This is our fourth installment of the MMN 2023 Top 30 Mets prospects, which brings us to No. 12. We will have solo articles for each of the players coming in the Top 11.

15. Jesus Baez, SS

B/T: R/R     Age: 2/26/05 (17)
Ht: 5’10”     Wt: 180 lb.
Acquired: Signed as international free agent from the Dominican Republic (1/2022)
ETA: 2028     Previous Rank: N/A
Stats (DSL): .242/.373/.378, 9 2B, 7 HR, 12 RBI, 8 SB, 6 CS

Baez did not headline the 2022 signing class only receiving a $275,000 signing bonus. However, he jumped out of the gate over the first month of his professional career hitting five home runs and stealing four bases. That certainly put him on the map, and he would be named one of the Mets DSL Complex players of the year.

As you can see from the video, he has a long swing, and he wraps the bat around. There are a lot of moving parts, but when he makes contact he’s been able to have exit velocities in excess of 100 MPH. Overall, he has raw power which will only grow as he physically matures.

Defensively, he has the range to play short, but he is still raw at the position. As a result, he has handled second and third with more ease. His arm and athleticism currently profiles him as a shortstop, but as he matures, he may be much better suited to the hot corner.

Joel Díaz, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

14. Joel Diaz, RHP

B/T: R/R     Age: 2/26/04 (18)
Ht: 6’2″       Wt: 208 lb.
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent by the New York Mets (1/15/2021)
ETA: 2026      Previous Rank: 14
2022 Stats (St. Lucie): 3-2, 5.86 ERA, 16 G, 10 GS, 55 1/3 IP, 1.572 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 8.3 K/9

Heading into the 2022 season, Díaz was projected by Baseball America as an emerging prospect they anticipated would have a breakout season. The reason was a mixture of his control, low 90s fastball, and his promising secondary pitch mix headlined by his curveball. It was that repertoire that helped St. Lucie win the Florida State League championship.

During the 2022 season, his control seemed to elude him. To some degree, his stuff has improved, but that comes with the complication of needing to find a way to better harness it. We should be reminded here Díaz is just 18 and was making his stateside debut.

Overall, when the sinker/curve combination is working, he is a worm killer generating a number of ground balls and strikeouts. We did see flashes of the potential he could be. Díaz tossed six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in the clinching game that sent the St. Lucie Mets to the championship series. That combined with six straight outings of not allowing more than two earned runs to finish the regular season gives a reason for optimism for Díaz going into the 2023 season.

Photo by Richard Nelson

13. Jose Butto, RHP

B/T: R/R     Age: 3/19/98 (24)
Ht: 6’1          Wt: 202 LBS
Acquired: International free agent, Venezuela (2016)
ETA: 2022  Previous Rank: 11
Stats (Binghamton/Syracuse): 7-6, 3.56 ERA, 28 G, 25 GS, 129 IP, 1.209 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 9.6 K/9
Stats (MLB): GS, 4 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Last offseason, Butto was Rule 5 eligible leading to the Mets adding him to the 40-man roster. Between that, his performance in the minors, and frankly, out of necessity, he would actually make his Major League debut on August 21 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Reading too much into that start against the Phillies is a giant mistake. At that point, Butto had only made two Triple-A starts, and in all honesty, probably wasn’t ready to face one of the toughest lineups in baseball featuring hitters like Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto.

Butto was better for the experience of excelling in Triple-A after that one start. Over his final six starts of the season, he was 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA. Part of the reason for his success is Butto has a promising arsenal.

Butto has tremendous spin on a fastball which tops out around 95 MPH, and he has the best change-up in the Mets farm system. With that combination, he likely has a major-league future. What his role will be will ultimately be determined by just how much he can improve his curveball, which is still a work in progress.

Dominic Hamel, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN

12. Dominic Hamel, RHP

B/T: R/R     Age: 3/2/99 (23)
Ht: 6’2         Wt: 206 LBS
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd round of the July 2021 Amateur Draft out of Dallas Baptist University
ETA: 2024  Previous Rank: 9
Stats (St. Lucie/Brooklyn): 10-3, 3.25 ERA, 25 G, 24 GS, 119 IP, 1.151 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 11.0 K/9

Yes, Hamel did drop three spots in our rankings, but lost in that was the fact he had a strong first full season as a professional. In fact, Hamel would be named the Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

There is a lot to like with Hamel. He has a full arsenal of pitches with a high spin fastball sitting in the low to mid 90s. His second-best pitch is his slider which exceeds 3,000 RPM in spin. Both his fastball and change are strikeout pitches with their vertical breaks.

The issue with Hamel is his slider and curve tend to blend a bit making the curve unreliable. His change doesn’t have the velocity separation and doesn’t have the drop it needs to be an effective pitch. Hamel needs at least one of these pitches to stick as a starter. Even with that, he has a well-developed arsenal which portends to his having a future as a good starter.

Prevoius Ranking: 30-26
Previous Ranking: 25-21
Previous Ranking: 20-16