Well in case you haven't heard, Matt Harvey (4-0) is pitching well. Very well. In his fourth start of the season last night Harvey went six innings, allowing no runs on four hits, two walks, and seven strike outs.

Harvey earns his fourth win of the year and his ERA for the season stays at 0.00. Kind of like my GPA for this semester.

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

Today we begin a new series counting down our perspective of the Top 25 Mets Minor League Prospects in honor of this being the 25th Anniversary of the Mets last Championship in 1986.  I'm aiming at adding a new post every other day or so, leading up to the beginning of the Mets 2011 season.   Whether or not you agree with their placements or don't, let us know what you think.  Let the Countdown begin!

Name:  Yohan Almonte

Age/Birthdate:  21 years old / 11/09/1989

Home:  Sabana De La Mar, Domincian Republic

Height/Weight:  6'1'' / 170 lbs.

Bats/Throws:  Right / Right

Drafted:  International Free Agent Signed in 2007

Scouting Report:

Although Almonte does not tend to overwhelm batters with his fastball, he's proven it is his best weapon in his reportoire.  The natural sinking action on this pitch forces batters to slap the ball into the ground, in turn making up for the average speed (90-92 mph).  His groundball ration ranked at an impressive 1.34 for the season in 2010.  He's able to command both sides of the zone with it making it a viable weapon.  Along with the fastball, Yohan also uses a slider and changeup to keep the other team off balance.  Although neither of these pitchers are the featured star, he has been able to use his Slider along with the fastball as a nice closing pitch.  Both the slider (80-83 mph) and changeup (high 70s) provide a nice amount of movement but are still works in progress.  He has been described as a very mature pitcher for his age, using each of the three pitches with great confidence.  He likes to move quickly through the lineup, going directly after the hitters which may determine his fate as he moves through the organization. 

2010 Season:

Almonte spent the entire 2010 season (third of his Met's career) with the Short Season – Single A Brooklyn Cyclones.  As many Mets Minor League enthusiasts are aware, the Cyclones were the beasts of the league in 2010, unfortunately succumbing to the Tri-City Valley Cats in the league championship.  Yohan quickly rose to the ace position in 2010 with an 8-4 record.  Although his win/loss record may not seem overly impressive these numbers will.  He led the league in ERA (1.91) and WHIP (0.93) while finishing second in wins (8) and strikeouts (73).  His 1.91 ERA was actually best in the entire Mets Organization at any level in the Minors.  Another prominent stat were his 89.2 innings of work in short season ball where he allowed only 68 hits to opposing hitters.  His dominating performance in 2010 was somwhat overshadowed by the success of the entire team as well as the Cyclone's bravado-filled Manager Wally Backman, but his numbers cannot be ignored and will make his encore performance in 2011, something well-worth watching.

Career STATS:

After being signed in 2007 via international free agency, Almonte got his first taste with the Mets in 2008 in the Dominican Summer League.  At 18 years of age, he posted a modest 3-3 record, pitching 61 innings to the tune of a 2.95 ERA.  He mostly worked as a starting pitcher, but also recorded 2 saves in his inaugural season.  In 2009, Yohan split time with two teams, starting with the Gulf Coast Mets and later pitching for the Kingsport Mets in the Appalachian League.   In 2009, he compiled a 4-1 record between the two teams with a 3.45 ERA.  His strikeouts continued to mount with 57 in 62.2 innings of work.  As noted in the paragraph above, his 2010 stats were by far the best of his career although he has shown great consistency and maturity throughout his Met career.  Most impressive about his 2010 stats, was that he raised his workload by almost 50% from his previous seasons, and was still able to post these types of numbers.  Overall, Yohan has accumulated a 15-8 record in his tenure with the organization with a 2.66 career ERA.

Click here for a look at his complete career statistics (thanks to baseballreference.com)

While it is obviously unclear where each of the players will be assigned come 2011, it seems obvious that Yohan Almonte should begin the 2011 season as a starter for the Class A Savannah Sand Gnats.  Savannah's recent dominance in the pitching category (exemplified by last years team), should make him an easy fit.  There is no sense in sending him to a short season league after his recent performances.  At 21 years of age, we could see him eventually make his way to St. Lucie (or even start there), but a lot may depend on the performance of these two teams in the first halves of their respective seasons.  It will be interesting to see how the new Met's regime handles their minor league system.  My guess, is we may begin hearing Almonte's name in the bigs in 2015, perhaps 2014 if he continues pitch the way he has.

Thank you to scout.com for some of the information provided.