11
2013
MMO Mets Top 25 Prospects – #25 Through #21
An article by 
It’s that time of the year again when Metsmerized rolls out their annual Mets Top 25 Prospects. This will be the first of many posts referencing the Mets and their newly reloaded minor league system. This list was comprised using three individual prospect lists from MMO’s Sean Kenny, Satish Ram and Joe D.. After much conjecture and arguing, it ultimately resulted and concluded the final order in which each of these 25 promising young Mets prospects were ranked. These official rankings reflect a months long process and well represents the viewpoint of MMO. Lets get started,
25. Danny Muno, SS
Height: 5’11
Weight: 175 LBS
Bats/Throws: Both/Right
After a surprise 2011 campaign and a promotion to St. Lucie, Danny Muno’s 2012 season was halted abruptly when he received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for PED. Due to the suspension, Muno only received 289 AB’s. in which he kept his BB/K almost even for a second season, while showing more speed with 19 stolen bases on the season. Prior to the 2012 season, Muno was looking like a fast mover in the Mets system but at this point, he will be 24 before Opening Day and just getting his first taste of Double-A.
Outlook: Muno has no plus-tools, but is a solid player across the board. Muno has great control of the strike zone, drawing walks while limiting the strikeouts. While playing both SS and 2B, he would slot at 2B in the majors, but with the potential to be a utility guy and play all over the diamond. Muno has some gap power and some speed, and if he continues to succeed at the MiLB level seeing him in 2014 playing for the Mets in some role has some legs to it.
24. Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 210 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
The 2012 season saw Aderlin split time between Savannah and St. Lucie, displaying the same power that has kept him on prospect lists but showing little improvement defensively which may leave him playing first base. Rodriguez hit .263 across both levels, smashing 24 home runs in 471 at-bats. Rodriguez managed to put up nine more walks and five less strikeouts in 45 less at-bats. Aderlin may never be a patient hitter, but his ability to adapt to breaking balls at the upper levels will determine how he performs, likely going to Double-A.
Outlook: Aderlin Rodriguez has plus power and it is the best power in the system by a long shot. However, Aderlin has not adapted well to third base, making first base his likely defensive home. If he can keep his average above .250 at the higher levels he could be part of a solid platoon. Aderlin will finish the 2013 season as a 21 year old, so their is still some development time. The ETA on Aderlin looks like 2015 at the earliest, with either a repeat of St. Lucie or a full season at Binghamton.
23. Cory Mazzoni, RHP
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Mazzoni spent time in both St. Lucie and Binghamton this season, proving why the Mets spent a second round pick on the hard-throwing starter from NC State. The righthander had a 3.93 ERA across two levels, going 10-6 while striking out 104 in 144.1 innings. Mazzoni has lost some velocity as of recently and works with a three-pitch mix. A fastball that sits low to mid 90′s with some movement, a slider that sometimes flashes some plus but more often than not is inconsistent and a splitter which is effective when used but he keeps it in his back pocket. Mazzoni is a guy who will live or die by his ability to throw strikes without much margin for error.
Outlook: Mazzoni doesn’t have a very high ceiling, but will finish the season at 24 years old and has a shot at pitching in Las Vegas by the end of the 2013 season. If Mazzoni was moved to the bullpen, his three pitch mix could work and he could play up his velocity to possible a legitimate mid-90′s thrower and be pitching for the Mets in the 2014 bullpen. Mazzoni’s ceiling seems to be Mike Pelfrey with less velocity due to pitch quality.
22. Cesar Puello, OF
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 195
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
2012 marked a season marred with injuries for the toolsy outfield with as much raw talent as any Mets player in the system. However, staying healthy has been a problem for Puello as he only had 252 at bats while repeating a season at St. Lucie. The tools showed when he was healthy, hitting nearly 50% of his hits for extra bases, stealing 19 bases in 21 attempts and still playing enough games in CF to consider him a prospect at that position. Health will dictate where Puello winds up and how much of that raw talent becomes evident statistically.
Outlook: Puello has enough tools that could be plus that will keep his name relevant until he is 25 (which will be in three years as of April 1st) but a full season of at-bats at Double-A could go a long way in determining if Puello has a shot at the 2014 Mets or a shot at Las Vegas. His ability to improve his SB % in one season is astounding, and seems to be a product of being able to learn. Puello with health and some more growth could look like a real good 10 HR/30 SB guy very soon
21. Juan Lagares, OF
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 175 LBS
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Lagares had a monster season in 2011 and followed it up with a good season at Binghamton hitting .283 with some improvement in his plate discipline and his continuing ability at playing CF. Lagares’ value at this point is held to which position on the field he will play because despite the high batting average, Lagares doesn’t exhibit the type of power you would expect from a corner outfielder. Expectations would see Lagares going to Las Vegas for the 2013 season to either start in CF if possible, otherwise playing a corner and proving his bat is solid
Outlook: Lagares can hit but the only downside is the tweener label at this point and value that goes to each position. The Mets outfield at this point is so devoid of right-handed bats, if Lagares came up to the Mets for the 2013 season I would not be surprised in the least bit. That being said, I think Lagares gets 400+ AB in Las Vegas, playing all three OF spots and makes the big club by September 2013 for a tryout for 2014.
Editor’s Note from Joe D. – Prospects numbered 16-20 will be posted on Monday, followed by prospects numbered 11-15 on Wednesday. The top ten ranked Mets prospects will be published individually to conclude our feature. Though we argued about a great many players in terms of makeup, ceiling and development, one thing we all agreed on is that the Mets now have a minor league system to be proud of.
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
36 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 25 | 18 | .581 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 21 | .523 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 23 | .477 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 17 | 24 | .415 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 12 | 32 | .273 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/19/2013
Recent Comments
- ill_egl: on Mets Only Manage Three Runs Behind Marcum, Lose 4-3: * than 38yr old dickey and his...
- Billy: on Mets Only Manage Three Runs Behind Marcum, Lose 4-3: I wouldn't trade the Mets top pitching...
- ill_egl: on Mets Only Manage Three Runs Behind Marcum, Lose 4-3: So let me get this straight... you...
- Billy: on Mets Only Manage Three Runs Behind Marcum, Lose 4-3: D'Araud is a higher rated prospect than...
- ill_egl: on MetsMinors.net Is Here!: Im somewhat of a new reader and...
MMO Mets Chat
Need Tickets To The Mets Game?
Check Out These Great MLB Links!
Photographs From Gordon Donovan
5366 Fans Follow Us On Twitter!
1269 Fans Like Us On Facebook!
2341 Fans Read Our Feed!
1702 Fans Subscribe via Daily Email!
Nice list and all 5 are deserving of top 25 status – though the problem will be that there are about 30 to 35 candidates in the mix for these 25 spots. Lagares & Muno probably wouldn´t make my personal top 25 but are easily justifyable here.
I´d probably rank Mazzoni a bit higher, though the difference between the mid teens and twenties isn´t big anyway.
In any case, the Mets system is quite deep right now – though more in the lower levels than the upper levels.
Just for fun, here´s how I´d rank the top 25 as of today (bound to change tomorrow):
1 Wheeler
2 D´Arnaud
3 Syndergaard
4 Flores
5 Fulmer
6 Nimmo
7 Tapia
8 Cecchini
9 Montero
10 Familia
11 Mateo
12 DeGrom
13 Matz
14 Plawecki
15 Evans
16 Mazzoni
17 Rosario
18 Lupo
19 Den Dekker
20 Robles
21 Ynoa
22 Ad.Rodriguez
23 Puello
24 McHugh
25 Tovar
HMP: Lara – Leathersich – Verrett – Gorski – Diaz
HMH: Lagares – Muno – Reynolds – Ceciliani – G.Gomez
And imho, one can make a good case for each of the 10 HM to be on the back-end of the top 25 as well. Of course, only 10 or so of the top 25 + 10 HM I listed figure to open 2013 in Double A or higher which shows that the depth is generally still at the lower levels of the system.
For now, there´s space on the 40-man roster for several fringe prospects such as Carson – E.Ramirez – Germen – Recker – Havens – Lutz who may become roster casualties depending on further moves.The 40-man issues will become quite difficult going forward though, a year or two from now….
Fun read & keep on the good work !
I’d have Montero higher than 9 no? at least higher than Cecchini.
Third in the FSL in K/BB at 21, both ahead of him being at least two years older. Next 21 year old, who was Gerrit Cole, was 19th. Second youngest in the top ten in AVG against. Second youngest to Jose Fernandez in the top five in FIP.
I know numbers aren’t everything in projecting prospects and it’s only 50 innings, but that is some serious sh*t.
Basically #4 through #9 are pretty interchangeble.
Flores, Nimmo and Cecchini all have a legitimate shot at becoming 1st division pos. players, albeit with various risk.
Fulmer, Tapia and Montero all have done well in full season A- Ball and all have realistic upside as SP with a relief role as a fallback position. Depending on what you look for in a prospect, you can rank them in every sort of order. I have Fulmer ahead because of the young age and Tapia second due to the plus plus fastball. But Montero has the best command of the three and is closest to the majors.
Likewise, several other prospects like Cory Vaughn, Tyler Pill or Alonzo Harris for example also should get HM.
DrDooby, can you contact me at GetMetsmerized@aol.com. I wanted to bounce something off you and also get your opinion on a site related issue.
Sent you a mail with the adress, Joe D…
Nice job. Don’t have a problem putting these 5 in there.
Dr. Dooby a bit high for Rosario in my opinion. Way to early.
Amed not Adrian….
Shocked Lagaras is in top 25.
He is the closest Mets OF to the major leagues if you think about it from a need and performance standpoint. Hits righty, makes contact, can play all OF but best if he could play CF. Some speed.
Juan Centeno better be in the top 10
Centeno is a hard case to fight for in some circles. Two MiLB career home runs, no footspeed, not sure if his bat will hold up, By the time he’d be MLB ready, may be 2014.
How old is Juan Lagares?
23 will be 24 during this season
Thanks. I thought he was on the older side of a prospect.
No mention of puello’s god-awful walk to strikeout ratio? Thats why he’s ranked so low, not really for the reasons you listed.
That is another big problem, but I think with some more seasoning he of all people may be able to work it out. What he needs is a full season (400+ AB) at Double-A, and maybe a later season promotion to Vegas. He is still young.
Den Dekker is a lot closer to the ML then Puello.
Anyone can do a top ten, that’s easy. You need to really know the system to start doing top 25. Putting Lagaras anywhere on it speeks volumes. Having him at 21 is nuts. This isn’t 2011 anymore, he had a average at best season last year. He showed no power at all; that’s a bad outfield prospect.
You’re right anyone can do a top ten, or a top 25, but only one site can claim that our prospects read and look forward to ours every January. Three of them just yesterday called to thank us and Leathersich favorited the post and we are the only Mets site he follows. Check it out.
I’m not really saying he’s old…he’s just not a good outfield prospect. He’s not fast enough for center and doesn’t have enough power for a corner outfield spot. Considering the options, he should be on the top 25.
Not according to what Paul DePodesta had to say about him yesterday when he said he’d most likely make MLB debut in 2013. Why not just enjoy the show from a site that has intimate knowledge of what’s going on and have seen, watched and talked with everyone, and I mean everyone on the list?
Saying this is a farm system to be proud of is a stretch, joe. But there is promise now.
Nice job Sean, never mind the know-nothings.
Good work, Batman.
20 – 16 coming up on Monday from me.
should start being some interesting guys with a lot of potential in that group.
Looking forward to it.
I got to say I really really like Montero, and I think this year he moves into top 5 Mets prospects, should be ready by next September.
Hey Peter,
I’ve got my eye on Montero too. I like him a lot.
Would that be the same eye you stole from the Stygian witches?
Ssssh! Nobody needs to know…
I really think he’s on the fast track. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him light up AA this year. Especially if his breaking pitches continue to improve. But I have a feeling they’ll have him start in the FSL again. He seems ready to take on AA though. was just watchin his scouting video on baseballinstinct.com. Dude’s got total command of his fastball with solid tail, and pitches inside. If you have elite command of a moving fastball in the low 90′s, you’re going places.
I love talkin’ about our prospects. As a group, I think they are much underrated by the pundits. I just put together my Top 25 (actually 30, since I just couldn’t stop after getting up a head of steam) Here’s my list:
1. Zack Wheeler
2. Travis d’Arnaud
3. Noah Syndergaard
4. Wilmer Flores
5. Rafael Montero
6. Michael Fulmer
7. Luis Mateo
8. Brandon Nimmo
9. Gabriel Ynoa
10. Gavin Cecchini
11. Logan Verrett
12. Jenrry Mejia
13. Marcos Camarena
14. Jacob deGrom
15. Matt Den Dekker
16. Rainy Lara
17. Hansel Robles
18. Jeurys Familia
19. Kevin Plawecki
20. Cory Vaugn
21. Danny Muno
22. Domingo Tapia
23. Luis Cessa
24. Camden Maron
25. Jack Leathersich
26. Cory Mazzoni
27. Darrell Ceciliani
28. Vicente Lupo
29. Steven Matz
30. Carlos Vazquez
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Pill, Philip Evans, Hamilton Bennett, Adam Kolarek, Armando Rodriguez
Notable Omissions: Cesar Puello, Juan Urbina, Aderlin Rodriguez, Wilfredo Tovar, Alonzo Harris, Juan Lagares, Reese Havens
Watch List: Jorge Cespedes, Wilmer Becerra, Yoan Gonzalez, Paul Sewald, Matt Bowman, Logan Taylor, Tyler Vanderheiden
Dr, Dooby, I can’t see Adrian Rosario so high on your list. I went to a B-Mets game in Trenton last year and watched him get scorched. I have several relievers ahead of him in my rankings, including Leathersich, Vazquez, (if they keep him in the pen) Kolarek, Armando Rodriguez, and Bennett. I guess these differences of opinion is what makes baseball so much fun.
Herb,
Excellent list and thank you for the comment. Can I inquire as to why you have Ynoa ranked so high? Nice to see Rainy Lara getting some love, too.
It’s SS Amed Rosario I had at 18, the highly paid international free agent the Mets signed last summer for late 1st round $$. Have heard a lot of good things about him and believe he’s worth being put on the list – even if he’s probably several years away.
Adrian Rosario, i.e. the ” haul” for KRod is one of several decent upper minor league reliever prospect, who may not even make a top 50 overall in the system list, I agree. Armando Rodriguez, Ryan Fraser and Elvin Ramirez probably all rank ahead of him among upper level relief options…
[...] is posting their prospect lists and this week they got to numbers 25 through 21. I love this stuff; it’s the type of [...]
Herb and Dooby…those are great top prospect lists. And Lagaras is rightfully omitted. Herb even went top 30!!!
Did Lagares hurt you personally or something? It’s cool not to like the guy, but it seems a little rough. Plus, you just said everyone has their own opinions, but Lagares is “rightfully” omitted?
Sean and I made up 2/3 of the crew that helped compiled this list, and if you’re accusing anyone of favoritism here, I won’t stand for it.
Re Muno, if he continue to develop (although he’s on the older side already for a prospect) any one see him challenging Murph for the 2b job in 2014. I don’t think Muno is the long- term answer there, but could hold the fort down until Evans or Cecchini is ready. Muno should be an upgrade over Murph on D and speed, but remains to be seen how the bat will do.