance (52 of which were starts).

Click here to see a complete list of his career statistics (thanks to baseballreference.com)

2011 will be an interesting year for Josh as it is still unclear as to what his role may be in the future.  If his performance in 2010 counts for anything, I believe he will begin the year as a starter in Buffalo.  Depending on whether or not Dillon Gee makes the big club, he may start out with Binghamton, but I have to think it will be as a starter.  The organization knows that he can always fallback as a reliever if he struggles, but why not see what opportunity he can make for himself if given the chance, especially after the way he closed out last season.  ETA – wise is tough to determine as it will mainly rely on where he is pitching in the minors.  If he ultimately is retained as a reliever, I think there is a chance he makes a splash with New York in 2012.  If he continues to pitch well as a starter we may begin to hear his name roll out in 2013 as I believe he will find the extra year in Triple A helpful in toning his secondary pitches

thanks to scout.com for some of the information provided