Top 25 Mets Prospects for 2015: 11-15

We review the final five names before we get into the top ten.

After, no doubt, devouring our firsttwo installments of this year's top 25 Mets prospect series, you've come crawling back for more. Well today we'll whet your appetite with the last five players before we break into the venerated top ten. So let's go!

15. Robert Gsellman, RHP

(Photo: Chris McShane)

Selected by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California.

Statistics

Rob says:

"Gsellman is as solid a mid-tier pitching prospect as you're going to find. The 21-year-old prep product has filled out his sturdy, 6'4", 200 lbs frame nicely, adding a few ticks to a fastball that still works in the low-90s but now reaches 94 MPH without maxing out. His advanced command of that pitch, along with a surprisingly polished change-up allowed him to breeze through his first taste of full-season baseball. He even made a strong debut in Advanced-A -- though Double-A competition will likely be the true test of his mettle (read, developing curveball). In short, the surprisingly robust combination of size, velocity, secondary stuff, and command makes him one of the (relatively) lower risk pitching prospects in the system, despite a lower-rotation profile."

14. Jhoan Urena, 3B

(Photo: Paul Hadsall)

Signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent out of Santiago, Dominican Republic in September, 2011 ($425,000).

Statistics

Jeff says:

"Urena is the new hotness in Mets prospect circles, and certainly I am as guilty of hyping the kid as anyone. I do think we need a bit of perspective here, though. Urena doesn't have much in the way of projection left in his body and is probably only good for average power at higher levels. The body could get away from him, and even as is, you're looking at merely average defensive tools at third. He also has only a short-season resume at this point, and the jump to full-season ball is a significant one. I want to see more of the same in Savannah from Urena before I pull the top-ten prospect trigger in what is a pretty deep Mets system nowadays. I am not betting against him, though, as he features some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the system, especially from the left side, and an advanced approach for a 19-year-old."

13. Cesar Puello, OF

(Photo: Bryan Green)

Signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent out of La Romana, Dominican Republic on July 2, 2007.

Statistics

Sypa says:

"Cesar Puello represents the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Coming off of a sizzling 2013 MiLB campaign, just about everything that could’ve went wrong for Puello in 2014 did go wrong. Still, there were some positives to take out of the year, and the physical tools that the Dominican outfielder has had his reputation staked on haven’t gone anywhere."

12. Gabriel Ynoa, RHP

(Photo credit: Chris McShane)

Signed by the New York Mets as a Minor League free agent on Nov. 19, 2009 out of La Vega, Dominican Republic.

Statistics

Jeff says:

"Ynoa's 2014 numbers aren't going to leap off the page, and if you want to run him through the Major League Equivalency machine...well, you end up with the -1.4 zWAR that ZiPS is projecting. However, in my 2014 Mets prospect yearbook, Ynoa is getting voted "Most Likely to be 2015 Jacob deGrom." Ynoa's fastball has ticked up to a more consistent 91-94, and he has begun to use a harder slider (known colloquially on twitter dot com as the "Warthen slider" and featured by such Mets pitchers as Matt Harvey and the aforementioned deGrom). Ynoa still has issues harnessing the slider consistently, but it has flashed plus, which is a substantial improvement over what I saw in 2013. He also has the same strong change-up he has shown throughout his minor league career and a loose, easy delivery. That sure sounds like a potential mid-rotation starter to me. Ynoa's stock seems to have taken a hit in the prospect-ranking-industrial-complex based on his 2014 stat line, but he is a better pitching prospect now than he was at this time last year."

11. Dom Smith, 1B

(Photo: Tracy Proffitt)

Selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Junipero Serra (CA) High School.

Statistics

Greg says:

"Dom Smith struggled for the most part in 2014. While his strikeout and walk numbers were promising given his age and level of competition, the complete lack of power was concerning especially since Smith is limited to first base. Watching him in games, it was apparent how out in front he was on pretty much everything, leading to lots of weak contact which goes a long way to explaining the relatively low strikeout rate and complete lack of power. The other thing you noticed watching Smith was the extra weight he was carrying around, a worrying sign given it was present very early in the season. A report from Baseball America said that Smith had already shed the excess weight, and if he can put together an offseason similar to the one Brandon Nimmo had last season we could be having a different conversation at the end of the 2015 season. I expect Smith to start the season in St. Lucie and hope to see him begin to develop the power he'll need as a first-base-only prospect."

*Statistics via MiLB.com