Francisco Alvarez/Photo by Allen Greene Photography
Baseball America has released its Top 100 prospects for the 2020 season, and the two Mets prospects who have received the largest international free agent bonuses were ranked 66 and 67 respectively.
SS Ronny Mauricio, 18, was ranked 66th after a season where he hit .268/.307/.357 with 20 doubles, five triples, four homers, and 37 RBI for Single-A Columbia.In rating him 66th, Baseball America said:
The biggest question surrounding Mauricio involves his projection. Yes, he’ll spend all season at 19 years old, but some evaluators believe he’s already physically maxed out. If that’s the case, he’s going to require even more offensive development than would be expected from someone his age. His ceiling is as the classic power-hitting corner infielder.
Ranked right after Mauricio was C Francisco Alvarez. The 17 year old catcher played 42 games between Gulf Coast and Kingsport in his first professional season. He garnered attention for his work behind and at the plate where he hit .312/.407/.510 with 10 doubles, seven homers, and 26 RBI.
Alvarez burst onto the scene, and now, he’s burst his way onto Baseball America’s Top 100. In ranking him 67, the outlet said:
One of the biggest risers in the game in 2019, Alvarez burst onto the map with a very loud season in the Rookie-level Appalachian League, where he ranked as the circuit’s No. 1 prospect. The 18-year-old blends hittability, power and strong defense into a player with tantalizing potential.
Unfortunately, Mauricio and Alvarez were the only two Mets prospects ranked in the Top 100.
One reason for that is the Mets trading Jarred Kelenic and Simeon Woods Richardson last year. These two prospects were ranked 11th and 61st. With their being traded, not only did the Mets lose two of their best prospects, they lost their two best ones, at least as far as Baseball America is concerned.
Another reason for that is Andres Gimenez falling off the list despite his posting a 105 wRC+ in Double-A while dealing with wrist and hand injuries and being 4.1 years younger than league average.
Of note, Gimenez entered last season as Baseball America’s 30th ranked prospect. Should he rebound, much like he did during the Arizona Fall League, we may see him make his way back onto these rankings.
Gimenez is not the only Mets prospect who could appear on future Top 100 updates. Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are considered to be among the top third base prospects in the game, and David Peterson and Franklyn Kilome have previously appeared on other Top 100 rankings.
On that note, it will be interesting to see if these prospects and other prospects like Matthew Allan rise through the rankings. More than that, it will be interesting to see when these players make it to the majors.
