The storied baseball publication gives their take on the best and brightest in the Mets farm system.
Earlier today Baseball America released its ranking of the best 31 prospects within the Mets organization. Here's how it shook out:
1. Noah Syndergaard, rhp
2. Travis d'Arnaud, c
3. Rafael Montero, rhp
4. Dominic Smith, 1b
5. Kevin Plawecki, c/1b
6. Wilmer Flores, 2b/3b
7. Amed Rosario, ss
8. Brandon Nimmo, of
9. Gavin Cecchini, ss
10. Jacob deGrom, rhp
11. Cesar Puello, of
12. Steven Matz, lhp
13. Dilson Herrera, 2b
14. Michael Fulmer, rhp
15. Gabriel Ynoa, rhp
16. Cory Mazzoni, rhp
17. Vic Black, rhp
18. Jeurys Familia, rhp
19. Domingo Tapia, rhp
20. Logan Verrett, rhp
21. Gonzalez Germen, rhp
22. Luis Mateo, rhp
23. Jack Leathersich, lhp
24. Matt Koch, rhp
25. Matt den Dekker, of
26. Dustin Lawley, of/3b
27. Rob Whalen, rhp
28. Juan Centeno, c
29. Wilfredo Tovar, ss
30. Jayce Boyd, 1b
31. Matt Reynolds, ss
All in all, I'd say it's a very strong list , and not just because it resembles my own more than a little bit. A few quick reactions:
- Apparently the BA sources spoke to the unnamed Mets official that was down on Puello, who didn't crack their top ten despite boasting some of the best all-around tools in the system and posting a .950 OPS in his first run at Double-A pitching in 2013.
- This may come as no surprise to seasoned readers but I appreciate the relatively aggressive placement of a few of the low-ceiling, high-floor names on this list (e.g., Tovar, Centeno, etc).
- Last spring scouts were wowed by the growth of Luis Mateo's plus slider/fastball combo -- apparently so much so that the injury isn't a major factor here.
- BA likes Amed Rosario. /surprised face
- I've got to say, that's a lot of faith in Logan Verrett's slider. Damn good pitch and all, but so is Germen's change-up and he's already in the bigs.
- In the growing Amazin Avenue Audio debate over Plawecki v. Nimmo, BA comes down pretty squarely on the side of the backstop.
I'll also take this opportunity to let everyone know that you can expect to see the Amazin' Avenue prospect rankings as part of Prospect Week here at AA, starting this Monday. Huzzah for Prospect Week!
