Kevin Parada was the Mets’ first-round pick in 2022 and immediately made noise in the minor leagues, causing him to skyrocket up prospect lists. Before the start of last season, Parada was listed as the third-best prospect in the Mets system by Keith Law behind Francisco Álvarez and Brett Baty.
The noise was warranted. In two seasons for Georgia Tech, he hit .341/.420/.636, powered by an amazing 2022, where he hit .361/.453/.709. The Mets had him play in 13 games between their Florida Coast League team and the St. Lucie Mets, where he put together a combined .275/.455/.425 slashline.
While 2022 was solid, 2023 came with inconsistencies for Parada. He hit well in Brooklyn, slashing .265/.340/.447 in 87 games (382 PAs). These numbers were pretty good for a catcher, but the expectations were set high for Parada, who was drafted as a bat-first player. The Mets bumped him up for 14 games to Binghamton and the struggles set in. In 60 plate appearances, Parada’s slash line dropped to .185/.250/.389. Overall, last year was a step backward. Going into the season, Law has Parada listed as the 7th best prospect in the Mets system.
While Parada is still the Mets’ best catching prospect, two new names are coming through the system that could push ahead of the Georgia Tech alum. The first is Ronald Hernandez. The Mets acquired Hernandez in the David Robertson trade last year, and after the trade, he slashed .286/.509/.486 in 14 games. Hernandez is only two years younger than Parada.
The Mets also signed 17-year-old Yovanny Rodriguez, possibly the top catcher in this year’s international free agency pool. Like Álvarez, Rodriguez hails from Venezuela and is showing maturity with the bat. According to MLB.com, his framing and footwork are advanced for his age, and has a “chess-like” mindset for calling games. MLB.com ranked Rodriguez as their sixth overall international prospect in 2024.
Ahead of Parada on the depth chart is Álvarez. All of this puts Parada in an interesting position this year. There is pressure on the depth chart behind him, but both of those catchers are much farther away from the majors than Parada. Ahead of Parada is Álvarez, who should be the Mets starting catcher for the foreseeable future. This takes the pressure off of the Mets to push Parada quickly through the system.
This spring, many will be looking for Parada to get back to his 2022 form. That means hitting for power, getting on base at a higher clip, and an improvement to his defense.
