; ;

Shortstops Dominate BP’s Top 10 Mets Prospect List

By Dilip Sridhar

December 6, 2018 No comments

Andres Gimenez/Photo by Ed Delany

The folks over at Baseball Prospectus released their Top 10 Prospects for the New York Mets heading into the 2019 season.

The list is as follows:

  1. Andres Gimenez, SS
  2. Peter Alonso, 1B
  3. Ronny Mauricio, SS
  4. Shervyen Newton, SS
  5. Mark Vientos, 3B
  6. David Peterson, LHP
  7. Franklyn Kilome, RHP
  8. Thomas Szapucki, LHP
  9. Anthony Kay, LHP
  10. Simeon Woods-Richardson, RHP

No surprise at top. Gimenez is regarded as the Mets top prospect by almost everyone and his biggest challenger, Jarred Kelenic, is no longer in the system. Gimenez is graded as someone with solid but not flashy tools. He should play solid defense with a good average and OBP. The power is mixed but in today’s game with the juiced ball, anyone can have double-digit power.

The blurb to focus on Gimenez is: “The lack of power projection and his occasional over aggression against offspeed limits the ceiling a bit, but he’s as good a bet as any prospect in baseball to have an eight-year major league career of some variety.”

Probably no surprise with Alonso at number two. The king of exit velocity is seen as many, including Brodie Van Wagenen, as the Mets first baseman of the future. He will hit for a lot of power and was pegged as having “80 game power.” He is about all you can ask for offensively from a first baseman. Defensively is another story but the Mets like him enough that they aren’t considering the idea of moving him to the AL.

Mauricio is probably the prospect with the highest ceiling in the farm now. There is optimism that he can stick at shortstop and his body allows for more projection than Gimenez. He might grow out of the position but so far, he’s proved that he is a shortstop. The Mets have been aggressive with their second-largest IFA signing (behind Fransisco Alvarez) by starting him in the GCL. He has an outside chance of going to Columbia this year depending on his Spring. Remember the name because he could be talked about a lot.

Shervyen Newton being this high is the most surprising thing. Don’t get me wrong, he was a fantastic find by the former regime’s IFA department but at number four is a little surprising. The run down is that he is a very raw prospect but he has a ton of upside.

The part of his write-up that focuses on that is “He shows plus bat speed with loft, and while he can struggle with spin, especially if you back door it for a strike, he’s a pesky hitter who stays in against offspeed and will foul stuff off and work deep counts.”

Mark Vientos/Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

Mark Vientos has developed nicely since getting a huge bonus from the Mets in 2017. His power is quite impressive and his exit velocity is one of the best among all teenagers. This includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, and Wander Franco. He should be in Columbia to begin 2019 and could make fans very excited about the future he has at the hot corner. Interestingly, Baseball Prospectus said, “In the field he’s a bit rough at third base, better on the reaction play than the ones where he has time.” The good news is that is more than fixable.

David Peterson should not be surprising at six. He is still projected to be a starter and while he is not moving as fast as expected, he is still well regarded in most prospect circles. The key will now be the development of his changeup when it comes to determining the impact of him as a starter.

Kilome ahead of Szapucki is a little interesting. Especially since Kilome seems more likely than not to be a reliever after returning from Tommy John. He has a good arsenal and working with the Mets development staff probably helped. Szapucki is a lefty and has better stuff than Kilome. If his stuff returns to pre-surgery or he shows glimpses of that stuff, then he should rise the rankings pretty easily.

Anthony Kay just completed his first professional season and the results might not have been pretty but there are other things to be happy with. For the first part, his velocity was similar to what it was when the Mets drafted him. Another thing was his curveball which maxed out at 3,000 RPMs. Like Peterson, his development will depend on his change.

Simeon Woods-Richardson is just 18 but his stuff has impressed early on. He was in the low-90s in high school only to turn in a 99 MPH fastball in his first professional appearance. The safe bet is that he goes to Brooklyn but a potential stint in Columbia cannot be ruled out.

Other Notes

The extended list included Luis SantanaRoss AdolphJordan HumphreysTomas Nido, and Junior Santos.

Santana is a short contact machine who plays second base. Before you start thinking it, I’ll pour some cold water on you and say no, don’t even think about going there. Santana dominated the Appy League and now the next challenge will be carrying it over against the tougher pitchers.

Adolph was a great find in the 12th round. They state, “Despite a stocky physique, he’s an above-average runner with a high motor who can go get it in center field. He’s short to the ball with sneaky pop that plays pull side and oppo gap.” He had a nice season in Brooklyn and should be in St. Lucie to begin 2019.

Humphreys is also coming off TJS and will need to show that his stuff has rebounded. It was a shame because he really looked like a legitimate prospect who could be a starter before the surgery.

Junior Santos is anything than what his first name suggests. The 17-year-old stands at 6-foot-8 and can get it to 95 MPH. The Mets tend to like big bodied pitchers that they can mold. It’s a bold pick but he seems to have quite a bit of upside.