Jarred Kelenic/Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

At this point in the season, most of the Mets draft picks have played for over a month, and the short season minor league affiliates have less than a month remaining on their schedule.  During this time, the Mets top prospects have certainly done a number of things to impress both scouts and fans alike and give everyone hope for the future

Jarred Kelenic, OF

Pick: First Round, Sixth Overall
Age: 19
Level: Gulf Coast, Kingsport
Stats: .242/.339/.425, 6 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 11 SB, CS

After completely dominating the GCL, Kelenic was promoted to Kingsport where we found out he was actually human.   Considering his age, and the advanced level of competition, it is not surprising Kelenic has had his struggles.  Even with the struggles, there are very promising signs for the future.

The power numbers are still there with Kelenic hitting three doubles, a triple, and a homer in August.  Also, after looking over-matched early with him striking out 24 percent of the time in July, he has struck out only four times in 40 plate appearances in August.  With him making contact, and solid contact as evidenced by his power numbers, we should expect his .206 BABIP to stabilize to permit him to get closer to the world beater he was in the GCL.

Overall, this has been a very impressive first season for Kelenic, and it is a major reason why he is finding his way onto a number of top 100 prospect lists.

Simeon Woods-Richardson, RHP

Pick: Second Round, 48th Overall
Age: 17
Level: Gulf Coast
Stats: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, SV, 8.1 IP, 11 K, 1.200 WHIP, 11.9 K/9

As noted in an MMO Prospect Spotlight article last week, Woods-Richardson has been dominating the competition in the Gulf Coast League despite being 3.4 years younger than the league average.  One of the biggest reasons why is he has found a way to maintain his fastball velocity after it had eluded him for much of the year.

Like the Mets are apt to do with high school pitchers, they aren’t pushing him very hard, and he has not thrown more than three innings in a game.  It will be interesting to see what he will be able to do next year when he’s not just able to go deep into games, but also when he finally turns 18 years old.

Carlos Cortes, 2B

Pick: Third Round, 83rd Overall
Age: 21
Level: Brooklyn
Stats: .277/.339/.411, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, SB

The Mets long coveted Cortes having drafted him twice and giving him an overslot bonus to ensure he would not return to the University of South Carolina for his senior season.  Given his torrid stretch, you see why the Mets have been so eager to add him to the organization.

In his last nine games, he is hitting .389/.410/.639 with a double, triple, two homers, and eight RBI.  The power display is quite impressive with his hitting a homer to right field at MCU Park.  As noted by MMN‘s Teddy Klein, this is a difficult feat.

While the power display and the hot hitting has been notable, the thing which really stands out with Cortes is his being ambidextrous.

With Cortes is a natural left-hander, he bats left, and when he plays the outfield, he throws left.  However, in an effort to make himself more versitile and to make himself a better player, he learned how to throw right-handed so he could play the infield.  His efforts paid off as the Mets drafted him to be a second baseman.

Seeing how the Mets top three draft picks are performing, you get a sense why the Mets farm system took a significant step forward in the organizational rankings.  More importantly, you get a sense this team is well poised for the future.