Photo by Ed Delany
Baseball America recently began unveiling their top prospects at each position in a 20 player list format. They started with the catcher position in which the New York Mets did not have player.
On Thursday they posted their list for second and first base with the Mets having one player in each group.
Luis Guillorme, 23, ranks as the No. 14 second base prospect in baseball according to BA. The defensive wizard hit .283/.376/.331, 103 wRC+ with only 55 strikeouts and 72 walks for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies. We ranked Luis as our No. 10 prospect here on MMO.
Guillorme is a gold glove caliber shortstop but started playing second in 2016 to accommodate Amed Rosario. Luis was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and is expected to begin the 2018 season in Triple-A.
Scott Kingery from the Philadelphia Phillies organization is the best second base prospect according to BA. The 23-year-old reached Triple-A last season and was BA’s No. 31 prospect in their Top 100.
BA has Alonso ranked as the No. 9 first base prospect after a season in which he slashed .289/.359/.883 with 27 doubles, 18 home runs and 63 RBI between the St. Lucie Mets and Binghamton Rumble Ponies. The slugger ranked as our No. 3 Mets prospect.
Jake Bauers of the Tampa Bay Rays is the top first base prospect in baseball according to BA, and they also had him as their No. 45 prospect overall.
I look forward to seeing how Luis stats translate to PCL this year.
3 years in a row hes excelled offensively at three different levels yet many folks still argue he can’t hit.
Well there’s no other minor league level left after AAA but I’m sure if he starts off hot folks will argue it’s because it’s PCL.
He should be first man up if(when) cabbie or Reyes get injured .
I still love Dominic Smith, but he better watch out for Peter Alonso.. The guy can flat out hit!
I like Guillorme a lot. But I’m keeping it honest – he did not hit well in Lucie in 2016 – .263 batting average and .647 OPS. And while he hit for average in 2015 and ’17, he”s never driven the ball well enough to say that he “excelled”.
He could be the first man up, but I wouldn’t count on it. If the Mets go by their standard, stodgy protocol, they’ll try Reynolds 1st, and if they go by ability to perform/contribute now, Evans is clearly more major-league ready than Guillorme. Let’s also remember that TJ Rivera should be coming off of the DL in May. He could step in for the injured player.
I hope more Evans than Cecchini/Reynolds poo poo platter. I’m Guillorme fan. I want him to make it to big leagues. Hope there’s an uptick in extra base power.
Uh-oh… you got me started. I agree on Evans. he should be on the 40-man right now and Reynolds should have been removed about 4 times this off season. Evans is closest to major league ready, he’s the only one who hits the ball hard at that level, he played very good defense at 3rd and we know he’s always been a good defender at every level and every position. Its an absolute crime and travesty that he was removed instead of Reynolds in November. The only thing I can surmise is that before making their decision, the Mets talked to the agents for both players and learned that Evans was willing to re-sign a minors deal and stay with the org, while Reynolds would want to test free agency. Otherwise, the only other explanation I have is that Sandy’s ego won’t let him keep an 18th rounder from Omar’s time over one of his own 2nd-rounder.
I also like Guillorme a lot. I just don’t think its his time yet. Whether his time is late-2018, or sometime in 2019 or even later is anybody’s guess. Aside from the ability to drive the ball, I also note that his range factor declined at both short and 2nd as he’s moved up. So I’m curious to see what happens in Vegas where, in addition to facing a higher level of play, he will also be on a harder, faster Vegas field,
I think we will see Guillmore if something happens to Rosario. If it’s a 2b or 3b need , as mentioned, Cecchini, Reynolds, Evans will be called up.
Thats fanspeak. Please explain WHY you think we will see Guillorme. We’re talking about a guy whose bat is considered suspect or lacking, and whose ability to ever play in the majors has been questioned because of it.
AND he hasn’t even played a singe game at AAA yet.
What basis is there for opining that he will jump to the majors so quickly?
My point is the, if Rosario is out for any extended time, who do you go to to play SS? Flores, Cabrera, Reyes, Cecchini, Reynolds? Let’s hope not. I don’t see that Evans would be candidate. He’s not even on the 40 man. Luis is the only logical option defensively at this time.
So you’re saying that you would not only promote Guillorme, but you would want him to be the STARTING shortstop? I think you’re mistaken about that, and about him being the “only logical option”. Reyes is a more logical option. Despite what the media says about Reyes’ defense, he still has adequate range, a strong arm, and he made only 3 errors in 70 games at short last year. And he can hit major league pitching.
And frankly, we don’t actually know whether or not Guillorme’s shortstop play is even ready for the major league level yet, where the game moves faster.
For all the attention his defense gets, his range factor at short has declined every time he’s moved up a level.
A few years ago, scouting reports labeled his arm and range “just adequate”. They noted that he makes up for it with good quickness, a great first step, and a quick release on his throws. But they still questioned whether he’d ever be able to play shortstop on a daily basis at the major league level. More recent reports have been a bit kinder, but still list him as better suited to second. Before anointing him ready to play major league defense, we simply need to see more of him on defense at the more/most advanced levels. And he still has more than a little to prove offensively.