As expected, the New York Mets top two position prospects in shortstop Amed Rosario and first baseman Dominic Smith will begin the 2017 season on the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s roster according to Betsy Helfand of the Review Journal.
Rosario, 21, is coming off a tremendous campaign that saw him bat a combined .324/.376/.462 with 24 doubles, 13 triples, five homers 71 RBI and 19 stolen bases between High-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year in both the Florida State League and the Eastern League.
He was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and hit .267/.267/.300 in 14 big league spring games.
Smith, 21, had the best offensive season of his career last year hitting .302/.367/.457 with 29 doubles, two triples, 14 homers, and 91 RBI while being the youngest player to play a full season in the Double-A Eastern League.
He struggled in big league camp for the Mets hitting just .167/.284/.194 in 20 games.
Betsy also confirmed prospects Gavin Cecchini and Phillip Evans will combine with Rosario and Smith to give the 51s a very talented infield. The 51s will also have Matt Reynolds and recently signed Josh Rodriguez as infield options.
In the outfield, it’s confirmed they will have Victor Cruzado, Travis Taijeron and Jayce Boyd.
The 51s current rotation looks like Donovan Hand, Adam Wilk, Sean Gilmartin and Ricky Knapp. In the bullpen, they will have two local boys in Paul Sewald and Chase Bradford.
For the rest of the roster projection head over to the MetsMinors.net.
