As part of their release of their updated Top 10 prospects in the Mets farm system, Baseball America has also rated the top tools in the Mets farm system.
Starting with the offense, we see Jett Williams and why he is currently rated as the Mets top prospect.
Jett Williams, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Offense
Best Hitter for Average: Jett Williams
Best Power Hitter: Ronny Mauricio
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Jett Williams
Fastest Baserunner: Luisangel Acuña
Best Athlete: Nolan McLean
It was interesting Williams was rated so high for hit for average when he has a career .264 average, and players like JT Schwartz have excellent bat-to-ball skills with higher batting averages. Of course, there is more to scouting than pure numbers. With Williams having a 20.4 BB% with Brooklyn, his strike zone discipline speaks for itself.
We saw Mauricio’s power on display when he made it to the majors. His first career at-bat resulted in a double with an exit velocity of 117.3 MPH, which was the Mets hardest hit ball all season.
Similarly, Acuña’s speed speaks for itself with him stealing 57 bases last year. Of course, Williams (47 SB) and Omar De Los Santos (37 SB) should not be overlooked.
The most surprising name here was McLean. The Mets third round pick in this year’s draft is an infielder and pitcher. He is currently the Mets experiment to try to develop their own version of Shohei Ohtani (without expecting him to be Ohtani).
Pitching
Best Fastball: Blade Tidwell
Best Curveball: Calvin Ziegler
Best Slider: Blade Tidwell
Best Changeup: Eric Orze
Best Control: Christian Scott
Tidwell having the best fastball and slider is indicative of why many people believe he’s the best pitching prospect in the Mets farm system. When he has both pitches working, he was able to strike out 11.9 batters per nine last season.
Seeing Ziegler listed for best curve was a surprise after an injury riddled season for him. There was also a case to be made for Dominic Hamel, who had a very strong close to the season. Hamel’s spin on his curve has reached the upper 2,000s, but it has been knocked for its speed.
Blade Tidwell, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Defense
Best Defensive Catcher: Hayden Senger
Best Defensive Infielder: Luisangel Acuña
Best Infield Arm: Mateo Gil
Best Defensive Outfielder: Rhylan Thomas
Best Outfield Arm: Stanley Consuegra
Of this group, Thomas really had a standout season, and we saw him awarded with the Mets 2023 Minor League Outfield Gold Glove. He made strong plays in the field all season, and he hit better than anticipated.
With Acuña, he was as good as advertised defensively, but the Mets are going to have to make a decision on where to play him. He’s obviously blocked by Francisco Lindor at short, and Mauricio made a case for his being the second baseman of the present.
On that note, in Baseball America’s five year outlook for the Mets organization, they see Lindor at short with Mauricio at third, Acuña at second and Brett Baty at first base. Additionally, their expectation is Williams will man center with Drew Gilbert moving to right field.
