Zack Wheeler to Begin Year at AAA

New York Mets top prospect and one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Zack Wheeler, will begin the season at AAA Buffalo, manager Terry Collins confirmed on Saturday. Wheeler, as most of you will remember, was traded by the San Francisco Giants, straight up for OF Carlos Beltran prior to the 2011 MLB trade deadline. What looked to be a good deal at the time, has turned into a monster win for the Mets as Beltran left the Giants and signed with the Cardinals at seasons end and had the Mets kept him and he signed elsewhere, its highly doubtful the draft pick they would receive as compensation, would have been better than Wheeler.

Wheeler was drafted by the Giants with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, choosing to sign with them and forgo a scholarship to Chipola College and has dominated the minor leagues. He posted a 3.26 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning across two minor league levels in 2012. Going into the 2013 season, MLB.com has ranked Wheeler as the eighth overall prospect in baseball and in the top five of right handed pitching prospects. Baseball America will be releasing their top 100 prospects soon and Wheeler figures to be in the top 10. He profiles as a future ace and will likely see the majors at some point this season.