Francisco Álvarez Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

New York Mets top prospect Francisco Álvarez will open the season in Double-A Binghamton according to our own Mike Mayer.

Álvarez, 20, is entering his third year of professional baseball. He split 2021 between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. In 84 games in Brooklyn, Álvarez had 22 home runs and 58 runs batted in. He slashed .247/.351/.538 with 82 strikeouts to 40 walks.

Álvarez has shot up ranking lists since coming to the Mets in 2019. He’s Major League Baseball’s 10th overall prospect.

Álvarez won’t be the only high-profile Mets prospect starting his season in Double-A Binghamton.

Joining Álvarez will be Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio on the Rumble Ponies, according to former MMO writer Sam Lebowitz.

Baty finished his season in Binghamton, playing 40 games at Double-A in 2021. Between 91 games at High-A Brooklyn and Binghamton, Baty hit .292/.382/.473 with 12 home runs, 56 runs batted in, and 98 strikeouts to 46 walks.

Baty, 22, was the Mets first-round pick in 2019. The organization envisions him as their future third baseman but he’s started earning playing time in left field to increase his versatility. Major League Baseball Pipeline has Baty as the 27th overall prospect prior to 2022.

Mauricio got just a taste of Double-A baseball in 2021, playing eight games at the level. He played 100 games in Brooklyn, mainly trying to work through issues with plate discipline. Mauricio hit .242/.291/.449 in Brooklyn with 19 home runs. Still he struck out 101 times and walked just 24. Mauricio did not suddenly improve in the area in the Dominican Winter League, striking out 21 times to walking three times across 25 games.

Mauricio has fallen in overall prospect rankings. Baseball America had him penciled in at No. 65 prior to 2021 and now he sits at No. 92. MLB Pipeline had him at No. 67 in 2021 and now he’s at No. 78.

Mark Vientos is starting the season in Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets most MLB-ready top prospect will start where he finished last season. In 83 minor league games between Double and Triple-A he hit .281/.351/.581 with 25 home runs and 63 runs batted in. Vientos is a month younger than Baty but needs to work on himself defensively in the outfield if he wants an everyday spot in the lineup on the Mets.