Jaylen Palmer/Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
10. Jaylen Palmer, 3B/SS
B/T: R/R Age: 20 (7/31/2000)
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 195 lbs
Acquired: 2018 Amateur Draft, 22nd round out of Holy Cross High School (Flushing, NY)
ETA: 2022 Previous Rank: N/A
2019 Stats: (Rookie Kingsport) 242 AB, .260/.344/.413, 7 HR, 11.2% BB rate, 39.1% K rate, 111 wRC+
Palmer would be a fan favorite if he ever reached the big league level, as he grew up in Flushing likely rooting and obviously still rooting for the New York Mets. There wasn’t a 2020 minor league season, so it isn’t clear how much Palmer has progressed offensively.
In 2019, he nearly struck out in half of his at-bats so he will need to put the ball in play more if he wants to continue progressing through New York’s minor league system. The Mets think that “part of the issue was his getting too heavy on his front side in his batting stance,” according to MLB.com.
Palmer should’ve also worked on his defense prior to 2021, as the 6-foot-3 infielder committed 21 errors at third base and shortstop in 2019, which is concerning considering that fielding doesn’t get any easier as players progress through their respective farm systems partly because balls are coming off the bat at a higher exit velocity.
His strikeout and fielding troubles aren’t to say that he isn’t talented at the plate. Palmer has worked with the Mets on staying back more in his stance to unleash more of his power potential. Palmer’s power is his “standout tool” and could be an above-average skill in the future as long as he increases his contact rate.
Time will tell if Palmer has improved his approach at the plate, but if he does you could see him moving up levels relatively quickly due to his offensive potential.
Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
9. Thomas Szapucki, LHP
B/T: L/L Age: 24 (6/12/1996)
Height: 6’2″ Weight: 181 lbs
Acquired: 2015 Amateur Draft, fifth round out of William T. Dwyer High School (West Palm Beach, FL)
ETA: 2021 Previous Rank: N/A
2019 Stats: (Three levels as high as Double-A) W-L 1-3, ERA 2.63, 61.2 INN, 49 H, 26 BB, 72 K, 1.22 WHIP
Mets fans have briefly watched Thomas Szapucki pitch before, as he appeared in a spring training game this year, throwing one shutout inning on 13 pitches.
As for his minor league career, he hasn’t consistently been able to pitch due to a variety of injuries including a back problem, a shoulder injury, and undergoing Tommy John surgery. With that said, the Mets believe in his upside, so much so that he was a part of the alternate site last season and is a candidate to appear on the 26-man roster at some point this season due to the coddling of pitching staffs coming off of a shortened 2020 season.
Szapucki’s fastball isn’t going to blow anyone away (sitting in the low 90s) but his breaking ball has solid depth to it and the spin makes it tough for opposing hitters. The most innings he has pitched in any minor league season is 61 2/3, so it is expected that the Mets want to see Szapucki show the ability to stay healthy before seriously considering him to be a regular part of the pitching staff.
Expect Szapucki to get most of his innings this year with Triple-A Syracuse — alongside other prospects such as Harol Gonzalez and Franklyn Kilome — where he will get a chance to face some former major leaguers.
8. Khalil Lee, OF
B/T: L/L Age: 22 (6/26/1998)
Height: 5’10″ Weight: 170 lbs
Acquired: trade with the Kansas City Royals (2/10/2021)
ETA: 2021 Previous Rank: N/A
2020-2021 Stats: (Puerto Rican Winter League) 46 AB, .196/.275/.348, 1 HR, 9.8% BB rate, 31.4% K rate
2019 Stats: (Royals Double-A ) 470 AB, .264/.363/.372, 8 HR, 11.9% BB rate, 28.2% K rate, 112 wRC+
Khalil Lee is a very intriguing prospect that is fairly new to the Mets’ minor league system, as he was acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals this past offseason. Lee got some playing time late in games this spring but wasn’t able to record a base hit in sixteen at-bats.
Part of the reason why he has struggled to get on base as much as he wants to is his inability to make contact. The 22-year-old struck out 28.2% of the time, which was the second-highest strikeout rate of his minor league career (32.1% K rate in Single-A in 2017).
But at just 22 years of age, Lee has time to improve his approach at the plate by focusing on making more contact and using his speed to get on base. When Lee reaches base, though, he can create havoc. The Royals tried speeding up Lee’s development by pushing him through the minors quickly, which didn’t seem to bother him. The speedster stole 53 bases in 2019 — good enough for second in the entire minor leagues behind Nick Heath (60).
Lee also made improvements on his defense in center field at the Royals alternate site and it now looks like he could stick there long-term.
Lee is certainly a prospect to keep an eye on in 2021, especially considering he might be in the big leagues sooner rather than later due to the uncertainty of a Michael Conforto extension and his ability to pinch-run late in games off of the bench. (Video Link)
7. J.T. Ginn, RHP
B/T: R/R Age: 21 (5/20/1999)
Height: 6’2″ Weight: 200 lbs
Acquired: 2020 Amateur Draft, second round out of Mississippi State University
ETA: 2023 Previous Rank: N/A
2020 Stats: N/A
Before attending Mississippi State, Ginn had the opportunity to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 out of high school but chose to go to college, where he won the SEC Freshman Pitcher of the Year by compiling a 3.13 ERA with 105 strikeouts against arguably the best conference in the country.
Since Ginn was drafted out of Mississippi State University in 2020, he — like Pete-Crow Armstrong — has yet to experience a full minor league season yet but the Mets are obviously super high on his arm, headlined by his 97 mph fastball. They even decided to bring him into big league camp this Spring as he continued to rehab from surgery.
Ginn has already had Tommy John surgery during his sophomore year as a Bulldog, but a lot of pitchers actually come out stronger than they were before so it could be a blessing for the 21-year-old right-hander. Scouts rate his slider as a plus pitch that sits in the mid-80s with plenty of movement.
Another encouraging sign is Ginn is already known as a pitcher that pounds the strike zone, as he only walked 5.7% of the batters he faced during his brief time at Mississippi State. (Video Link)
Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
6. Mark Vientos, 3B
B/T: R/R Age: 21 (12/11/1999)
Height: 6’4″ Weight: 185 lbs
Acquired: 2017 Amateur Draft, second round out of American Heritage High School (Florida)
ETA: 2022 Previous Rank: N/A
2019 Stats: (Single-A Columbia) 416 AB, .255/.312/.411, 12 HR, 4.8% BB rate, 24.2% K rate, 105 WRC+
There have already been two talented professional baseball players that were drafted out of the same high school as Mark Vientos — Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer and future Red Sox major leaguer Triston Casas — so he will look to follow in their footsteps by having a successful minor league career before making it to the major leagues.
The 21-year-old was committed to the University of Miami when the Mets drafted him before he turned 18 with the 59th overall pick in the 2017 draft and awarded him with a $1.5 million signing bonus to pry him away from attending school.
While Vientos is primarily a third baseman, the Mets gave him some time in spring training over at first base to increase his versatility in the infield. Scouts believe that Vientos struggled offensively at Class-A Columbia because he was too aggressive and swung at pitches that weren’t in the strike zone. Though, his 105 wRC+ shows that he was still an above average offensive player in a league known for suppressing power.
However, once he fills out and makes contact more consistently the power will be there. Vientos hit 12 home runs in 2019 with 62 RBI in his best minor league season yet. The Mets named him their Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Of course, New York would like to keep Vientos in the organization but fellow third baseman Brett Baty is projected to be the team’s third baseman of the future. Dominic Smith and Pete Alonso are already hitting well at the big league level so it seems as if first base and the designated hitter aren’t options either. If will be interesting to see what the Mets decide to do with Vientos in terms of his position if he continues to show offensive potential.
