Toby Hyde, just returned from a trip to the Arizona Fall League, provides a great scouting report with video on Mets’ prospect Reese Havens. He writes:

The game film validates, to some degree, the power he showed in St. Lucie, and his approach was plenty patient.   Add a few more singles to his batting average in the FSL (where he struck out just 73 times in 97 games) and his .247/.361/.422 line would look a lot better.   I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Havens hittin .280/.380/.450 by July of next year for AA Binghamton.

Havens will likely continue his transition from shortstop to second base with the B-Mets this year, under the watchful eye (or maybe the watchful shimmying hips) of Timmy Teufel.

If you recall, Havens was a guy expected to move quickly through the Mets’ system when they drafted him in 2008. On paper, his stats with Port St. Lucie in 2009 weren’t overwhelming, but it’s important to keep in mind that the Florida State League is generally considered a pitcher-friendly one.

According to MinorLeagueSplits.com, Havens’ line, when neutralized for park and luck, becomes a much more impressive .280/.387/.465, far more in keeping with the one Toby predicts for him at Double-A.

I’m far from sold on Havens, but his plate discipline and power — even at a low level — are promising signs. If he can continue progressing and successfully make the positional switch, he could be ready for regular play at Citi at some point in the 2011 season.

That’s a long way off, but it’s an important factor to consider while rumors abound about the Mets dealing Luis Castillo and signing Orlando Hudson to a multi-year deal.

Havens almost certainly won’t help the Mets in 2010 and it’s  silly to plan the team around a guy who’s still a couple of years away. The Mets will have a much more accurate sense of Havens’ longterm value to the team after he faces higher-level competition this season, though, so it might be imprudent to sign any second baseman on the backside of his prime for multiple years when they could have — in either Havens or Ruben Tejada — a good, inexpensive, young, homegrown solution ready midway through that player’s contract.

Again, if I was certain the Mets could compete in 2010, I’d be all about finding an upgrade over Castillo. But that’s not really the ticket to building a sustainable winner, and since the Mets frequently demonstrate no willingness to move on from sunk costs, it’d be a shame to see a guy occupy precious payroll and a starting spot just because the team made a misguided attempt to win immediately.

One quick note on Toby, for what it’s worth: He’s an excellent guy and does a tremendous job, plus he recognizes how I’m killing it, but he might be a vampire. We e-mail with some frequency, and I’m not certain I’ve ever received a message from him that didn’t arrive between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.