Photo Credit: Allen Greene Photography
Keith Law of ESPN has been releasing his Top 100 Major League Prospects this week. Monday he released his first twenty which included Mets right-hander Justin Dunn who ranked at #84. Yesterday fellow right-hander Robert Gsellman made the list at #76.
Today Law released #60-41, and on that list at #60 was Mets left-handed prospect Thomas Szapucki.
Law said this of Szapucki, “Szapucki was the Mets fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft as a 19-year-old senior out of high school in West Palm Beach, but he pitched just two innings that summer after he signed, so he came into 2016 as just another guy in the system. Then he delivered a true breakout season, as he moved from the Appy League to the New York Penn-League and dominated at both stops. He did so working a 92-96 mph fastball with a wipeout curveball and good command of his pitches, as well as a nascent changeup.”
In our MMO Top 30 Prospects list we had Szapucki at number four after a breakout season in only 52 innings last season combined for the Kingsport Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones.
In nine starts between the Appalachian League and the New York Penn-League, Szapucki went 4-3 with a stellar 1.38 ERA while striking out 86 batters in 52 innings. Only two other minor league prospects, both relievers, had a higher K/9 innings mark than Szapucki’s 14.9 mark.
2017 will be a big year for Szapucki as it will hopefully be his first full season. There are still plenty of things the lefty needs to work on, however the upside is there and his ceiling for potential is through the roof.
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To me Szapucki is the ultimate untouchable in the Mets system. I’d even put him just ahead Rosario. Can’t overstate how important it is to have at least one other bonafide front-end starter coming up in the next few years to extend the Mets championship window. Gsellman, Lugo have done a good job filling in but hard to imagine they can sustain this rotation’s World Series potential for an extended period of time the way Szapucki can, assuming last season was no fluke.
Love Szapucki but I would definitely trade him before Rosario. In Rosario, you’re talking about a possible long-term star option at the important SS position. The Mets still have a ton of starting pitching depth and none of them over 30.