(Photo: Courtesy of MLB.com)
The Mets had a number of impressive performances this season. T.J. Rivera, Phillip Evans, and Tomas Nido won their respective league’s batting titles. Brandon Nimmo had the highest OBP in all of Triple-A. Other prospects would have breakout seasons as well.
However, when you are discussing who the Mets’ best prospect and best minor leaguer currently is, the answer will invariably be Amed Rosario.
Since the very moment he was signed out of the Dominican Republic, everyone knew he was going to be an elite defender at the position. In fact, the moment he signed with the Mets, he became the best shortstop in the entire organization. That still holds true today. What people didn’t know was whether Rosario was ever going to hit enough to become a major league player. During his first three years in the Mets organization, there was still a real question about whether he was capable of hitting major league pitching consistently enough to become an everyday player.
Last season was an interesting year on that front. If you were a glass half full person, you saw a player that could make contact and use his speed to get on base. If you were a glass half empty person, you saw an impatient hitter who swung at everything near the plate, and as a result, he didn’t hit the ball with sufficient authority to maximize his speed around the bases. Considering he hit .257/.307/.335 with 20 doubles, five triples, no homers, and 25 RBI in 103 games for Advanced A St. Lucie, the statistics would point to the glass being half empty.
However, the statistics don’t tell the full story with Rosario. They don’t speak to his drive to become a better player. It doesn’t address his receptiveness to coaching. It doesn’t account for Rosario’s “Dont Be Surprised Be Ready” mentality.
Rosario didn’t just make some strides this season, he became an offensive force. He became a more selective player at the plate, and as a result, he was able to pick his pitch and drive it somewhere. Furthermore, he began to learn how to take a walk. In his 66 games in St. Lucie, Rosario hit .309/.359/.442 with 10 doubles, eight triples, three homers and 40 RBI. It was the type of season that made everyone take notice.
(Photo: Courtesy of Binghamton Mets)
Rosario was named to the 2016 Florida State League All-Star Game. He was named to Team World for the Future’s Game. Baseball America selected Rosario as the league’s best defender, best hitter, and it’s most exciting player. Overall, Rosario dominated the Florida State League despite his being about three years younger than the average player at that level.
With Rosario mastering the Florida State League, it was time for him to go to Double-A Binghamton. Upon his promotion, Rosario would become the youngest player in the Eastern League, but that wouldn’t handicap him from continuing his vast improvement as an offensive player.
In 54 games in the Eastern League, Rosario hit .341/.392/.481 with 14 doubles, five triples, two homers, and 31 RBI. Now, it is one thing to go up a level and succeed. It is another thing altogether to go up and actually ramp up your performance as significantly as he has. While Rosario was raking at the plate, he was still playing an elite defensive shortstop with Baseball America naming him the best defensive shortstop in the Eastern League.
Overall, Rosario’s final batting statistics would be .324/.374/.459 with 24 doubles, 13 triples, five homers, and 71 RBI. Each and every one of those statistics represented a career best for Rosario. It was part of what has been a special year that has seen Rosario transform himself from an elite defender with questions about his hitting to becoming an untouchable Mets prospect that has been ranked MMN’s Midseason Top Prospect.
No prospect in the Mets’ pipeline showed more growth and improvement than Amed Rosario over the course of the 2016 minor league season, and that is why he we have tabbed him as our MMO and MMN Position Player of the Year.
Please keep in mind, this decision was not made easily. As stated above, there were a number of position players across the Mets minor league system who had outstanding years. With that in mind, Dominic Smith earns an honorable mention for the outstanding season he had.
