Dec
15
2012

The Gradual Improvement Of A Farm System

An article by Sean Kenny

Years ago, the best options internally the Mets has to fill any vacancies in either the pitching or offensive side of the ball delivered a large handful of quad-A guys and retreads. The system had very few pieces to ever even dream about trading, and the prospects with enough value to be traded were labeled as untouchable. That style of retaining prospects who had yet to perform at the MLB level led to a few flame-out outfielders, overrated infielders and pitchers who just couldn’t put it all together. Not anymore.

The Mets have been progressively improving their farm system over the last five years, making some good signings in the International market, acquiring prospects via trade for MLB players with expiring contracts as well as reinvesting time and effort into making quality draft picks. This ideaological standpoint is one that seems so simple and essential for winning, but yet certain teams (including the Mets) had ignored it for the better part of the last decade.

While not without their flaws, the Mets have drafted players in the last five years who are producing at the MLB level, have prospects they signed internationally contributing at the MLB level and soon with the arrival of Wheeler, a prospect who was received in one of the aforementioned trades. It is not a perfect model, but it is a night-and- day difference between a few years ago when our best pitching prospect was Mike Pelfrey and Lastings Milledge was our best hitting prospect.

With the recently developing news of top Blue Jays prospect Travis d’Arnaud heading to the Mets, it gives them their best catching prospect in years if it goes through. All of this improvement in the system shows an ability to maximize talent at both levels all while scouting more. While the Mets system isn’t the best, it has gone from one of the five worst systems a few years ago up to the top half of the spectrum.

About the Author: Sean Kenny

Sean Kenny is a student/writer currently attending school at the City College of New York. For more Mets news, notes and thoughts follow him on twitter @TheSeanKenny

5 Comments + Add Comment

ray sadecki December 15, 2012 at 11:50 am

Thanks, Sean for that report. I see baseball america has put geccini and nimmo as the 2 and 3 slots behind wheeler who is in the top 5 pitchers in the minors. We wont be seeing these guys for awhile but its nice to know they are highly rated. Flores suprisingly was rated 6th in the system. The rest are all RHPs so I guess they wanted to focus on pitching the last few drafts which is a good thing. Valdespin doing well in winter ball is another reason to be happy. It looks like he being much more selective now and he could become our regular 2nd baseman if he keeps it up
- srt December 15, 2012 at 12:12 pm
  
  I saw that yesterday…with Ceccini and Nimmo 2nd and 3rd. Interesting – especially Ceccini as #2.
  
  We’re slowly climbing up from the 25-30 category our farm system was ranked in 2 years ago.
  - Hank December 15, 2012 at 2:31 pm
    
    I’m sorry but Cecchini over Nimmo is a joke. The both of them over Flores is even more of a joke. And I think the system is also getting better because the kids are starting to mature.
Joey D. December 15, 2012 at 1:10 pm

Began five years ago? Haven’t many voiced the opinion that the emphasis of building a healthy farm system for the future only started two years ago once Sandy came on board?
- 51s December 15, 2012 at 2:50 pm
  
  Really, a team that is so cheap that it doesn’t sign half its picks is improving the farm!!!!! wow. Hey, just because two # 1 picks are listed 2 and 3 when they haven’t come close to the bigs proves nothing……

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