Cesar Puello

Once hailed as a notable prospect in the Mets' organization, Puello has played in three organizations over the past two seasons, spending most of his time at the Triple-A level with the affiliates of the Yankees, Angels, and Rays. At this point, he appears to be a Quadruple-A player, but he's only been given 17 games in the majors in his career to this point. With a career .289/.379/.447 line over 1,039 plate appearances at Triple-A, Puello has nothing left to prove at that level. In order to stick on a 25-man roster at some point, he'll likely need to land with a non-contending team, and be willing to bide his time a little longer in the minors before an opportunity to play more frequently opens up due to injuries. If that happens, however, Puello has shown a combination of power and speed that could make him a useful speculative pickup in deeper formats. He'll begin 2018 in the D-backs' organization, where he'll likely head to Triple-A Reno to start the season.

On the heels of a career-best 2013 season at Double-A that ended with a 50-game suspension for his connection to Biogenesis, Puello regressed in a big way upon getting his first taste of Triple-A. Across the board, his numbers more closely resembled his pre-breakout results, raising questions about the validity of his production prior to the suspension. On a positive note, Puello continued to show improved plate discipline, lowing his strikout rate (19.4%) for the second straight season and walking at the best clip of his career (8.1% BB%). Just 24, there may be moderate interest from other clubs if the Mets part ways with him, but Puello will have to repeat Triple-A and fare much better in order to get back on the big league radar.

Puello was suspended 50 games on August 5 for his ties to the Biogenesis clinic, ending his 2013 campaign prematurely. In 90 games at Double-A Binghamton, he slashed .328/.405/.550 with 16 homers, 73 RBI, 63 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. While his numbers improved across the board, the growth as accompanied by a 62-point spike in BABIP, so his batting average may be unsustainable. In addition, this is the third straight season that he failed to play a full complement of games, which is something he needs to prove he can to do to be counted on. Puello could open 2014 back at Double-A, but should advance to Triple-A quickly and could see Citi Field by the end of the season.

Puello's season was limited to 227 at-bats at High-A due to a hand injury, and the results around that ailment were hardly spectacular. To this point, Puello has shown an inability to draw walks (three percent in 2012) which combined with his low contact rate (74 percent) makes it difficult to use his best tool -- speed. On the basepaths, Puello went 19-for-21 this season in that limited workload, which bodes very well for fantasy owners long term if he is able to improve his eye, or put an increased number of balls in play at some point. His offseason league work showed similar results in the Arizona Fall League and Dominican Winter League, so Puello may need to repeat High-A for a couple of months in 2013 before getting his first taste of Double-A.

Puello played in Low-A Savannah last season as a 19-year-old. He went on a tear in the second half of the year, batting .346/.424/.430 before seeing his season end in mid-August with a strained lower back. That tear coincided with a change in his batting stance, which allowed Puello to be more upright at the plate and have a shorter distance for his hands to go to drive the ball. Puello is a five-tool player, with speed being his greatest asset right now and power expected to come as he matures. He is slated to start to 2011 at High-A St. Lucie and his strike-zone judgment as well as his bat will determine how quickly he rises in the Mets' system.