(Photo by Anthony J. Causi)
Keith Law of ESPN.com released his annual list of the top farm systems in baseball on Wednesday, with the Mets coming in at 16. Fellow National League East mates, the Atlanta Braves (1), Philadelphia Phillies (6), and Washington Nationals (15), were ranked ahead of the Mets. Read the entire article here (ESPN Insider).
Law had this to say about the Mets:
16. New York Mets
2015 Rank: 4
Players in top 100 (2016): 4
Still well-stocked with position players, but most of the pitching is gone in trades for Tyler Clippard and Yoenis Cespedes, leaving them very dependent on the health of the five young stars in the big league rotation. With a little luck, the next wave of hitters will hit Citi Field just as there are openings in the right spots in the lineup, helping them continue to compete behind their phenomenal young rotation.
The first interesting thing to note is that the system dropped 12 spots since last year, and two fewer players made the 2016 top 100, which will be revealed in the coming days, compared to last season. The 2015 list featured RHP Noah Syndergaard (17), OF Michael Conforto (41), C Kevin Plawecki (45) – who have all graduated – 1B Dominic Smith (65), SS Amed Rosario (69), and OF Brandon Nimmo (91).
The graduation of Syndergaard and soon-to-be graduation of Steven Matz hurt the system greatly, as Law notes, but they also lost a healthy number of pitchers in trades made last season. Michael Fulmer, Luis Cessa, and Casey Meisner weren’t heralded as top prospects coming into 2015, but they each made names for themselves, and proved to be crucial in helping the major league team, albeit not by pitching at Citi Field. Meisner was the cost of Clippard, who pitched effectively in the eighth inning role down the stretch, and Fulmer, packaged with Cessa, netted Cespedes from the Tigers, and I’m pretty sure we all know how that turned out.
Rosario and Smith should join Matz on the 2016 top 100, and the fourth spot will likely go to Nimmo or Gavin Cecchini. These hitters are keeping the farm system alive and well, and are a cause for excitement among fans in the coming years. Smith, the 2015 Florida State League MVP, could prove to be a perennial .300 hitter at first base, while Rosario, who signed for the most ever by a Mets international player, could be a future All-Star with excellent defense and on base potential.
While the Mets minor league system no longer boasts a bona fide future All-Star pitcher, as had been the case since Matt Harvey was drafted, there are certainly a good number of players to watch out for and keep tabs on.
