Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

MLB Pipeline has compiled a list of the best minor league players for each organization during the 2019 season. It should be noted these lists reflect not prospect status, but rather, performance on the field. That is why the Mets All-Stars include both a 36-year-old catcher and an 18-year-old shortstop:

C Rene Rivera
1B Travis Taijeron
2B Luis Carpio
3B Mark Vientos
SS Ronny Mauricio
OF Arismendy Alcantara
OF Jason Krizan
OF Wagner Lagrange
UTIL Dilson Herrera
SP Harol Gonzalez
SP Kevin Smith
RP Blake Taylor

There is quite a dichotomy on the list. On the one hand, Mauricio and Vientos are teenage prospects who give Mets fans real hope for the future. Mauricio solidified his position as a Top 100 prospect in the game, and Vientos, even with his slumping in the second half, was a Sterling Award winner.

Smith made huge strides forward in 2019. He had been drafted in the seventh round the previous year, and he made it all the way to Double-A. Notably, he has changed the conversation from him being a future to reliever to a starter who now “has a second swing-and-miss pitch in a slider that complements his deceptive heat, and he’s developed a changeup that’s becoming a solid third offering.”

Carpio posted the best OPS of his career despite being three years younger than the competition in Double-A Binghamton. More than the offense, director of player development Jared Banner noted Carpio showed the “ability to play around the infield is part of what makes him a special player for us and it’s one of the things we look for in our prospects.”

There were some players who helped resurrect his prospect status. Gonzalez went from a 7.79 ERA in Double-A last year to a pitcher with a 2.68 ERA in Syracuse. Banner noted Gonzalez had “a terrific season” and showed he “really knows how to pitch to whatever situation he’s in.”

Finally, Taylor went from a starter who dealt with injuries and control to a dominating reliever. With his performance during the 2019 season, the Mets moved quickly to add him to the 40 man roster to prevent him from electing minor league free agency.

Still, even with the promise, we see there were some issues with the farm system as a whole. As alluded to earlier, Rivera is a 36-year-old catcher who was unable to secure a Major League contract. Herrera and Alcantara are years removed from being top 100 prospects who have yet to pan out at the Major League level.

Of course, seeing this is another reason for fans to lament Jarred Kelenic being traded to the Seattle Mariners. On that note, Justin Dunn and Anthony Kay each made their Major League debuts last year.

Still, these rankings show there is some talent that remains in this organization. Some of that talent like Matthew Allan, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Andres Gimenez, and Shervyen Newton may crack this list next year. In fact, we may see a player like Gimenez contribute at the Major League level next year. More than that, there is hope the talent in this organization can lead the Mets to their next World Series title.