Amidst a somewhat lost MLB season for the Mets, Baseball America just reported that in the Florida Complex League, the Mets had three of the top 20 prospects playing at that level.

5. Marco Vargas (SS/2B)

Marco Vargas, the biggest return in the trade that sent David Robertson to the Miami Marlins. When the season began he was ranked 20th in the Marlins system but was known to have an advanced eye and hit tool and was awaiting his first at-bats stateside. With the Marlins FCL affiliate, Vargas hit .283/.457/.422 with 38 walks to 22 strikeouts. While there wasn’t much over-the-fence power, in 162 plate appearances he did manage 11 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. Vargas also showed some speed on the basepaths, stealing eight bases and only being caught twice.

On July 28th, Vargas was traded with Ronald Hernandez, another player on this list for Mets closer David Robertson. Vargas struggled with the bat with the FCL Mets with a .234/.368/.298 slash, but still walked ten times and struck out nine. Vargas was promoted to Single-A St. Lucie along with Ronald Hernandez on August 25. In 31 plate appearances, Vargas slashed a much better .308/.419/.308 while walking five times and striking out seven. Vargas has a lot of upside as a defender capable of playing SS/2B with good plate recognition, some ability to steal bases, and despite his youth, a fairly low error count with 11 errors on the season at shortstop and none at second base. While the hope is some more power may come as he fills out, he just played most of the season as an 18-year-old and has only registered 250 plate appearances stateside.

Vargas was one half of the package the Marlins used to acquire closer David Robertson from the Mets. The 18-year-old was a low-dollar signing in Miami’s international class of 2022 and spent the last two seasons showing excellent bat-to-ball skills and a strong knowledge of the strike zone. He was one of the purest hitters in the FCL and more juice than his two home runs might suggest. He’s a solid but unspectacular defender at second base who will catch most balls hit his way but might not make many highlight-reel plays. Vargas’ arm is just fringe-average, but his overall package could lead to a future as an offensive-minded second baseman.

15. Jesus Baez (SS)

Jesus Baez was the big signing in the Mets 2022 free agent class and came with much fanfare and upside. While the results haven’t been there yet, as Baez slashed .210/.306/.333, he played the entire year at 18 years old and split time at shortstop, second base, and even took five games at third base. He had ten total errors on the year, with three at shortstop and seven at second base. His aggressive approach hurts him from making consistent solid contact, but he did manage to walk 19 times over 160 plate appearances.

Baez was part of the Mets’ 2022 international class and made an impression on evaluators for the way he impacted balls he caught on the barrel. To barrel the ball more often, he’ll have to improve his approach, which was too aggressive for some scouts’ taste. Baez has solid infield and soft hands, but he’s not the twitchiest player and appeared to get thicker as the season wore on. If he has to move off of shortstop, his plus arm and potentially plus power would profile well at third base.

19. Ronald Hernandez (C)

Ronald Hernandez was the other piece in the David Robertson trade, and he exhibits another great plate approach, with power yet to show fully. Hernandez hit .298/.464/.452 with the Marlins FCL affiliate before the trade. Like Vargas, he exhibited a solid approach, with 32 walks to 27 strikeouts with nine extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, three home runs). Upon his trade to the Mets, he slashed .286/.509/.486 over 53 plate appearances, walking 15 times and striking out 10 in the FCL. He was promoted on August 25 with Vargas to St. Lucie, where he struggled in 39 plate appearances, slashing .172/.33/.241, striking out 13 times and walking six. Hernandez spent most of his time at catcher, tallying four errors, but did get into five games as a first baseman.

Hernandez went from the Marlins to the Mets in the trade that sent David Robertson to Miami. The 19-year-old repeated the FCL and performed much better in his second go-round, showing a solid approach and bat-to-ball skills. He might not have big-time power, but that could change if he alters his swing. Hernandez will have to work to stick behind the plate, though he does show excellent leadership traits. He’ll flash solid receiving abilities, but he’s inconsistent in that area and will have to show a stronger arm and quicker transfer to be a weapon in the running game.

All three prospects were in the top 30 of our Mets prospects in our latest update.