Bobby Keppel

Keppel, who is one of the Mets' best pitching prospects, had his injury history rear its ugly head once again in 2004, limiting him to just 19 starts and shutting him down in August due to tendinitis in his pitching shoulder. When he's on and healthy he possesses a 90-91 mph fastball that occasionally touches 94 mph, a major-league caliber change-up and an inconsistent curveball that needs development. The hope was that he would be ready for the majors sometime in 2005, but due to all the time he has missed during the last two seasons the earliest he would see Shea is sometime in 2006.

Keppel does not have one truly dominant pitch, but his impressive poise, solid repertoire and good command has made him a winner at each level in the minors. Keppel's 90-91-mph fastball occasionally touches 94 mph, though he has found it's more effective and has better movement when he throws it free and easy. His changeup is a major league pitch but his slider and curveball at times are inconsistent and need developing to be major-league caliber. He missed a month of the 2003 season with a strained forearm and was unable to pitch in the Arizona Fall League due to shoulder stiffness but is expected to be fully healthy to begin the 2004 season. Keppel should see Shea Stadium sometime during the 2005 season.

Keppel was one of the youngest starting pitchers in the Florida State League last season. He led the High-A St. Lucie Mets in innings pitched with 152, but struggled at times. He has excellent control of a low 90's fastball, but needs to improve his other three pitches. The fastball has excellent life and movement and his changeup is a great compliment, but his slider is too similar in speed to the fastball, and he needs to find some consistency with his curveball. The 2000 1st round supplemental pick is developing at a good pace, and he could find himself in Double-A this season. He turns 21 this season, so he's on pace to hit the majors sometime in 2005. With improved pitch development he could emerge as a solid #2 or #3 starter in the majors.