51s to unveil talented roster in home opener against Fresno

When it comes to talent, the 51s have more than any other team in the Pacific Coast League and virtually all of minor league baseball. At least that’s the opinion of Baseball America, which ranked Las Vegas No. 3 on its list of the top 10 most-talented minor league teams to start the season.

Featuring four of the game’s top 100 prospects, as rated by Baseball America, in right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard (No. 11), left-handed pitcher Steven Matz (No. 33), second baseman Dilson Herrera (No. 46) and catcher Kevin Plawecki (No. 63), Las Vegas is one of only two PCL teams on the list. The Iowa Cubs, who opened the year with two of baseball’s top three prospects in Las Vegas native Kris Bryant (No. 1) and shortstop Addison Russell (No. 3), are ranked No. 7.

The Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple A, International League) are ranked No. 1, and the Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins) are No. 2.

The 51s (4-4), who feature six of the New York Mets’ top 20 prospects in the aforementioned four and shortstop Matt Reynolds (No. 12) and right-handed pitcher Matthew Bowman (No. 18), will showcase their talent in today’s 7:05 p.m. home opener at Cashman Field against the Fresno Grizzlies.

“These guys are younger prospects. We think they’ve got quite a bit of upside,” said Las Vegas manager Wally Backman, the reigning PCL Manager of the Year. who has guided the 51s to back-to-back 81-win seasons and division titles. “There’ll be some growing pains, which is expected, but their talent will rise to their abilities.”

Herrera, at 21 the youngest player on the 51s’ roster, is the only prospect with big league experience. A Colombian whom the Mets acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in an August 2013 trade for John Buck and Marlon Byrd, Herrera had three home runs and 11 RBIs in 18 games at the end of last season for New York.

“He went up last year and showed he could play there,” Backman said. “He’s got some fine-tuning to do, but, in my opinion, the kid’s going to be a big league All-Star some day because he’s got some power and speed.”

While Herrera will add to the team speed that Backman said should be one of the strengths of this season’s squad, Plawecki, aka “Pauly,” is expected to add power and leadership.

“He’s going to be a big-time leader some day,” Backman said. “He’s intelligent, he really works hard knowing how to set up hitters, and he’s getting better every year. For me, Pauly’s an everyday catcher in the big leagues, just the way he runs the game.

“His power is just starting to show. I think Pauly is very capable of hitting 20 or 25 home runs in the big leagues when everything’s said and done.”

Having hard-throwing pitchers Syndergaard and Matz on the mound should help make Plawecki’s job easier. Syndergaard led the PCL in strikeouts last season with 145, and Matz had a 2.24 ERA, the second-best among Mets minor leaguers.

Syndergaard, who allowed two earned runs on seven hits in four innings in his first start Monday at Sacramento, Calif., is scheduled to start Saturday night’s home game against Fresno. Matz (0-1), who has allowed four runs on eight hits with eight walks and nine strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings in his first two Triple-A starts, will follow in Sunday’s 12:05 p.m. matinee against the Grizzlies.

“They’re a good one-two punch,” Backman said. “Matz was outstanding in his first start. His last start was a little windy, and he fought through five innings.

“Noah was fine. There were some good things. He worked faster and was more composed. He’s improved since last year.”

Plawecki tripled among his two hits Wednesday, snapping an 0-for-17 season-opening skid, and Herrera and Reynolds had two hits apiece after slow starts at the plate.

“Pauly was pressing a little bit, but he relaxed (Wednesday), made a few adjustments and looked like his old self,” Backman said. “He’s fine. He’s going to be a run producer for us.

“Herrera had a little bit of bad luck, but you can see in his swing that this kid’s going to hit. It’s the same thing with Matty. Once those guys start clicking on the same page, they’ll be a big part of our offense.”

Some of the other top PCL prospects to watch this season are Albuquerque (Colorado Rockies) right-handed pitcher Jon Gray (No. 24); Salt Lake (Los Angeles Angels) left-hander Andrew Heaney (No. 42); and Sacramento (San Francisco Giants) catcher Andrew Susac (No. 88).

Fresno, the Houston Astros’ top affiliate, features outfielder Domingo Santana, ranked baseball’s No. 50 prospect by MLB.com.

Outfielder Yasmany Tomas, rated No. 59 by Baseball America, started the season with Reno but was called up Wednesday by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bryant, a Bonanza High product who wowed Backman last season with his light-tower power, almost certainly won’t be with Iowa when it visits Cashman Field in August. Bryant, who hit a minor league high 43 home runs last season, is expected to make his big league debut with the Cubs today.

“That might be the most power I’ve ever seen in the minor leagues,” Backman said.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33.