MLB Pipeline has ranked New York Mets prospect Amed Rosario as the third best shortstop prospect in all of baseball. He follows New York Yankees prospect Gleyber Torres and Atlanta Braves prospect Dansby Swanson on the list.
For years the Mets best prospects have been pitchers. Top prospects in the Mets organization such as Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard, and Michael Fulmer have all broken into the Majors whether on the Mets, or in the case of Fulmer, another team. With most of these pitchers already in the Majors, they have made way for the next wave of Mets top prospects.
This new wave of prospects includes many hitters. In 2016, MLB.com‘s ranking of Mets top prospects included seven hitters in the the top 10. The first on that list was Rosario.
The 6’2”, 190 lb. shortstop has been in the Mets organization since 2012 when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year old. The Mets gave him a $1.75 million bonus upon signing him which was the most money they ever gave out to an international player.
Rosario started out in 2013 playing for the Kingsport Mets. In 2014 he split time between the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Savannah Sand Gnats. In 2015 and 2016 he split time between the St. Lucie Mets and Binghamton Mets. Across his time throughout the minors, he has hit .280/.328/.388 with 63 doubles, 28 triples, 10 home runs, 147 RBI, 170 runs scored, and 41 stolen bases in 358 games played and 1501 plate appearances. He has also included good defensive play as well.
Rosario broke out in 2016 as he hit an impressive .324/.374/.459 with 24 doubles, 13 triples, five home runs, 71 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in 120 games played and 479 at bats between Advanced Single-A and Double-A ball.
Right now Rosario is a gem in the Mets organization followed by first baseman Dominic Smith. Smith was recently ranked third among the top first base prospects in baseball by MLB Pipeline. As mentioned in a previous Mets Merized Online article regarding that ranking, Smith will likely start in Triple-A. Both Smith and Rosario will be nearing the Majors in 2017 and one or both could possibly make their Major League debut before the season’s end.
