Down on the Farm: Prospects to Know in the Mets System
Twenty year old phenom, Wander Franco, made his major league debut for the Rays on Tuesday night. He displayed why he has a hit tool grade of 80 (on a scale of 20-80). He already has his first home run and showing why he has been the consensus top prospect since Vlad Jr. graduated to the big leagues. We have also seen Mariners top prospect, Jarred Kelenic, come up and get sent back down after struggling to start his big league career. All of these big prospects got me thinking about who are the impact prospects in the Mets system? Let’s break down some of the top names.
Francisco Alvarez – C, MLB #35
The top ranked prospect in the Mets system is catcher, Francisco Alvarez. He started this season in A-ball with the St. Lucie Mets. After dominating at that level, Alvarez was promoted to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. Since arriving in Brooklyn, Alvarez has slashed .284/.379/.554. Not only has Alvarez shown the potential with the bat, but also has demonstrated a strong ability to shine defensively. He still has some work to do to improve his footwork behind the plate to help his blocking, but has shown a plus arm to throw out base runners. Alvarez is still a few years away from making his Major League debut, but will be an impact player once he does.
Ronny Mauricio – SS, MLB #51
Ronny Mauricio is one of the more interesting prospects in the Mets system. He has been ranked the top prospect in the Mets system that past couple of years before Alvarez shot up scouting boards. There is a lot of potential in Mauricio. The 6’3″ shortstop is extremely athletic and has shown promise with the bat. It is easy to envision Mauricio becoming an impact player with the bat. He needs to work on his pitch selection and shortening his swing, but the power is evident, especially from the left side of the plate.
Despite his physical skills, Mauricio may be the most disposable of the Mets top prospects. He plays the same position as Francisco Lindor so if he wants to make an impact at the big league level for the Mets, he would have to change positions. Mauricio may be a nice trade piece for the Mets as they look to continue to add impact players.
Matt Allen – RHP, MLB #59
Matt Allen is one of Brodie Van Waganen’s lasting gifts to the Mets. Allen was committed to play for the Florida Gators so there was some signability issues coming out of the draft. Because of that, a first round talent in Allen, fell to the third round and Brodie took a swing. He signed Allen for more than the typical third round pick but it was worth it. Allen has risen to the 59th ranked prospect in baseball and projects to be a front of rotation pitcher. He features a mid to high 90s fastball with a devastating curveball and a much improved changeup. He is currently on the sidelines after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but has all of the tools to recover and excel at the big league level.
Brett Baty – 3B, MLB #74
The Mets selected Baty with the 12th overall pick after his senior season in high school. He has shown the ability to hit for power to all fields and drive the ball all over the field. Since reaching High-A Brooklyn earlier this season, he has slashed .318/.422/.517. While showing strong promise with the bat, Baty will need to work hard in order to improve his defense. There are already talks that Baty will not be able to stick at 3B, but is destined to move to 1B, a la Vlad Jr. There is a good chance that Baty is promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies before the end of this season.
Final Thoughts
After BVW’s tenure as GM, he left the upper levels of the minors devoid of talent. However, he did do a good job drafting and replenishing the lower levels of the minors. The Mets boast 4 top 100 prospects and have a few not too far outside of that with Pete Crow-Armstrong and JT Ginn. The Mets have a lot of exciting prospects at some impact positions. Look for these names to continue climbing the prospect rankings over the next couple seasons. These four players are essential to the future of the Mets and will make an impact at the next level.
-Pete Chatterton (@Pchat12)
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