Vitals: 23 years old (turns 24 on August 10); 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds; both hits and throws left-handed; drafted by the Yankees out of Florida in the fifth round of the 2010 draft; centerfielder.
Performance: After signing with the Mets last summer, den Dekker had a brief stint with the Gulf Coast League Mets before playing for Low-A Savannah for about a month, hitting .346 (36-for-104) with 21 runs scored, 13 doubles, 15 RBI and three stolen bases in 27 games.
Outlook: The Mets had a chance to take den Dekker after he turned down the Pirates the year before, after Pittsburgh took him in the 16th round of the draft in 2009. But after strong senior season for Florida (.352/.435/.563), he has put himself in a position to possibly move quickly through the organization. After his strong showing at the plate with Savannah, den Dekker will at least start off the 2011 season with High-A St. Lucie, and it probably isn’t out of the question for him to begin the year with Double-A Binghamton if he has a strong spring training. Armed with excellent defensive skills, den Dekker’s bat will determine how quickly he makes it up the organizational ladder.
tbontemps@nypost.com
