Brett Baty, Photo by Dan Fritz

After a one-year pandemic prompted hiatus, the Arizona Fall League will be back in action on Wednesday with all six teams playing their first game of the season.

Eight Mets prospects — four position players and four pitchers — will be playing with the Salt River Rafters. The River Rafters play their first game on Wednesday at 3:35 p.m. ET. The 30-game season runs through Nov. 19 and then the two division winners will play one game on Nov. 20 for the title. The top players from the league will participate in the Fall Stars Game on Nov. 13 that will be televised on MLB Network.

The AFL is where a lot of the game’s top prospects take one of their final steps in showing teams whether they’re close to the big leagues or not. According to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, 16 of their top 100 prospects will be playing in the league. That includes No. 4 Spencer Torkelson, No. 5 Marco Luciano, and No. 6 CJ Abrams. There are also 104 players playing from their organizational top 30 rankings. The Mets have one of the top 100 playing in Brett Baty. Mets also have their No. 10 prospect Carlos Cortes and No. 21 prospect Hayden Senger, per MLB Pipeline’s rankings.

In addition to being a league that grooms top prospects, the AFL has also become a testing spot for rules that Major League Baseball is looking at for potential changes. This season those rules include an automated strike zone (only at River Rafters home games), large bases, limited pickoff attempts, pitch clocks, and shift limitations.

The Mets will be one of five teams (Brewers, D’Backs, Tigers, and Rockies as well) providing players to the Salt River Rafters roster. Let’s take a look at the players the Mets will be sending to the AFL.

3B/LF Brett Baty

The Mets No. 2 prospect according to most publications is also ranked No. 45 in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old hit .292/.382/.473 with 22 doubles, 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 132 wRC+ in 91 games between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. The left-handed hitter had a .874 OPS vs righties and a .783 OPS vs lefties.

Baty, the Mets first round pick in 2019, played exclusively third base in his first pro season, but the Mets had him play 18 games in left field over the 2021 season. Part of that was the Mets want to have Baty be versatile and also the need for him and fellow third base prospect Mark Vientos to get time together in Double-A. Baty showed significant improvement at third base defensively and is expected to be at least average there long-term. He also looked passable in left field as well.

OF/2B Carlos Cortes

Cortes, 24, is one of the most interesting prospects in the Mets system given that he throws right-handed when he plays infield and left-handed when he plays outfield. He’s also listed at just 5’7”, but is one of the better power hitters in the Mets system. The left-handed hitter slashed .257/.332/.487 with 26 doubles, 14 home runs, and a 120 wRC+ in 79 games this season for Double-A Binghamton.

Cortes played mostly outfield in college, but the Mets had him play second base exclusively in his first pro season and all but one game there in his second season. Last offseason, Cortes played both corner outfield spots, first base, and second base for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Winter League. Being an average to slightly below average runner limits the defensive value that Cortes would have in a corner outfield spot.

C Hayden Senger

The 24-year-old strong defensive catcher hit .263/.341/.427 with 18 2B, 5 HR, and 111 wRC+ in 61 games in 2021 between High-A and Double-A. The right-handed hitter has a line drive approach (26.5% in AA) with limited power and he does run pretty well for a catcher.

On the defensive side, Senger has a strong arm, is an above average receiver, and blocks well too.

INF Wilmer Reyes

Reyes, 23, missed a large portion of 2021 due to a knee injury but was able to make it back towards the end of the season for an impressive finish. He had a .892 OPS between the FCL Mets and Brooklyn. The talented defensive shortstop has also played second, third, first, center field, and left field.

I had Reyes ranked as the Mets No. 28 prospect in my recent top 30 update.

RHP Colin Holderman

Despite being the Mets ninth round pick way back in 2016, injuries have limited Holderman to just 146 innings in pro ball. This year though is finally the time he showed he might have a big-league future. I had a chance to see Holderman pitch in person for Double-A Binghamton this season and came away thinking he likely sees a major league bullpen in 2022. The right-hander was sitting 97-98 mph with his four-seamer and hit 99 mph when I was there. He also showed off a high-spin slider in the low 90s.

For the season, Holderman had a 3.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6.0 H/9, and 27 strikeouts compared to eight walks in 24 innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton. After being used as a starter from 2017-2019, Holderman looks like he has found his role pitching late in games.

RHP Garrison Bryant

The former 36th round pick from the 2016 draft had injuries limit him to only 18 innings in 2021. He had a breakout season in 2019 when he pitched to a 2.39 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 75 innings for the then short season Brooklyn Cyclones.

Bryant is a fastball, slider, and changeup pitcher that sit in the 88-91 mph range with his four-seamer. The 22-year-old was signed out of Clearwater High School by the Mets.

RHP Brian Metoyer

Another very late round pick here, the right-handed Metoyer was taken by the Mets in the 40th round of the 2018 draft. The 24-year-old had an impressive 2021 season pitching to a 2.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 36 innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton. He also had 52 strikeouts and allowed only one home run in that span.

The 24-year-old uses a cutter in the 92-96 mph range and his best secondary is a high-spin curve.

RHP Connor Grey

I’m guessing that Connor is one of the only pitchers to ever start the year in Indy Ball and finish the season pitching in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. The 27-year-old New York native started the 2021 season pitching for the Chicago Dogs in the American Association. He ended the season pitching for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

In 54 innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton, the right-hander had a 4.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and an impressive 62 strikeout to 16 walk ratio. He’s shown off an impressive curveball in his short time in the Mets organization.

Overview

As you can see, the Mets are sending a strong position player group that features multiple prospects that could see time in Triple-A Syracuse next season. On the other hand, the Mets minor league pitching depth was ravished in 2021 by injuries and we see that with the level of pitchers they’re sending to the AFL.

The River Rafters team itself is highlighted by Torkelson and Baty in terms of top prospects.

We will have all the AFL coverage and recaps right here on MMO for you!