Luis Santana 2, Shervyen Newton 12/Photo by Tanner Cook of Kingsport Times-News
With the Mets trades this offseason, many of their top prospects are gone leaving various outlets, including our own, to revisit their rankings.
For example, two of the top 10 prospects as determined by Fangraphs are no longer with the organization. In their recently published Top 25, Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn have been replaced by Shervyen Newton and Desmond Lindsay.
Newton earned his spot in this list with a very strong season with Kingsport where he hit .280/.408/.449. Fangraphs is quite how on Newton going so far as to say “the ceiling on Newton if everything actualizes is superstardom.”
Looking past the top 10, recent acquisitions from the Kevin Plawecki trade are among the Top 25.
Walker Lockett, 24, was recently a member of the San Diego Padres organization before a November trade. In four Major League appearances, Lockett was 0-3 with a 9.60 ERA, 2.133 WHIP, and a 1.2 K/BB.
In 23 Triple-A starts, he was 5-9 with a 4.73 ERA, 1.335 WHIP, and a 3.58 K/BB.
In ranking him the 17th best Mets prospect, Fangraphs said of Luckett:
He has a mid-90s sinker that has significant tail when Lockett is locating it to his arm side, but it’s hittable and straight in most parts of the strike zone. His fastball’s movement pairs well with a power, mid-80s changeup that also has arm side action; Lockett works left-handed hitters away with these two offerings. His curveball has good shape and bite, but Lockett struggles to set it up for whiffs because his fastball is hittable in the top of the zone. He needs a weapon that works in on the hands of lefties, like a cutter. If he can find one, he’ll be a fine backend starter.
The other prospect obtained in the Plawecki trade was Sam Haggerty, who Fangraphs now ranks as the 18th best prospect in the Mets farm system:
A switch-hitter with a simple swing and conservative approach to contact, Haggarty’s best offensive skill is his eye for the strike zone, which has enabled him to walk at a 13% career clip. He is limited from both a power and bat-to-ball standpoint, so it’s possible his patience will be irrelevant if big league pitching decides he’s not a threat to do damage on his own and make it a point to let him put the ball in play. Through Double-A, though, this hasn’t happened.
The 24 year old spent time between Double-A and Triple-A hitting .239/.369/.384 while playing second, third, short, and all three outfield positions.
Other prospects of note to be included in the Top 25 were Simeon Woods-Richardson, Carlos Cortes, Ryley Gilliam, and Nick Meyer, all of whom are the highest drafted players remaining from the Mets 2018 draft.
