The Book on Maikel Cleto

Prospect Info

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Maikel Cleto
Born 5/1/1989
RHP, SEA

A big, strong Dominican righthander signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2006, Cleto spent a year learning US-style baseball in the GCL, then started 2008 at low-A, where he went 5-11 with a 4.25 ERA as a starter, striking out 81 batters while walking 34. He made major progress in 2008, and was promoted to high-A St Lucie at the end of the year. No soft tosser, Cleto's moving fastball is a 97mph thunderbolt that looks like a real plus pitch. His slider is a work in progress, but if he can polish it or add a working off-speed pitch, he will really be a player to watch. He was already zooming up the Mets' prospect charts with only one and a half pitches, and likely would have opened 2009 in high-A before he was traded to Seattle. While nobody knows how the new management in Seattle will handle pitchers, the old guard was aggressive with promotion and development, meaning that Cleto could break into AA as early as this season. If his change develops, he could be a strong starter, but if it's the slider that comes along best, look for him as a late-inning strikeout artist come 2011 or so.

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Player Updates and Notes

Pitcher Maikel Cleto has been traded to the Seattle Mariners as part of the twelve player swap that sent JJ Putz to New York. Cleto has a plus fastball and a developing slider, and could be part of the Mariners' bullpen as early as next season.

12/10/2008 by KDaddy

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