There are a number of young prospects and fringe players who will be fighting for recognition this spring. Every year, there’s usually one surprise performance that puts a previously unheralded name on the radar. After all the action wraps up in the Grapefruit League, who will be the player to leave a lingering impression on the minds of Mets brass and fans?
Pitchers and catchers report February 19th and there are a lot of interesting names on that list. Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz highlight the premier arms vying for a promotion, however, Rafael Montero could always reignite his stock value. Other invites include Gabriel Ynoa and Dario Alvarez. Ynoa has been discussed more recently by the front office as an emerging young star and Alvarez played well enough to earn himself a late season promotion from Double-A Binghamton last year.
The most interesting position players without major league experience are mostly non-roster invites. Guys like Brandon Nimmo I’ve barely seen any live footage off, so seeing his name in a few lineup cards will be fun. Kevin Plawecki will almost certainly get a healthy share of reps behind the plate and while I’m a fan of Travis d’Arnaud, it’s time the competition between these two heated up. I think Plawecki has a great spring training and that’s a great problem for the Mets to have.
Gavin Cecchini and Matt Reynolds are two top infield prospects who will have their chances to showcase their middle infield talents . Cecchini is an intriguing athlete with a ton of upside who, at times, has flashed the potential that made him a coveted draft pick. Reynolds showed great offensive potential in Triple-A Las Vegas, regardless of the hitter friendly condition he was playing in. He could very well grab himself a bench spot if he shows enough of an improvement from last year defensively.
If you had to choose one player to be this year’s Spring Training Cinderella, who’re you going with?
Lets! Go! Mets!
