Now that the 2017 season is over, Minor League Mondays will take a look at each of the New York Mets’ minor league affiliates over the next several weeks. This series will take a look at each affiliate’s season highlights, top prospects, interesting promotions, and more. We conclude our series today with some special bonus coverage of the prospects the Mets sent to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.
Minor League Mondays Affiliate Review: Scottsdale Scorpions
2017 Record: 12-17-1, 3rd Place in Arizona Fall League East
Story: Unlike the traditional minor league structure, each team doesn’t have an affiliate in the Arizona Fall League. The league is comprised of six teams, with each roster being filled with some of the top prospects from five major league teams. The Mets (along with the Yankees, Giants, Angels, and Reds) sent several players to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions, who were managed by former Met Jay Bell. The Scorpions didn’t have a ton of success, finishing in third place in their division and missing out on the AFL’s championship series by four games, but the experience was valuable for the minor leaguers who got some extra games of development in the fall.
Top Promotions: It wasn’t really a promotion, but Mets’ fans will care about the fact that third baseman David Wright was inducted into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame this month. Wright, who played in the AFL in 2003 as a member of the Peoria Saguaros, was honored on November 15th.
Top Mets Prospects:
SP Mickey Jannis: Jannis, a knuckleballer, built off a strong year for AA Binghamton with a solid performance in Scottsdale. The Scorpions used Jannis in their rotation, where he went 1-3 with a 2.33 ERA in six starts. Jannis struck out 24 batters in 27 innings pitched, showing potential of eventually being a solid big league starter. The Mets left Jannis off their 40 man roster prior to the Rule V deadline, gambling that another team won’t want to try and develop a knuckleballer.
3B David Thompson: Thompson, the Mets’ 4th round pick in 2015 out of the University of Miami, had a strong fall in the AFL. In 15 games for the Scorpions, Thompson batted .328 with a homer and five RBI’s. Thompson, who batted .263 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI’s in 133 games for AA Binghamton last summer, could start 2018 in Triple-A.
OF Kevin Kaczmarski: Kaczmarski, the Mets’ 9th round pick in 2015 out of Evansville, was outstanding for Scottsdale. In 20 games for the Scorpions, Kaczmarski led the team in batting (.351 average) while picking up a home run, 11 RBI’s, and two stolen bases. Kaczmarski, who batted .274 with five homers and 52 RBI’s in 128 games for Binghamton in 2017, could start next season with Thompson in Las Vegas.
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