Another highly-regarded publication has confirmed what we already knew: the Mets' farm system is pretty good.
While the majority of the hot stove season has been a snooze for Mets fans, the release of annual top prospect lists is a reminder that there are plenty of reasons for optimism. The latest such list, courtesy of MLB.com, ranks five Mets prospects among baseball's top 100. Only the Pirates, Twins, and Cubs have more players on MLB.com's list.
As expected, the highly-touted Noah Syndergaard headlines the Mets' crop, landing at #10 overall. Catcher Kevin Plawecki comes in at #63, followed by pitcher Steven Matz at #66, and outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto at #72 and #82, respectively.
In addition to giving detailed blurbs, MLB.com grades each players' tools on the 20-80 scouting scale. Syndergaard was given an overall grade of 65, which basically equates to a well-above-average regular with all-star upside. The other four Mets players to make the list received overall grades of 55, which denotes an above-average regular.
These rankings are consistent with what most fans would have expected, save for the omission of Dilson Herrera. Like Keith Law did before them, MLB.com left the exciting second base prospect off of their list, despite his eye-opening 2014 campaign. The 20-year old batted .340/.406/.560 line in 61 Double-A games before receiving a cup of coffee with the major league team.