Jaylen Palmer/Photo by Allen Greene Photography

10. Jaylen Palmer, 3B/SS

B/T: R/R  Age:  20 (7/31/2000)
Height: 6’3″  Weight: 195 lbs
Acquired: 2018 Amateur Draft, 22nd round out of Holy Cross High School (Flushing, NY)
ETA: 2022  Previous Rank: N/A
2019 Stats: (Rookie Kingsport) 242 AB, .260/.344/.413, 7 HR, 11.2% BB rate, 39.1% K rate, 111 wRC+

Palmer would be a fan favorite if he ever reached the big league level, as he grew up in Flushing likely rooting and obviously still rooting for the New York Mets. There wasn’t a 2020 minor league season, so it isn’t clear how much Palmer has progressed offensively.

In 2019, he nearly struck out in half of his at-bats so he will need to put the ball in play more if he wants to continue progressing through New York’s minor league system. The Mets think that “part of the issue was his getting too heavy on his front side in his batting stance,” according to MLB.com.

Palmer should’ve also worked on his defense prior to 2021, as the 6-foot-3 infielder committed 21 errors at third base and shortstop in 2019, which is concerning considering that fielding doesn’t get any easier as players progress through their respective farm systems partly because balls are coming off the bat at a higher exit velocity.

His strikeout and fielding troubles aren’t to say that he isn’t talented at the plate. Palmer has worked with the Mets on staying back more in his stance to unleash more of his power potential. Palmer’s power is his “standout tool” and could be an above-average skill in the future as long as he increases his contact rate.

Time will tell if Palmer has improved his approach at the plate, but if he does you could see him moving up levels relatively quickly due to his offensive potential.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

Thomas Szapucki – Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

9. Thomas Szapucki, LHP

B/T: L/L  Age:  24 (6/12/1996)
Height: 6’2″  Weight: 181 lbs
Acquired: 2015 Amateur Draft, fifth round out of William T. Dwyer High School (West Palm Beach, FL)
ETA: 2021  Previous Rank: N/A
2019 Stats: (Three levels as high as Double-A) W-L 1-3, ERA 2.63, 61.2 INN, 49 H, 26 BB, 72 K, 1.22 WHIP

Mets fans have briefly watched Thomas Szapucki pitch before, as he appeared in a spring training game this year, throwing one shutout inning on 13 pitches.

As for his minor league career, he hasn’t consistently been able to pitch due to a variety of injuries including a back problem, a shoulder injury, and undergoing Tommy John surgery. With that said, the Mets believe in his upside, so much so that he was a part of the alternate site last season and is a candidate to appear on the 26-man roster at some point this season due to the coddling of pitching staffs coming off of a shortened 2020 season.

Szapucki’s fastball isn’t going to blow anyone away (sitting in the low 90s) but his breaking ball has solid depth to it and the spin makes it tough for opposing hitters. The most innings he has pitched in any minor league season is 61 2/3, so it is expected that the Mets want to see Szapucki show the ability to stay healthy before seriously considering him to be a regular part of the pitching staff.

Expect Szapucki to get most of his innings this year with Triple-A Syracuse — alongside other prospects such as Harol Gonzalez and Franklyn Kilome — where he will get a chance to face some former major leaguers.

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

8. Khalil Lee, OF

B/T: L/L  Age:  22 (6/26/1998)
Height: 5’10″  Weight: 170 lbs
Acquired: trade with the Kansas City Royals (2/10/2021)
ETA: 2021  Previous Rank: N/A
2020-2021 Stats: (Puerto Rican Winter League) 46 AB, .196/.275/.348, 1 HR, 9.8% BB rate, 31.4% K rate
2019 Stats: (Royals Double-A ) 470 AB, .264/.363/.372, 8 HR, 11.9% BB rate, 28.2% K rate, 112 wRC+

Khalil Lee is a very intriguing prospect that is fairly new to the Mets’ minor league system, as he was acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals this past offseason. Lee got some playing time late in games this spring but wasn’t able to record a base hit in sixteen at-bats.

Part of the reason why he has struggled to get on base as much as he wants to is his inability to make contact. The 22-year-old struck out 28.2% of the time, which was the second-highest strikeout rate of his minor league career (32.1% K rate in Single-A in 2017).

But at just 22 years of age, Lee has time to improve his approach at the plate by focusing on making more contact and using his speed to get on base. When Lee reaches base, though, he can create havoc. The Royals tried speeding up Lee’s development by pushing him through the minors quickly, which didn’t seem to bother him. The speedster stole 53 bases in 2019 — good enough for second in the entire minor leagues behind Nick Heath (60).

Lee also made improvements on his defense in center field at the Royals alternate site and it now looks like he could stick there long-term.

Lee is certainly a prospect to keep an eye on in 2021, especially considering he might be in the big leagues sooner rather than later due to the uncertainty of a Michael Conforto extension and his ability to pinch-run late in games off of the bench. (Video Link)

JT Ginn

7. J.T. Ginn, RHP

B/T: R/R  Age:  21 (5/20/1999)
Height: 6’2″  Weight: 200 lbs
Acquired: 2020 Amateur Draft, second round out of Mississippi State University
ETA: 2023  Previous Rank: N/A
2020 Stats: N/A

Before attending Mississippi State, Ginn had the opportunity to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 out of high school but chose to go to college, where he won the SEC Freshman Pitcher of the Year by compiling a 3.13 ERA with 105 strikeouts against arguably the best conference in the country.

Since Ginn was drafted out of Mississippi State University in 2020, he — like Pete-Crow Armstrong — has yet to experience a full minor league season yet but the Mets are obviously super high on his arm, headlined by his 97 mph fastball. They even decided to bring him into big league camp this Spring as he continued to rehab from surgery.

Ginn has already had Tommy John surgery during his sophomore year as a Bulldog, but a lot of pitchers actually come out stronger than they were before so it could be a blessing for the 21-year-old right-hander. Scouts rate his slider as a plus pitch that sits in the mid-80s with plenty of movement.

Another encouraging sign is Ginn is already known as a pitcher that pounds the strike zone, as he only walked 5.7% of the batters he faced during his brief time at Mississippi State.  (Video Link)

Photo by Ed Delany

6. Mark Vientos, 3B

B/T: R/R  Age:  21 (12/11/1999)

Height: 6’4″  Weight: 185 lbs
Acquired: 2017 Amateur Draft, second round out of American Heritage High School (Florida)
ETA: 2022  Previous Rank: N/A
2019 Stats: (Single-A Columbia) 416 AB, .255/.312/.411, 12 HR, 4.8% BB rate, 24.2% K rate, 105 WRC+

There have already been two talented professional baseball players that were drafted out of the same high school as Mark Vientos — Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer and future Red Sox major leaguer Triston Casas — so he will look to follow in their footsteps by having a successful minor league career before making it to the major leagues.

The 21-year-old was committed to the University of Miami when the Mets drafted him before he turned 18 with the 59th overall pick in the 2017 draft and awarded him with a $1.5 million signing bonus to pry him away from attending school.

While Vientos is primarily a third baseman, the Mets gave him some time in spring training over at first base to increase his versatility in the infield. Scouts believe that Vientos struggled offensively at Class-A Columbia because he was too aggressive and swung at pitches that weren’t in the strike zone. Though, his 105 wRC+ shows that he was still an above average offensive player in a league known for suppressing power.

However, once he fills out and makes contact more consistently the power will be there. Vientos hit 12 home runs in 2019 with 62 RBI in his best minor league season yet. The Mets named him their Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.

Of course, New York would like to keep Vientos in the organization but fellow third baseman Brett Baty is projected to be the team’s third baseman of the future. Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso are already hitting well at the big league level so it seems as if first base and the designated hitter aren’t options either. If will be interesting to see what the Mets decide to do with Vientos in terms of his position if he continues to show offensive potential.

Mets Top 30 Prospects: 30-26

Mets Top Prospects: 25-21

Mets Top Prospects 20-16

Mets Tops Prospects 15-11

The post Mets Top 25 Prospects: Mark Vientos Leads 10-6 Group appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

New York Mets manager Luis Rojas spoke to the media for the first time this year on Wednesday and mentioned that Noah Syndergaard “looked really good” in his first bullpen session of Spring Training.

Syndergaard is still on track to return to the starting rotation in June from Tommy John recovery. The 28-year-old missed the entire 2020 season due to the surgery. He has been throwing bullpens since November and would likely replace the fifth starter in the rotation upon his return.

If Syndergaard returns to form, it will make the Mets’ rotation much stronger in the second half of the season. In the first five years of Syndergaard’s career, he has a 3.31 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 716 innings pitched.

During his Tommy John recovery this offseason, Syndergaard started reading books more often and even started a book club on his social media accounts.

“I’ve been reading a lot of books while recovering from my Tommy John surgery and thought it could be cool to share this new hobby with everyone,” Syndergaard told the New York Daily News recently.

“I’ve learned a lot from all of these books about recovery techniques, leadership, leaning on my inner strength, and simply that it’s fun.”

Syndergaard is a free agent at the end of the season but could be another extension candidate if he shows his arm is back to being fully healthy.

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Pitching depth, both in the rotation and bullpen, has been one of the main points of emphasis for the New York Mets this offseason.

Last week, acting general manager Zack Scott told reporters during his first virtual press conference that he “definitely subscribes to the ‘never can have too much pitching’ cliché.”

Pitching has begun to fly off the board, but with camps set to open up this week, the Mets still have the opportunity to upgrade or add additional depth to the back-end of their rotation. Let’s take a look at five of the free agent starters still available on the market for the Mets.

RHP Taijuan Walker

Despite teams reporting to spring training this week, 28-year old right-hander Taijuan Walker surprisingly still has not found a new home for the 2021 season.

As noted by Michael Mayer, the Mets reportedly have shown interest in Walker of late. MLB Trade Rumors projected Walker to receive a two-year deal worth $16 million, and Mayer noted the righty is said to still be seeking a multi-year deal at $10 million per year.

Walker is entering his ninth MLB season after stints with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. He struggled to stay on the mound in both 2018 and 2019, but rebounded with a solid 2020 season, posting a 2.70 ERA (his best since 2014) and 1.16 WHIP over eleven starts.

If added, Walker would likely slot in as the fifth starter behind Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, and David Peterson.

RHP Jake Odorizzi

Following a career-best 2019 season, Jake Odorizzi bet on himself and decided to accept the Minnesota Twins qualifying offer. In the end, that decision didn’t quite work out for the veteran right-hander.

Odorizzi struggled to stay on the mound, pitching just 13.2 innings during the 2020 season. He began the season on the injured list with a back injury, and not long after returning was struck in the chest by a line drive, and was forced to miss another month.

Despite the notion of Odorizzi being ‘injury-prone,’ the 2020 season was a bit of an outlier for him. Throughout his career, ‘Odo’ has made more than 25 starts in six of his nine big league seasons. I wouldn’t expect a team to punish him much in terms of a potential contract.

MLB Trade Rumors expected Odorizzi to receive around $13 million a year at the start of the offseason. This could certainly still happen on a one-year “prove yourself” type of deal, though Odorizzi is said to be expecting a multi-year contract.

A reunion in New York with his former pitching coach Jeremy Hefner could be great for both the Mets and Odorizzi.

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

RHP Julio Teheran

The Mets certainly know Julio Teheran can be a relatively reliable starter. Teheran seemed to always dominate the Mets throughout his nine-year career with the Braves. In fact, he posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in ten starts against New York.

During his tenure in Atlanta, Teheran was the Opening Day starter nearly every year and averaged a 3.70 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP over a total of 1360 total innings pitched.

Similar to Odorizzi, the 2020 season was a bit of an outlier for Teheran. He signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels and ended up making nine starts for the club and posting a 10.05 ERA.

Teheran held a showcase for teams alongside Anibal Sanchez about a month ago in Miami, and they were reportedly amongst the teams in attendance.

While the two haven’t been heavily-linked up to this point, Teheran could be a solid depth fit for the Mets. In the veteran right-hander, the Mets would be adding some stability to the back-end of the rotation. Excluding 2020, Teheran has made 30 or more starts in each of the past seven seasons.

Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

RHP Trevor Cahill

Trevor Cahill will be entering his 12th big league season after signing a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants in 2020. While Cahill hasn’t pitched over 200 innings in a season since 2012, it is rare for a starting pitcher to hit that threshold when they’re being pulled in the fifth inning every start.

In 2020, Cahill was in the rotation in addition to pitching out of the bullpen with San Francisco, posting a 3.24 ERA with 11.16 K/9 and a 4.19 FIP. After having an abysmal 2019 campaign, he achieved a career-high 29.2% strikeout rate in 11 appearances this past season. Cahill could be a valuable depth piece in Triple-A Syracuse along with Mike Montgomery, as both veterans have the ability to be starters and relievers.

The 6’4” right-hander is still relatively young at just 32 years old, with less than 1,500 career innings under his belt. ZiPS projects Cahill to own his highest WAR (0.4) since 2018 (2.0) and pitch 84 innings in 2021.

The Mets could be seeing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason this year, so having someone like Cahill who has pitched five years inside the NL West could give New York an edge. The Vista, California native has compiled 75 strikeouts against Dodgers hitters, who are hitting just .233/.321/.339 against him in 21 career games.

RHP Rick Porcello

Mets fans might not want Rick Porcello back after starting 12 games and posting a 5.64 ERA last season. But in this scenario, the Mets aren’t looking for Porcello to replicate his 2016 Cy Young season.

All they would want from him is to be able to step in for a small period of time if Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto struggle out of the gate as the fifth starter.

Not to excuse Porcello from the five starts where he gave up four-plus runs, but it’s important to note that Porcello didn’t receive much run support from the Mets lineup in 2020. The lineup scored four-plus runs in just three of Porcello’s starts while scoring one or zero runs in 41.6% of his starts.

Porcello, 32, may not even get a major league contract, so he could be a low-risk addition on a minor league deal just as Mike Montgomery. According to ZiPS, Porcello is projected to pitch more than 150 innings with 8.06 K/9 and is expected to be worth two Wins Above Replacement.

After his final start of the 2020 season, Porcello thanked Mets fans for their support, saying “it’s been an absolute pleasure to be able to put this jersey on, and represent the city of New York and Queens.” Perhaps Porcello will be given another shot to redeem himself as a member of his childhood team.

The post Five Free Agent Starters Mets Could Still Target appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

New York Mets acting general manager, Zack Scott, talked with reporters on Friday just days before the team reports to Spring Training. He gave mixed signals about the organization’s confidence in J.D. Davis heading into his third season with the organization.

“We’re fully comfortable going into the season with J.D. Davis playing an important role,” Scott said.

As MMO’s Jack Ramsey noted on Twitter, phrasing is everything. Scott didn’t say the Mets were fully comfortable with Davis as the club’s starting third baseman. All he said was they’re confident he can play an important role on the team.

What role is he referring to? Perhaps it is coming off the bench against left-handed pitchers. The only reason why he wouldn’t be starting at the hot corner is if a trade were to occur. The Mets have reportedly had recent trade conversations with the Chicago Cubs about Kris Bryant, the Cincinnati Reds about Eugenio Suarez, and the Oakland Athletics about Matt Chapman.

There’s no doubt that Davis can hit. In 2019, his first season with the Mets, he slashed .307/.369/.527 with 22 home runs, which was fourth-most on the squad behind Pete Alonso (53), Michael Conforto (33), and Jeff McNeil (23). This was his first significant playing time in the big leagues (140 games played and 453 plate appearances), which led to impressive career-high marks in wRC+ (136) and fWAR (2.3).

The problem for New York and for any potential trade suitor is his defense — Davis has totaled -17 Defensive Runs Saved at third base over the last two seasons. This will likely be a problem if there’s no improvement considering that Alonso, Dominic Smith (in the outfield), and Brandon Nimmo also aren’t highly-rated defenders, either.

The post Mets Sending Mixed Signals About J.D. Davis? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets are reportedly interested in bringing back Justin Turner, but he simply doesn’t fit in with their plans for this season.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweeted out on Tuesday that the Mets are interested in the 36-year-old third baseman, but the two sides are currently “not matching up on years/dollars.” Turner wants a longer deal than what most teams are offering (somewhere in the four-year range that would take him to 39 years old in year four). The Mets are likely only interested if it is somewhere in the two-year range.

While Turner has been one of the best postseason performers in recent memory and would be an upgrade at third base defensively, it doesn’t make sense for the following reasons.

Justin Turner Is 36 Years Old

It’s important to note that Turner will be entering his age-36 season, which is six years older than the Mets’ oldest starting position player (James McCann is 30). He’s also nine years older than current starting third baseman, J.D. Davis. Since 2018, Turner has had multiple injuries, including a left wrist fracture, a right groin strain, and a left hamstring strain (which sidelined him for 20% of the season in 2020).

His increase in age may also come with a decrease in power. In 2019, the last full-length season, Turner hit 27 home runs for the Dodgers but is projected to hit just 15 in 2021, according to ZiPS. He had a 2019 WAR of 3.4 but is expected to be worth 2.5 wins for the upcoming season.

No Room For Another Possible DH

Since Turner isn’t getting any younger, it is reasonable to think he will transition to being a Designated Hitter at some point in the near future, especially if Major League Baseball decides to eventually implement the Universal DH.

If there’s one team that shouldn’t bring in another possible DH, it’s the Mets.

New York currently has Dominic Smith — a first baseman — playing left field because they want to have both him and starting first baseman Pete Alonso in the lineup. If Turner eventually has to DH, then the Mets would have to keep Smith in left field — meaning that a poor defender in Brandon Nimmo will have to man center field, which is a sight the Mets don’t want to see for much longer.

Who Would Take J.D. Davis?

If Turner is the starting third baseman, then that moves Davis to the bench. But, how many at-bats would he really get at the bottom of the lineup as the starting third baseman anyway? It would be better for the Mets to trade him, but who would want him? Possible suitors aren’t going to want to give up talent for a third baseman who has -17 DRS over the last two years.

The Mets currently have Luis Guillorme and Jonathan Villar on the bench (two infielders who can play third base) on major league contracts. If the Mets sign Turner, the roster becomes flooded with five players who can play third base if Davis doesn’t get traded (and if you include Jeff McNeil).

Those five players would total around $20 million on this year’s payroll (assuming Turner gets at least $12 million in 2021). You don’t need me to tell you that Steve Cohen could spend his money more efficiently in places that need to be upgraded, such as the bullpen and continuing to bolster the starting rotation depth.

Is Turner Really Worth It?

Sandy Alderson bringing back Turner would be a great story after letting him go in 2013. But based on his age and how much better the Mets have gotten this winter in other areas, it isn’t like Turner would vault them past the Dodgers in terms of contending for the World Series.

In 2021, Davis is projected to drive in more runs and hit more homers than Turner and is only projected to be worth 1.7 fewer wins than the veteran free agent. When you take into account that he will be overshadowed by the additions of an All-Star shortstop (Francisco Lindor) and an All-Star catcher (McCann), Davis shouldn’t be too much of a problem as long as he can perform like he did in 2019 on offense.

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