Keith Law of ESPN finished his Top 100 Prospects list today with the twenty best prospects in baseball. New York Mets prospect Amed Rosario received his highest ranking ever as the third best prospect in the game according to law.
The only two players ranked ahead of Rosario are Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (#2) and Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi (#1).
Rosario, 21, is the Mets consensus number one prospect and was ranked as such in our MMO Top 30 list after a breakout offensive season in 2016.
Rosario became the fifth Mets prospect to be ranked in Law’s Top 100 following 1B Dominic Smith (#29), LHP Thomas Szapucki (#60), RHP Robert Gsellman (#76) and RHP Justin Dunn (#84). Law recently ranked the Mets improved farm system seventh among the thirty Major League teams.
Law had this to say about Rosario: “Rosario is still just scratching the surface of his offensive potential; there’s so much bat speed and strength here that he should eventually hit 15-20 homers, but right now, it’s translating into hard contact to all fields.”
The young shortstop hit an impressive .324/.374/.459 with 24 doubles, 13 triples, five home runs, 71 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in 120 games played and 479 at bats between Advanced Single-A St. Lucie Mets and the Double-A Binghamton Mets.
More from Law: “Rosario is big for shortstop but in his own league athletically. He’s almost a lock to stay at the position, and he’s gifted with quick actions, a plus arm and the ability to throw accurately while in motion. He also saw his walk rate soar with just a modest rise in his strikeout rate, which is still quite low for a hitter projected to come into power. He has MVP potential as a true shortstop who will be above average defensively and projects to hit .300 with some walks and power. He’ll become a cornerstone at short for the Mets, who have lacked one since Jose Reyes first left in free agency.”
Rosario is set to begin the 2017 season in Triple-A for the Las Vegas 51s as he continues his path as the Mets shortstop of the future and possible homegrown star.
