Deolis Guerra gets opening day nod for St.Lucie Mets

Deolis Guerra will pitch opening day for the defending Florida State League-champion St. Lucie Mets as they begin their season tonight against the Vero Beach Devil Rays.

Deolis Guerra notes from Metsprospecthub.blogspot.com

"Guerra is kind of the pitching version of Fernando Martinez in terms of youth and how excited the organization is about him. He'll turn just 18 this April and will likely be the youngest player in the FSL. At age 17, Guerra had a 2.20 ERA in 17 South Atlantic League starts. Opponents hit just .208 against him, earning Guerra a late promotion to St. Lucie and a playoff start."

~One of the greatest things about Guerra is he is so young that he will keep on getting better.. Take a look at a scouting report on him just a few months ago, and then ill post the updates..

"Strengths: Guerra stands out most with a feel for his changeup that's exceptional for a teenager. He maintains his normal arm action, setting up a fastball that sits at 88-90 mph and touches 92. His frame should allow for more velocity as he matures, making the gap between his changeup and fastball all the more difficult for hitters.

Weaknesses: Guerra's curveball is below average. He lacks confidence in his curve, and it has poor rotation and depth. The tilt and velocity on his breaking ball changes as he tries to figure it out, and it's possible it could morph into a slider. His delivery is repeatable but too slow and mechanical.

The Future: With a little more velocity and an average curveball, Guerra would establish himself as an elite prospect. Time is certainly on his side, as he'll begin the season at age 17, making him a safe bet to be the youngest player in the Florida State League."

Now during the winter Guerra made amazing advances with his curveball, and changeup here's what the hub had to say..

"Update: On Guerra, it appears that his CB began to develop during the month of August and he improved it during the Instructional League. The Mets now believe that it will develop into a plus pitch. Also, he has been rated as having the best CU in the system."

Now Deolis Guerra comes to Spring Training and theres another update on him it seems he has hit great strides with his Fastball to..

"Deolis Guerra is at camp in St. Lucie, where he will open up his Minor League season. Reports out of camp are that Guerra has been touching 95 mph on the gun with his fastball, and could be ready for a breakout year(if last year wasn't). With another very good season this year, he could be primed for a top 25 prospect ranking, can't wait to see what he does."

Now lets put it all together.. This 17 year old kid is hitting 95 on the gun.. Which means he is prob around 91-92 MPH at an age were he should be a senior in high school, he has the best change up in The Mets minor league system that is considered a very plus pitch, and a quickly improving Curve-ball that with more experience projects to be a plus pitch.

Last year Guerra was on a tight pitch count because of his age should get a little longer leash this year but will prob not see over 75 pitches per start. Expect Guerra to spend the entire year in A+ there is no needs to rush this kid anymore.

He's been compared to King Felix in some ways at this rate he should be in the majors by the age of 20-21.

Again thanks to www.metsprospecthub.blogspot.com for the reports, and updates.