Most, if not all, New York Mets fans know top prospect Amed Rosario, the all-around game of Dominic Smith, the fast rising Thomas Szapucki and the defensive wizardry of Luis Guillorme.
The Mets farm system right now has a good mixture of high end talent, high ceiling toolsy players in the lower minors and solid possible back-end starters.
Here are top five Mets prospects I feel have flown under the radar:
Photo by Ed Delany
1. RHP Nabil Crismatt – Has been on my personal radar for a year plus now because he isn’t afraid to throw his changeup in any count and believe me when I say it is nasty.
He also throws his fastball in the 88-92 mph range that gets some good slope on it, which makes it tough to lift.
His curveball has improved this year, but still needs some work as it’s inconsistent.
In 2017 for the St. Lucie Mets, Nabil is 4-6 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and has 85 strikeouts compared to 20 walks in 86 1/3 innings.
Since May 19, Crismatt has been absolutely locked in, holding opponents to a .212/.249/.318 slash line with a 1.45 ERA and 54 strikeouts to only five walks.
The 22-year-old was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week on May 21.
2. RHP Tyler Bashlor – Arguably the hardest thrower in the entire Mets farm system, Tyler Bashlor can hit 98 mph with his fastball and consistently sits 95-96.
His second best pitch is a curve that he generates swings and missed with while throwing a show-me changeup as well.
The Mets gave Bashlor a monster $550,000 signing bonus ($450K over slot) back in 2013 when they drafted him in the 13th round.
The 24-year-old Bashlor has struck out an amazing 40.8 percent of the batters he’s faced this year, the fifth highest percentage in the entire minor leagues and tops in the Florida State League.
Both Bashlor and Crismatt have nothing left to prove in A-Ball and should be in Binghamton very soon.
3. OF Jose Miguel Medina – This one you’re going to just have to trust me on as I don’t have any shiny eye-popping stats to impress you with.
The 20-year-old outfielder is listed at 6’3, 180 pounds and that might actually be right.
I got my first look at the lanky outfielder in minor league spring training this year and came away very impressed.
His swing can get long at times, but when he makes contact, it’s hard. He also has above average speed with nine stolen bags in ten attempts this year.
Medina impressed the Mets brass enough this spring to skip past Brooklyn and start with the full season Columbia Fireflies.
Medina would then go 4-for-9 with five runs scored in a short three game cameo with the St. Lucie Mets. Medina is now with the Cyclones and has hit only .239/.287/.279 this season.
He has the ability to play all three outfield spots, but the combination of him growing into his body and an above average arm puts him in right field long-term.
4. RHP Chris Flexen – He could be the answer to the player a good portion of Mets fans have no idea is on the 40-man roster.
He had knee surgery during spring training that postponed the start of his season until May 17. He needed only three starts and 12 1/3 innings for St. Lucie before getting sent to Double-A Binghamton.
Flexen is coming off arguably the best start of his career in which he allowed only one run in six innings and struck out ten while walking zero. In the start, he flashed the type of stuff that gets you very excited about his potential; a fastball in the mid-90s, sharp curve and slider.
The former 14th round pick turns 23-years-old today and has a combined 1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, while striking out 42 with only three measly walks in 39 1/3 innings this year.
5. RHP Jordan Humphreys – No one pitcher has burst onto the Mets prospect scene more so than the recently turned 21-year-old Humphreys.
He’s done so by going 10-1 with a 1.95 ERA, 0.86 WHIP with 81 strikeouts and 11 walks in 73 2/3 innings this year between the Columbia Fireflies and St. Lucie Mets.
The former 18th round pick has what scouts like to call “pitchability.” he knows how to attack hitters and can throw one of his four pitches in most counts.
His fastball is in the low 90s with glove-side run that helps induce ground balls. His best secondary offering is his curveball that flashes plus at times.
He also throws a changeup that has some downward movement on it and a slider that is less consistent.
This list is dominated by arms which should comes as no surprise in a system that has done a tremendous job pumping out major league pitchers.
Two hitters I considered for this list that are having good offensive seasons are Patrick Mazeika and Jhoan Urena, both playing for St. Lucie.
The reason they were left off is the same for both, defensive ability that will likely move both to first base full-time.
Digging much deeper into the minors, young infielders Hansel Moreno, Shervyen Newton and Sebastian Espino are names to keep an eye out for in the years to come.
