Nick Evans

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Mets #9 prospect in 2009
  After Evans spent the 2007 season in high Class A, he headed home to Phoenix because a stress fracture in his right hand left him unable to play in Hawaii Winter Baseball. Healthy again last season, he surged all the way to New York, breaking into the majors with a three-double performance May 24 in Colorado. Primarily a first baseman in the minors, he ultimately platooned in left field with fellow rookie Daniel Murphy. Mets officials believe Evans ultimately will hit for more power than Murphy. While his swing can get long, he has above-average bat speed and can beat good fastballs. He mashed lefthanders throughout the minors and in the majors. He has a solid-average arm and has worked hard to catch up defensively in left field. Power is Evans' lone above-average tool, and he needs to be more selective to be more than a platoon player. Scouts question whether he'll produce enough to be an everyday first baseman and think he may be best suited as a utility corner bat. He needs to improve his physical strength and polish his defense. He's a fringy runner but not a baseclogger. Evans was rushed to the big leagues and should get more seasoning in Triple-A with Fernando Tatis re-signing with the Mets. With Carlos Delgado's contract up after the 2009 season, Evans could find himself in New York's first-base mix a year from now.
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  Ranked New York Mets #20 prospect in 2008
  Evans has become exactly what scouts said he would be out of high school: a one-dimensional slugger whose value is tied completely to his bat. A prep third baseman, he has moved to first base and is just a fair defender. One scout with a National League club said he turned in Evans as a prospect despite considering him below-average as a hitter, runner, fielder and thrower. The reason is that fifth tool. Evans has more usable power than any Mets minor leaguer from the draft. He has a swing that can get long, but he has enough bat speed to catch up to good fastballs when he's looking for them. He's exceptionally strong and can drive the ball out of the park to all fields. In fact, using the whole field as well as improving his two-strike approach were key improvements he made in 2007. He's willing to draw walks and absolutely mashed lefthanders (1.036 OPS). Evans had injury problems interrupt his season early and late. He missed most of May with a partially torn ligament in his left ankle and was set to report to Hawaii Winter Baseball before being shut down with a stress fracture in his right hand. He's going to go as far as his bat will take him, but with Carlos Delgado aging less gracefully than the New York had hoped, 2008 could be a huge year for Evans to see if he can move ahead Mike Carp as the system's best hope for a homegrown first baseman of the future. He should replace Carp as Binghamton's first baseman this season.
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  Ranked New York Mets #21 prospect in 2007
  A third baseman when he was drafted out of Phoenix' St. Mary's High, Evans was a minor bright spot on a Hagerstown club that was atrocious offensively (the Suns hit .238/.313/.348 collectively). He led the club in almost every counting statistic, but with the exception of a scorching June in which he hit .364/.430/.705, his performance was mediocre. Evans has some of the best raw power in the system and shows it off with his impressive batting practice displays. The ball jumps off his bat and he's at this best when he's driving balls up the middle, but often gets too pull happy in games. Since he was Hagerstown's only power threat for much of the season, teams pitched around him and he often expanded his strike zone. Because of his third-base background, he has the potential to be above average at first and has shown improvement there, though his 15 errors ranked second among South Atlantic League first basemen. The Mets have also been impressed with the way he has taken to their strength and agility programs. As a righthanded-hitting first baseman, his prospect status is tied up mostly in his power potential. His ability to translate his raw power into games with consistency is paramount. It will certainly be tested in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League in 2007.