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Peter Alonso Headlines Fangraphs Updated Top 10 Mets Prospect Rankings

By John Sheridan

October 2, 2018 No comments

At the end of the season, Fangraphs has updated their rankings of the Top 10 prospects in the Mets farm system. Looking back at the preseason list, this is a near complete re-ranking with a new name atop the list as well as three new names added to the list:

No. 1 Peter Alonso, 1B

MMN Rank: 4
Stats:
.285/.395/.579, 31 2B, 3B, 36 HR, 119 RBI
Analysis: “The swing-and-miss tendencies will impact his ability to hit for average but he’s also still growing as a hitter and has shown the ability to make adjustments. He’s not overly athletic or quick so he may never be better than average at first base but the power should give him the ability to be an impact hitter.”

No. 2 Jarred Kelenic, OF

MMN Rank: 2
Stats:
.286/.371/.468, 10 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 15 SB
Analysis: “I’m not sold on his power potential but he could hit for average, get a healthy number of walks, steal bases and play above-average defence.”

No. 3 Andres Gimenez, SS

MMN Rank: 1
Stats:
.281/.347/.409, 29 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 38 SB
Analysis: “There is more gap-pop than over-the-fence power but he could hit 30 doubles, steal 20+bases and play excellent defence at short in his prime.”

No. 4 David Peterson, LHP

MMN Rank: 6
Stats: 7-10, 3.16 ERA, 1.172 WHIP, 8.1 K/9
Analysis: “Peterson has mid-rotation potential due to possessing three average-or-better offerings, excellent ground-ball rates (He allowed just two homers all year) and above-average control.”

No. 5 Mark Vientos, 3B

MMN Rank: 7
Stats:
.287/.389/.489, 12 2B, 11 HR, 52 RBI, SB
Analysis: “He showed the ability to hit for both average and power while controlling the strike zone well for his age and taking a healthy number of walks. He has 20+ homer potential and is hitting more balls in the air. He doesn’t have great athleticism in the field but possesses a strong arm for third base.”

Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

No. 6 Ronny Mauricio, SS

MMN Rank: 5
Stats: .273/.304/.410, 16 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 35 RBI, 2 SB
Analysis: “He’s an overly-aggressive hitter but he has the potential to develop into a power-hitting middle infielder with strong defensive potential. He might have the highest ceiling in the system but is also still quite raw at 17.”

No. 7 Justin Dunn, RHP

MMN Rank: 3
Stats: 8-8, 3.59 ERA, 1.330 WHIP, 10.4 K/9
Analysis: “When his fastball and slider are working in tandem with a consistent arm slot he can overpower. He hasn’t been starting for that long so he deserves some more time to iron out the wrinkles but I think he’s best suited to relief work.”

No. 8 Anthony Kay, LHP

MMN Rank: 9
Stats: 7-11, 4.26 ERA, 1.410 WHIP, 9.0 K/9
Analysis: “He has a solid fastball-changeup combo but the breaking ball is lacking (and the lost development time hasn’t helped). He’s also not the biggest pitcher so durability may always be a concern.”

No. 9 Thomas Szapucki, LHP

MMN Rank: 8
Stats:
DNP – Tommy John surgery.
Analysis:
“He has a mid-90s heater and excellent curveball. There was potential in the changeup, too, before he got hurt. He is a high-risk, high-reward player.”

No. 10 Franklyn Kilome, RHP

MMN Rank: N/R
Stats: 4-9, 4.18 ERA, 1.343 WHIP, 8.0 K/9
Analysis: “Kilome looks like a beast on the mound, standing 6-6 with upper-90s heat. But he’s also not overly athletic and has some effort with his wandering arm slot. Those issues limit the effectiveness of his stuff and he doesn’t consistently dominate.”

Looking over this list, the one thing which really stands out is how Fangraphs departs from most by ranking Alonso over Gimenez as the top Mets prospect.  For the most part, Gimenez is considered the top prospect in the Mets system, but here he is ranked just third.

Another striking aspect of this list is how bullish Fangraphs seems to be on the teenage Mets prospects.  Of the 10 prospects ranked, four of them are teenagers.

Mostly, Fangraphs believes more in the newer prospects in the Mets farm system than ones the team has been developing for a few years.  With the exception of Szapucki, all of these prospects have joined the Mets organization over the past two years.  Overall, this speaks to how Fangraphs and many other outlets believe the Mets farm system is improving significantly.