Cole Gordon, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO
No. 30 Willy Fañas, OF
Age: 18 (1/23/2004)
HT: 6’2, WT: 190
B/T: S/R
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent in 2022
ETA: 2026 Previous MMO Ranking: N/A
2021 Stats: NA
Fañas is one of the newest prospects in the Mets system having signed earlier this year in January. The switching-hitting outfielder got the second-largest signing bonus of the IFA class for the Mets at $1.5 million–only outfielder Simon Juan’s $1.9 million was higher.
Willy Fañas rips a HR in the DSL pic.twitter.com/M43zvh9qBw
— Doug (@FTLO_Baseball) January 16, 2022
Fañas is athletic and has above-average speed which could help him stay in center field long term. Offensively, he has quick hands, good bat speed from both sides of the plate, and has shown significant in-game power already from the left side.
He will get his pro career started at 18, a bit older than most top IFAs, so it will interesting to see how aggressive the Mets are with him in 2022. His advanced knowledge of the strike zone would help him at the dish if the Mets do decide to move him along a little quicker than normal IFAs.
No. 29 Cole Gordon, RHP
Age: 26 (10/2/1995)
HT: 6’5, WT: 226
B/T: L/R
Acquired: 32nd RD in 2019 Draft – Mississippi State University
ETA: 2022 Previous MMO Ranking: N/A
2021 Stats (Binghamton): 83 IP, 3.69 ERA, 4.75 FIP, .169 AVG, 1.01 WHIP, 3.8 BB/9, 9.2 K/9
The Mets’ 32nd round pick in 2019 made his pro debut that year with a 2.67 ERA in 30 innings between the Brooklyn Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets. He struck out 39 and allowed only 20 hits in that span as a reliever only but also walked 15 batters. The 2021 season was more of the same for Gordon, though it mostly came as a starter. The big righty posted a 3.69 ERA while limiting hitting to a .169 average and posting a fine 1.01 WHIP, but strikes were still an issue with a 3.8 BB/9 walk rate.
How the 2021 season played out for Gordon is bizarre when you look at his game logs of being a late-inning reliever to start the season, going to middle relief, and then picking up his only save of the season in his final appearance as a reliever.
The first eight starts were rough for Gordon. He posted a 6.31 ERA, gave up nine home runs, and opponents had an .813 OPS against him. The worst start of that group came in late July when he allowed eight runs in four innings. But, Gordon went on to finish the season with one of the best stretches from any Mets minor league pitcher in quite some time. The first start of his run was five-innings of no-hit ball following the eight-run outing. In the next two outings, he allowed no runs, only one hit, and struck out 10 in both.
All in all, here’s Gordon’s stat line from his final five starts of the season:
31 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 38 K, .082/.159/.092
Gordon is a big, strong dude who loves to work quickly on the mound. His mechanics are simple and clean–very impressive considering he switched to pitching full-time only in 2017. Gordon is mostly a four-seam fastball and sweeping curveball guy who will mix in cutter as well. His fastball is mostly 91-93 mph, and he showed great command of this pitch late in the season. The curveball is 76-78 m.p.h. that he again showed above-average command with the ability to use it for called and swinging strikes. He throws the cutter (some might say slider, but I didn’t see enough movement to classify as such) in the mid-80s, though it’s clearly his third pitch.
The thing that impressed me when I watched Gordon in 2021 was his ability to consistently elevate his fastball for swings and misses and bounce his curve after having it start at the bottom of the strike zone.
No. 28 Wilmer Reyes, UT
Age: 24 (12/22/1997)
HT: 6’0, WT: 160
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent in 2016
ETA: 2023 Previous MMO Ranking: 28
2021 Stats (FCL Mets/Brooklyn): 16 G, .345/.409/.483, 2 2B, 2 HR, 141 wRC+
I’ve been on the Wilmer Reyes train for a couple years now because I’m a sucker for dudes who can play a good shortstop, which the 24-year-old still does after missing most of the 2021 season following knee surgery. Reyes also got time at first base, second base, third base, right field, and center field as well. Reyes is a good athlete with a quick step that allows him to play multiple defensive positions at a high level.
Reyes was fantastic for the Cyclones with a 1.050 OPS in nine games. One key to note is that he had six walks in 16 games after only having eight total walks in 61 games back in 2019. Reyes did struggle to a .652 OPS in the Arizona Fall League, but he did walk 10 times in those 19 games. Right now he looks like a line drive hitter that could continue to get on base at a high clip, but he didn’t show much power in 2021.
Look for Reyes to continue playing all over the field in 2022, when he will likely see significant time in Double-A Binghamton. His above-average speed, defensive skill-set, and newfound ability to get on-base could make him an important bench piece in the big leagues.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
No. 27 Travis Blankenhorn, UT
Age: 25 (8/3/1996)
HT: 6’2, WT: 235
B/T: L/R
Acquired: Claimed off Waivers in 2021
ETA: Already Debuted Previous MMO Ranking: 18
2021 Stats (Two Levels/3 Organizations): 58 G, .246/.354/.456, 11 2B, 10 HR, 58 RBI
The Mets scooped up the burly Blankenhorn off waivers from the Mariners back in June of last year. The former third-round pick of the Twins made his big league debut with Minnesota in 2020 when he went 1-for-3 with a double in his only game. He played in one more game for the Twins before hitting the waiver wire. He was claimed by the Dodgers first, then the Mariners, and finally the Mets.
The left-handed hitter went 4-for-23 with two doubles and a home run in his short big-league stint with the Mets. Oddly, he has five big-league hits with only one of them being a single. Power is the best tool for Blankenhorn, and he had 19 extra-base hits in just 48 games in Triple-A for the Mets. Blankenhorn also showed good on-base skills in Triple-A last season when he walked 15% of the time for the Mets and Twins. He did strike out at a 27.5 percent clip in the minors for the Mets, and his hit tool is below average.
Blankenhorn is a thick dude. Combine that with a weak arm and you have someone that’s really destined for left, second, and first base. He was drafted as a third baseman, but the combo of a weak arm and slow actions have pushed him away from that spot. He’s run okay for a guy of his size, making him passable in left field.
The former Twin will likely start the season in Triple-A as he waits for a bench bat spot to open up. His power could make him a useful pinch hitter for the Mets.
No. 26 Mike Vasil, RHP
Age: 22 (2/19/2000)
HT: 6’5, WT: 225
B/T: L/R
Acquired: 8th RD of 2021 Draft – University of Virginia
ETA: 2024 Previous MMO Ranking: N/A
2021 Stats (FCL Mets): 3 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Mike Vasil was one of the top prep pitchers in the country coming out of Boston College High School in 2018, but he decided he would turn down big money and head to the University of Virginia instead. Unfortunately for Vasil, he struggled at Virginia with a 4.74 ERA and only 136 strikeouts in 161 innings over three seasons. He also allowed a whopping 190 hits during that span, but late in the season, some scouts started seeing improved stuff from Vasil and there was the belief he could get drafted by the third round.
Vasil dropped until the eighth round when the Mets were happy to scoop him up. The very early results have the Mets looking like geniuses for taking the 6’5”, 225-pound right-hander from Boston. He was pretty much unhittable in three starts to begin his pro career in the Florida Complex League.
Vasil has also looked good in minor league spring camp as he continues to show better and more consistent fastball velocity. Vasil was more of a low-90s and occasionally hitting the mid-90s type, but with the Mets he’s been mostly mid-90s and has maxed out at 98 m.p.h.. Part of that result came from the Mets working with the strong right-hander to become more athletic in his delivery, which will also help him in terms of durability long-term.
Vasil’s best secondary right now is a tight slider that has been 87-88 m.p.h. in camp. That pitch has reportedly leap-frogged an above-average changeup in the low-80s that has shown good tumble.
If Vasil can continue with the velocity of his fastball and slider, stay consistent with the command of those two pitches, and be a strike-thrower like he was in 2021, he’s going to shoot up this list.
I would expect Vasil to begin the 2022 season in the Low-A St. Lucie Mets rotation.
