Keith Law of The Athletic has released his annual T0p 100 prospect rankings. Like the prospect rankings we have seen from Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Law has ranked Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio in this rankings.
However, unlike those outlets, he did not stop there. In fact, he would also include Mark Vientos and Alex Ramirez. Below is how and why he ranked these Mets prospects in his top 100.
Francisco Alvarez, C
2022 Ranking: 8
Previous Ranking: 19
2021 Stats (St. Lucie/Brooklyn) .272/.388/.554, 18 2B, 3B, 24 HR, 70 RBI, 8 SB, 5 CS
Law: “He could be as mobile as a statue and still be an above-average regular for a catcher with – dare I say it – a Mike Piazza like upside if his bat keeps improving”
Ronny Mauricio, SS
2022 Ranking: 40
Previous Ranking: 32
2021 Stats (Brooklyn/Binghamton) .248/.296/.449, 15 2B, 5 3B, 20 HR, 64 RBI, 11 SB, 7 CS
Law: “He reminds me a lot of a young Alfonso Soriano, who never got that big but hit 30-plus homers seven times in the majors and 412 in his career, and who did move off shortstop even when he was still an above-average runner.”
Brett Baty, 3B/OF
2022 Ranking: 41
Previous Ranking: NR
2021 Stats (Brooklyn/Binghamton) .292/.382/.473, 22 2B, 3B, 12 HR, 56 RBI, 6 SB, 3 CS
Law: He hit the ball on the ground too often last year, but that’s one of the easiest flaws for player development staffs to fix. And Baty hits the ball hard enough that once the Mets get him lifting the ball a little more often, he’s going to end up with 25-plus homers; Vlad Guerrero, Jr. used to hit the ball on the ground often, too.
Mark Vientos, 3B/LF
2022 Ranking: 71
Previous Ranking: NR
2021 Stats (Binghamton/Syracuse) .281/.352/.581, 18 2B, 25 HR, 63 RBI, 2 CS
Law: “His exit velocities have consistently been among the best in the Mets’ system, and he projects to be a 30-35 homer guy in the next few years.”
Alex Ramirez, OF
2022 Ranking: 100
Previous Ranking: NR
2021 Stats (St. Lucie): .258/.326/.384, 15 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 16 SB, 7 CS
Law: “He was slightly overmatched at the plate, but showed incredible defensive skills centerfield with great reads and plus speed, and flashed what should be grade 60 or even 70 power when he fills out.”
As is usually the case, Law seems a bit more bullish on the Mets system than the other analysts and outlets. While many have had Vientos as knocking on the door to the top 100, he had him firmly in his rankings, and he provided the surprise with Ramirez at the end of his rankings.
The recent history with the Mets does seem to suggest Law’s read on the Mets system has been fairly accurate. Currently, the Mets have seen former top prospects like Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto become All-Stars at the Major League level. Hopefully, this group has a similar development path.
