Mets Minors: My Mets 2018 All-Prospect Team

It was a strong season for the development of the New York Mes farm system, going from being ranked No. 27 to No. 19 according to Baseball America, one of the biggest jumps for any organization.

There are many reasons for the improvement, from acquiring prospects in trade (Franklyn Kilome, Will Toffey), to pitchers finally pitching healthy full season (Anthony Kay, David Peterson), strong pro debuts for several players (Ronny Mauricio, Simeon Woods-Richardson, Jarred Kelenic) and even some breakouts from international signees (Luis Santana, Shervyen Newton).

Without further ado, here’s my 25-man roster All-Prospect Team:

• 1B: Peter Alonso – This one is a no-brainer after having one of the best offensive seasons a Mets minor leaguers ever had.
• 2B: Luis Santana – This 19-year-old had a breakout season with a .917 OPS in his stateside debut while walking more (27) than he struck out (23)
• SS: Andres Gimenez – Another obvious choice here for the Mets top prospect. He’s currently playing in the AFL at only 20. This is becoming a very strong position for the Mets with Mauricio and Santana at shortstop right now as well.
• 3B: Mark Vientos – Still only 18-years old and posted a .878 OPS for Kingsport this year with a solid 37 BB/43 K ratio.
• OF: Jarred Kelenic – The Mets first round pick from 2018 started his career off with a bang posting .839 OPS, 15 steals and 9 outfield assists.
• OF: Ross Adolph – Another 2018 draft pick that came out hammering the ball, he has 9 doubles, 12 triples and 7 homers in only 61 games for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
• OF: Jose Medina – Always been a favorite of mine given his all-around potential. Had a nice season in Brooklyn while cutting down on strikeouts.
• C: Francisco Alvarez – Set a new Mets franchise record when he received a $2.7M IFA bonus this year. Offensive minded catcher with a good arm.

As you can see, the Mets have some good infield prospects but the outfield is certainly on the weaker side.

• INF: Ronny Mauricio – This 17-year-old would be the top shortstop prospect in a ton of organizations after completely skipping the DSL and finishing the Appalachian League.
• INF: Shervyen Newton – Another talented teenager that plays shortstop, he posted a .408 OBP for Kingsport. Also played some second and third base.
• OF: Adrian Hernandez – Given a $1.5M signing bonus last season and posted .736 OPS in pro debut at 17. Toolsy outfielder is likely to make come stateside in 2019.
• C: Ali Sanchez – Defensive minded catcher that is currently playing in the AFL. Plenty of competition here for back-up catcher with some of our writers liking Scott Manea and Andres Regnault having a monster season.
• INF: Will Toffey – The third baseman hit .254/.394/.433 in Double-A after coming to the Mets in the Jeurys Familia trade.

Noticeably missing on the bench are a few guys that were hurt by not playing much in 2018, outfielder Desmond Lindsay and infielder Gavin Cecchini.

• SP: Justin Dunn (R) – The 2016 first rounder struck out 10.4 per nine innings this year and pitched better than his 4.22 ERA in Double-A would indicate (3.37 FIP).
• SP: David Peterson (L) – Another first round pick that showed promise in 2018, his 64.5 groundball rate ranked third among all minor league starters (509) and his 0.14 HR/9 ranked fourth.
• SP: Anthony Kay (L) – Made his pro debut with 4.26 ERA, 0.6 HR/9 and 9.0 K/9 in 122.2. Did struggle with his command (3.6 BB/9), but that’s not uncommon after Tommy John and a long layoff.
• SP: Franklyn Kilome (R) – Acquired in the deal for Asdrubal Cabrera and flashed well in AA with 4.03 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 4.20 SO/W in 38 innings. Was a top 100 prospect by Baseball Prospectus before the season.
• SP: Thomas Szapucki (L) – Didn’t pitch a single inning this year following his recovery from TJS and he’s still on the team, his fastball/breaking ball combo is that good.

Could go on with a few more names here as the Mets are building strong rotation depth in the upper and lower minors.

• RP: Simeon Woods-Richardson (R) – Okay, I’m cheating a little bit here because he will be a starter in 2019 after splitting roles this season. The 2018 second rounder had 26 K/4 BB ratio in his first pro innings. Oh yeah, he turned 18 a couple weeks ago and hit 99 MPH in pro debut.
• RP: Daniel Zamora (L) – He had me hooked when I saw him pitch for Binghamton, his slider is a big league pitch and he hides the ball enough to be effective major league reliever.
• RP: Eric Hanhold (R) – Another guy that made me a believer after seeing swings against him. Bowling ball sinker in the mid-to-upper 90’s that is tough to lift.
• RP: Stephen Villines (R) – This choice goes beyond my soft spot for sidearmers, the 23-year-old struck out 96 batters in only 66.2 innings while finishing in AA. He’s also allowed only 69 hits in 94 innings.
• RP: Ryley Gilliam (R) – 2018 pick that was labeled as fast mover by draft gurus, struck out 31 batters in 17.1 innings in debut (though did come with 13 walks).
• RP: Gerson Bautista (R) – Potential still has the 23-year-old on my team, command was an issue this season (18 walks in 39.2) but he struck out 54 during that span in Triple-A. He’s currently pitching in AFL and has been using a lower velocity breaking ball, definitely something to keep an eye on.
• RP: Ryder Ryan (R) – All he’s done since the Mets acquired him for Jay Bruce is post a 3.00 ERA, 1.02 and hold opponents to .195 AVG in 66 innings. Solid fastball/slider combo.

There it is, and I still feel lit’s a shame for the likes of  Christian James, Jordan Humphreys, Tony Dibrell, Freddy Valdez and Stanley Consuegra couldn’t have fit in.

The Mets system is back on the upswing and Keith Law said earlier this offseason it could be a top 10 group soon.