Photo by Allen Greene Photography
Keith Law of The Athletic published his farm system rankings for all 30 MLB clubs earlier this morning, ranking the Mets system as the 16th strongest in the game.
Law notes that although the Mets have traded away four of their top 10 prospects over the last year, a strong draft and shrewd international signings have helped their system stay relevant. Brett Baty, Matthew Allan, Francisco Alvarez, and Ronny Mauricio immediately come to mind as the farmhands he is referencing. Baty and Allan were both acquired via the 2019’s amateur player draft. Even though they were both regarded as first-round talents, the Mets were able to snag Allan in the third round after teams passed on the right-hander due to signability concerns.
Meanwhile, Alvarez received a 2.7 million dollars signing bonus from the Mets during the 2018-2019 international signing period and immediately started producing. The 18-year-old backstop slashed .312/.407/.510 with seven home runs in his first professional campaign and was named as the top prospect in the Appalachian League by Baseball America. Mauricio was an IFA signee in 2017 and received a then-record 2.1 million dollar bonus. Mauricio hasn’t produced to Alvarez’s level yet, but the lanky shortstop has impressed so much that Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs notes that it’s possible that he could develop into the top prospect in the minor leagues if he can reach his ceiling.
Law also thinks that the Mets will be able to promote minor-league reinforcements to their Major-League club midseason, despite the common belief that much of the system’s top players are concentrated in the lower levels. Andres Gimenez, David Peterson, Thomas Szapucki, and Franklyn Kilome could all receive call-ups throughout the 2019 season.
A wrist injury sapped much of Gimenez’s offensive prowess in 2019, but the 21-year-old shortstop still displayed his natural defensive instincts and has impressed in Major-League camp so far. Peterson, the Mets’ 2017 first-round pick, enjoyed a strong 2019 campaign in Binghamton rotation, posting a 4.19/2.91 ERA/xFIP. Kilome and Szapucki were plagued by arm issues last season and the jury’s still out if their future lays in the rotation or the bullpen.
In his top-100 prospect list, Law ranked Mauricio 17th, Alvarez 48th, Allan 92nd, and Baty 95th.
It’s anyone guess if Brodie Van Wagenen will continue to dip into the minor-league in order to acquire proven Major-League talent, but if he doesn’t, the Mets system has the potential to be in the upper echelon of this list next year.
