With baseball season very much in the balance for 2020 due to the coronavirus, there are still rankings to talk about … especially when it comes to top prospects.
The Mets usually don’t have a very good farm system, but as of now, New York does have a few prospects to keep an eye on for the immediate future.
Note: All prospect rankings listed here are from MLB Pipeline.
Their top prospect right now is shortstop Ronny Mauricio. Could he eventually be the starting shortstop for the Mets or will he have to move to another position because of Amed Rosario? After all, New York does not have any intentions of moving on from Rosario as the starting shortstop anytime soon.
Mauricio is a highly-rated prospect in the farm system but is not projected to reach the big leagues until the 2022 season. A switch-hitter, Mauricio is currently in Single-A with the Columbia Fire Flies. He has tremendous range defensively and hits for contact. Just 18 years old, Mauricio also has very good baserunning instincts. In 116 games last season, the young infielder’s batting average was .268 with four home runs and 37 RBI, along with six stolen bases. His on-base percentage was .307.
The second-best prospect in the Mets’ farm system is catcher Francisco Alvarez. He is climbing up the prospect rankings in a hurry. A big catcher behind the plate with range and a ton of pop with his bat, Alvarez is currently with the Kingsport Mets. The Mets are going to take their time with his development as he is only 18 years old. Alvarez played in 42 games last season with two different teams in the minor leagues. His batting average was .312 with seven home runs and 26 RBI, along with one stolen base. His on-base percentage was .407.
The third-best prospect in the New York Mets’ farm system is shortstop Andres Gimenez. He is another prized shortstop who is currently in Triple-A with the Syracuse Mets. Gimenez has a very good glove with impressive speed; he is projected to reach the majors in 2020, but that is going to depend on if there will even be a baseball season. In Double-A last season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, he played in 117 games. His batting average was .250 with nine home runs and 37 RBI, plus 28 stolen bases. He posted an on-base percentage of .309.
The fourth-best prospect is third baseman Brett Baty, who was a first-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft. He is projected to be the Mets’ third baseman of the future, although Jeff McNeil will be the third baseman for a few more years to come. While McNeil is very good, it is hard to tell how long he will be able to remain consistent.
Baty has all of the tools to be an everyday third baseman. He won the NY-Penn League Championship last season, in which he played 51 games with three different teams. His batting average was .234 and he tallied seven home runs and 33 RBI.
The fifth- through eighth-best prospects in the Mets’ farm system are right-handed pitcher Matthew Allan, third baseman Mark Vientos, left-handed pitcher Thomas Szapucki, and right-handed pitcher Josh Wolf.
