The New York Mets have been in the news over the last 24 hours. Yesterday, they made headlines with word of an increased ownership stake to multi-billionaire Steve Cohen. Today, they acquire a much needed center fielder for their roster in Jake Marisnick from the Houston Astros.
Going back to the Astros are minor league players Blake Taylor and Kenedy Corona.
We’ve acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick (@JSMarisnick) from Houston in exchange for minor league LHP Blake Taylor and minor league outfielder Kenedy Corona. #Mets
— New York Mets (@Mets) December 5, 2019
Marisnick’s Potential
Jake Marisnick is a defense-first outfielder, who is expected to make $3,000,000 in arbitration heading into next season.
He is primarily a center fielder, but he has the ability to play all three outfield positions with a career DRS of 71. Additionally, he has a DRS of at least ten at all three positions, showing his superb defensive abilities. He has a 33 assists in seven seasons, as well.
Although his right-handed bat is a good fit for the Mets, the downfall to Marisnick is that his offense is not great. As a result, he has been more of a fourth outfielder option than an everyday player. This is seen by his playing 120 games only twice in his career.
His best offensive season came in 2017 when he had a .243/.319/.496 slash line in 256 plate appearances. He also had 16 home runs and 9 stolen bases that season with a 119 OPS+.
Since that season, his OPS+ has not risen above 83. His career slash line is .227/.280/.380 with 54 home runs and 74 stolen bases.
Marisnick is set to make about $3M in arbitration in 2020. He's a right-handed hitter and talented CF defender, which checks some of the important boxes for the Mets. Not necessarily an everyday guy out there. https://t.co/1RzoRrlVAU
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) December 5, 2019
Marisnick will be under the Mets control for one season before being eligible for free agency. He does not appear to be the definitive answer to the Mets centerfield questions, but he is certainly someone who can fill some needs for the team in a limited role.
The Return
Neither Blake Taylor nor Kenedy Corona are ranked in the Mets top-30 prospects. Taylor, 23, spent 2019 in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A while Corona, 19, reached as high as Low-A Ball.
Taylor had a 2.16 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched, finishing 27 of the 40 games he appeared in, and saving ten of them. He struck out 74 batters for a K/9 of 10.0. Corona slashed .301/.398/.470 in 263 plate appearances with 5 home runs and 19 stolen bases.
Based on the statistics they put up, both players look to have talent although their absence from the Mets top-30 prospects list indicates that their ceilings may be limited.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
