For these selections, the MMN writers voted based on 2018 performance and current prospect standing.

Full Season Hitter of the Year: Peter Alonso

A cluster of infielders showed off at the dish in the Mets farm system in 2018. Alonso, arguably the Mets top positional prospect, slugged his way to hitter of the year in 2018. The first baseman displayed elite power in 132 games between the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Triple-A Las Vegas 51s.

The University of Florida product was selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft, and he has slugged at every stop of his minor league career.

In 2018, Alonso demonstrated his monstrous power from opening day. In his first game with the Rumble Ponies, Alonso went 1-for-4 at the plate, sending his lone hit over the fence in his first at bat of the year. On April 30, Alonso was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the first time. Shortly after, he was named the Eastern League player of the Month for April after hitting .408/.505/.776 with seven home runs for the month.

At 23 years old, the slugger went on to launch 15 home runs in 65 games for Binghamton before earning a promotion to Las Vegas. In the batter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Alonso’s power was amplified. The first baseman initially struggled with the 51s, but he broke out with three home runs against the Reno Aces in his seventh game with Las Vegas. Alonso managed a meager .213/.359/.394 slash line in the month of June, but he improved with more time with Las Vegas. In 67 games with the 51s, Alonso hit .260/.355/.585 with 21 home runs.

Alonso earned an invitation to the 2018 Futures Game during MLB All-Star weekend, and he used the grand stage to show his power to a national audience. Alonso mashed a monster home run, traveling 415 feet with an exit velocity of 114 miles per hour. The 2018 campaign ended with Alonso collecting 36 home runs, a total that tied Ibandel Isabel for most in all of Minor League Baseball.

Alonso will enter spring training in 2019 competing for the opening day first base job. His likely competition includes former top prospect Dominic Smith, a contact-hitting lefty who has struggled in limited opportunities at the Major League level. Other major league pieces like Todd Frazier may also get time at first base and block Alonso from breaking camp with the big league club.

Second baseman and utility man Jeff McNeil earned honorable mention honors for his breakout performance at the plate and promotion to the Major League club. McNeil, a 26-year-old who struggled with injuries for most of his career, finally put the pieces together in 2018. He found his power stroke at Binghamton, launching 14 home runs in only 57 games with the Rumble Ponies. Prior to 2018, McNeil’s career high for home runs came in 2015 when he hit 18 round-trippers with the St. Lucie Mets.

McNeil continued to rake after his promotion to Las Vegas. In 31 games with the 51s, McNeil posted a .368/.427/.600 slash line. After Asdrubal Cabrera was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, McNeil took over the everyday second base duties for the Mets. and he immediately impressed. McNeil posted a .329/.381/.471 line with 3 home runs and 6 triples in 63 games at the Major League level.

Entering 2019, McNeil will be uprooted from second base by newly-acquired Robinson Cano. McNeil will likely serve as a utility man for the Mets, playing innings at third base, second base, and corner outfield in 2019.

Short-Season Hitter of the Year: Luis Santana

Second baseman Luis Santana demonstrated exceptional contact skills, collecting 71 hits in 53 games with the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League. Santana, a 5’8” second baseman from the Dominican Republic, got off to a hot start with Kingsport, posting a .432/.500/.622 line with 4 doubles in 9 June games.

Santana’s production declined in July as he collected only 4 extra-base hits in 25 games, good for .385 slugging percentage for the month. Despite his lack of power, Santana continued to get on base at an exceptional rate. In 116 July plate appearances, Santana collected 31 hits and 15 walks, ballooning his on-base percentage to .440 for the month.

Santana finished his 2018 campaign with a .348/.446/.471 slash line with 13 doubles and 4 home runs. He demonstrated an above-average hit tool and the ability to draw walks.

Outfielder Ross Adolph and third baseman Mark Vientos earned honorable mention honors for their success at the plate in 2018. Adolph, a 12th-round pick by the Mets in 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft, demonstrated a well-rounded approach in his first season of professional baseball. Vientos, a second-round selection in the 2017 draft, found success in his second season of rookie-level baseball.

Adolph, a University of Toledo product, posted a .276/.348/.509 slash line with 28 extra-base hits in 61 games for the Brooklyn Cyclones. The 22-year-old demonstrated the ability to turn singles into doubles, swiping 14 bases in only 17 attempts for the Cyclones.

Vientos returned to rookie-level ball after posting a paltry .715 OPS between the Gulf Coast League Mets and the Kingsport Mets in 2017. His return to Kingsport in 2018 came with newfound success as Vientos discovered power at the dish. The third baseman slugged 11 home runs and 12 doubles in only 60 games with Kingsport. His .878 OPS in 2018 was a marked improvement on his 2017 campaign.

MMN Pitchers of the Year