Dilson Herrera

Herrera never could catch much of a break with the Reds. The expectations for him were high after he was the primary asset coming over to the team in the Jay Bruce deal, but it never quite worked out. A shoulder injury and subsequent surgery ended his 2017 in July, and that injury carried over into spring training 2018. That allowed him to pass through waivers and get sent outright to Triple-A, where he actually put up a healthy .297/.367/.414 line in 185 at-bats. But unfortunately for him, he was fully blocked in the middle infield with the Reds and was slow to adapt to playing the outfield, where there were a few playing-time opportunities. He's turning 25 at the start of the 2019 season, so his full story might not yet be written, but the clock is ticking. After being outrighted by the Reds and becoming a free agent, Herrera returned to the Mets on a minor-league deal.

Herrera came over to the Reds in the Jay Bruce trade last summer. In his combined appearances at the Triple-A level, first with Las Vegas (389 plate appearances) and then Louisville (80 plate appearances), Herrera produced a decent (if fairly unspectacular) slash line of .274/.335/.456 to go along with 15 home runs and 64 RBI. While his numbers dropped off from a very impressive 2015 when he slashed .327/.382/.511, Herrera, who is just entering his age-23 season, is still seen by many as a potential regular at second base at the major league level. If he gets off to a hot start in the minors, Herrera could get a look with the big club, although Jose Peraza is expected to get the first crack at the starting second base gig left open with Brandon Phillips' departure.

Herrera took advantage of his time in the Pacific Coast League in 2015, slugging .511 Triple-A Las Vegas. While the environment was conducive to hitting, it was not a total fluke by any means, as Herrera has slugged .470 in his five minor-league seasons, reaching double-digit homers in each of the last three years. He has also maintained a walk rate above 10 percent at virtually every stop since joining the Mets, and has reached double-digit steals in all five of his professional seasons. There's reason to think he can be a 10-15 type player or better with a full season of at-bats at the major-league level, but the question is whether he will get those at-bats in 2016. It seemed likely with Daniel Murphy becoming a free agent, but the Mets found a short-term solution at second base, acquiring Neil Walker from the Pirates for Jon Niese. Walker's arrival may push Herrera, who will be just 22 come Opening Day, back to the minors to start the year.

This 20-year-old began in the season in the Florida State League and ended it in the major leagues. Hitting .307/.355/.410 in the spacious Florida State League earned him a promotion to Double-A where, as one of the youngest players in the league, he hit an insane .340/.406/.560. He ended the season with the Mets while hitting .220/.303/.407 at a time when his age peers were already back home after ending their season in A-ball. In four seasons of minor league baseball, Herrera has hit .297/.365/.460 and despite his young age and very slender frame, has hit double-digit homers in consecutive seasons and has stolen at least 10 bases in each season. The issue is that he does not have a clear path to playing time with Daniel Murphy still on the roster. Herrera is worth the investment in a keeper league, but deep mixed leaguers could get away with rostering him in the reserves and waiting to see how things play out.