Jesus Feliciano might be up with the big club before we know it. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)
BY MATT ESPOSITO
STACHE WRITER
Every spring training, I?ll sit down to check out what who the Mets extended invites to. Sometimes on the list of non-roster invitees, I?ll see some intriguing young prospects that definitely show promise. Sometimes I?ll see the washed up veterans that aren’t entirely a long shot to make the club. But other times, there will be handful of players that do not strike any kind of chord with me.
These are the guys that do not have much of a past, and are not expected to have much of a future in pro ball. One of those guys this year was outfielder Jesus Feliciano. I am happy to say I was wrong about him. Feliciano has made me sorry for ever wondering how he received an invite in the first place.
Let?s look at why I even questioned Feliciano. I don?t feel that it was unwarranted that I wondered who the guy could be, and that I did not have any expectations for him at all. First of all, he isn’t young. He?s a 30 year-old outfielder, 31 on Saturday. I usually keep a closer eye on the younger players that have the luxury of time for development. He?s also bounced up down the minors since 1998, and has never made a big league team.
He spent time in the Dodgers, Devil Rays organizations, and has now cemented his name in the lineup card for the Mets AAA affiliate, a team he?s devoted his time to for almost four years now.
What can I say, nothing jumped out at me about him. He had a ton of speed when he initially came up through the minors which has since faded, he has a career minor league average of .285, and he doesn’t hit for power at all. However, with the way his 2010 is going, he?s flown under my radar, and perhaps everyone else?s far too long.
The average Met fan might not even be aware of Feliciano, but he sure is making his presence known for a AAA Buffalo Bisons club that has really turned itself around from their 2009 season. Jesus Feliciano is not only leading the Bisons in batting, but at the moment, is second in all of Minor League Baseball with a .403 average. That?s good for 64 hits, 13 of which are four extra bases. He?s also displayed impressive plate discipline, striking out only 15 times this year. I can?t remember the last time I could associate a Mets minor leaguer with a batting number that big, and this isn’t just a solid average over a couple weeks, this is .400 hitting over the course of 47 games.
If I don?t feel awkward enough for being skeptical of Feliciano, I looked into his track record some more and saw that he played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Not only did he just play, he started in left field. He started in the same outfield as Carlos Beltran and Alex Rios. It iss clear to me that Jesus Feliciano is no slouch, and he loves what he does.
With all this being said, it is about time the Mets give the guy some consideration. Instead of reserving pinch hit roles for guys like Gary Matthew Jr. and Fernando Tatis, guys who just don?t come through anymore, the Mets should give Feliciano a shot to fill the back end of the bench. It is his career year, and the journeyman Feliciano just might deserve a shot at the highest level. If his impressive plate presence can carry over to the Mets big league squad, the Mets it couldn?t possibly hurt the lineup. At the very least, I have learned to not always doubt an inexperienced player with an age that ends up on the higher end of the spring training spectrum.
Original Story:
