What seemed like a standard, late-season waiver-wire deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates actually might have handed the Mets one of their best prospects in years.
With the Mets once again out of contention at this time last year, Sandy Alderson swung a trade with the Pirates that sent Marlon Byrd and John Buck to Pittsburgh for Dilson Herrera and Vic Black. Since then, Herrera has transformed himself into one of the Mets' top prospects heading into 2015.
Herrera began this year in High-A St. Lucie, where he hit .307/.355/.410 in 67 games. That was just a taste of what was to come. Currently the youngest position player in the Eastern League at the age of 20, Herrera has done nothing but hit since his promotion to Double-A Binghamton in mid-June. Since then, Herrera has hit .336/.407/.564 with nine home runs. He has hit safely in 43 of 53 games and has nineteen multi-hit games.
In July, Baseball America included Herrera as the second baseman for its All-Prospect Team, saying:
Herrera may not have a single knockout tool, but the 20-year-old Colombian does many things well and has made the jump to Double-A in the second half without a misstep. In fact, he hit .320 and ranked third in the minors with 139 hits at the end of July, thanks to a quick swing and plenty of hard contact. He has enough power, speed and control of the zone to profile as a big league starter at the keystone.
It would be unfair to expect anything close to this type of production from Herrera whenever he makes his major league debut. But if Daniel Murphy becomes too expensive for the Mets, all eyes will be on Herrera, who figures to start next season in Triple-A Las Vegas.