Mets get first look at Marlins prospect

The amount of information available about players is staggering. Scouting reports are more sophisticated than ever. But when the Mets faces 20-year-old Marlins phenom Jose Fernandez on Sunday afternoon, they may have to resort to the most basic level of scouting: word of mouth.

While the Mets have seen tape of Fernandez, the highly touted prospect who is making his big league debut, nobody on the roster has actually faced him. So, manager Terry Collins expects there will be plenty of chatter in the dugout after ever at-bat.

"They don't like to go up there confused, so these guys can be very dangerous to face," Collins said of facing new pitchers. "Obviously, all the tape and stuff that we've seen on him, he's legit -- 95 to 97, good curveball, changeup is a little bit of a work in progress -- but it looks like plus stuff. So, we better have some patience today. When you face a young hitter who's amped up, one thing you can't do is make the game easy for him. So, make him work."

However, when it comes to handling nerves, few pitchers may be more qualified than Fernandez. From the Palm Beach Post:

The Mets might not know him well. But Collins said it's clear that Hernandez's stuff is "electric." However, it's also important to note that Hernandez has never pitched above High-A.

"In a perfect world, you'd like to have your three guys out there," Collins said.
Instead, he will cycle through his outfielders, trying to keep each of them sharp with playing time. The task gets a tad easier next week, when the Mets play a weekend series in Minnesota, their first games this season with the designated hitter.

"Two times now he's gone day game after night game," Collins said. "That wears you out. I tell you, I saw the replay of yesterday. We're lucky he's not out for awhile. If that leg would have been solid on the ground, he could have had some leg issues."

Laffey was 4-6 with a 4.56 ERA in 22 games last season for the Blue Jays. Backup catcher Anthony Recker is making his first start of the season. The lineups:

Marlins

Juan Pierre LF

Donovan Solano 2B

Giancarlo Stanton RF

Greg Dobbs 1B

Justin Ruggiano CF

Rob Brantly C

Adeiny Hechavarria SS

Chris Valaika 3B

Jose Fernandez RHP

Mets

Collin Cowgill CF

Daniel Murphy 2B

David Wright 3B

Ike Davis 1B

Mike Baxter RF

Lucas Duda LF

Ruben Tejada SS

Anthony Recker C

Aaron Laffey LHP