Jorge Toca

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Mets #26 prospect in 2001
  Listed at age 26 but really 29, Toca is running out of time to earn a major league job. Big league first baseman Todd Zeile is signed through 2002 and Toca hasn't done anything to take his job away. He could give New York a righthanded bat off the bench or serve as a temporary replacement for Zeile or a corner outfielder. A Cuban defector, Toca lived at baseball academies with current Met Rey Ordonez as a teenager. He has excellent bat speed and is capable of hitting a few more home runs than he did in 2000. Power is his only impressive tool. He doesn't walk, which hampers his ability to hit for average, and he has below-average speed and arm strength. In 1999, Toca was the Mets' No. 7 prospect after winning the organization's minor league player of the year honor. He also played in the inaugural Futures Game at Fenway Park. But his stock has slipped considerably since then.
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  Ranked New York Mets #6 prospect in 1999
  Background: Toca is a former Cuban national team first baseman who defected to the Bahamas last March. Because he had married a Japanese citizen on a prior trip to Japan, he was given asylum. He debuted late in the Arizona Fall League this offseason then moved to Caguas in the Puerto Rican League. Strengths: Toca is a line-drive hitter who may develop more power than the 10-15 home run production he projects to at present. Toca was hailed as the top defensive first baseman in Cuba, but the Mets have him working in the outfield to increase his versatility. Weaknesses: The Mets say that Toca still has a lot of work to do in the outfield but that he is athletic enough to master left field. Adjusting to wood bats after a lifetime of aluminum seems to have been no problem based on his performance this winter. The Future: Toca's real age is three years older than what the Mets list, so he shouldn't spend too much time in the minor leagues. He could be in the big leagues by the end of the season.