Willy Fañas
In the third installment of our Mets prospect countdown, we focused on mostly players 22 years old and younger with good raw skills.
20. Willy Fañas, OF
B/T: S/R Age: 18 (1/23/2004)
Height: 6’2 Weight: 190
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2022
ETA: 2027 Previous Rank:
2022 Stats (Mets 2, DSL): .257/.330/.297, 2 2B, 10 RBI, 10 SB
Willy Fanas was one of the Mets’ largest international free agent signings in 2022, and as such there was a lot of excitement surrounding what he was going to be able to accomplish during his first year in the organization. He profiles as a plus-power switch-hitting bat who will likely need to add significant size to his 6-foot-2 frame to unlock his full potential, and that projection proved true as he failed to hit any home runs and collected just three extra-base hits in 32 games in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). He did show great speed in tallying ten steals on 13 attempts, and although he struck out a bunch, he also drew a decent number of walks.
Fanas is still a few days shy of his 19th birthday, so his initial struggles in pro ball are quite understandable. As he continues to develop his physical attributes and get settled into life in the Mets’ organization, Fañas will have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate the tools that made him so highly sought after. Another full season of play, possibly stateside, should help provide some additional clarity as to what exactly the Mets have here.
19. Simón Juan, OF
B/T: R/R Age: 17 (7/13/2005)
Height: 6’2 Weight: 195
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2022
ETA: 2028 Previous Rank:
2022 Stats (Mets 1, DSL): .219/.310/.323, 9 2B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 16 SB
From the second-youngest prospect in our top 30 prospects list to the youngest, 17-year-old Simon Juan has followed basically the same path as Fanas to this point, signing with the Mets in January 2022 and then playing in the DSL. The Mets used a significant portion of their allocated pool money to sign Juan, and he showed glimpses of greatness in his first season, scoring 32 runs and collecting 16 stolen bases in 53 games. However, he did strike out 54 times in those 53 games and hit just two homers, so it’s clear that there are still plenty of things to work on.
Juan has impressive scouting grades across the board, profiling as above average in all five tools but not quite excelling in any one particular tool. He will not turn 18 until halfway through the 2023 season, and with how impressive his physical attributes are, it would be no surprise if Juan kicks it into another gear sooner rather than later. He may have the highest variance of any player on this list, but he also has the potential to have one of the highest ceilings, and the Mets will be more than happy to be patient in seeing which end of the spectrum he eventually falls on.
Layonel Ovalles, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors
18. Layonel Ovalles, RHP
B/T: R/R Age: 19 (6/16/2003)
Height: 6’3 Weight: 216
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2019
ETA: 2026 Previous Rank:
2022 Stats (FCL Mets/St. Lucie): 4.05 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 12.7 K/9
Layonel Ovalles is yet another Dominican player making waves in the Mets organization, although he comes with far less fanfare than Fanas or Juan. Still, the demonstrable talent and intangible skills he has brought to the table in his short time with the Mets should not be overlooked. After missing out on a debut in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, Ovalles burst onto the scene in 2021 with a 2.83 ERA across 12 appearances (six starts) and an improbably low 0.686 WHIP.
His 2022 season started out extremely promising (2.76 ERA across 11 appearances in the Florida Complex League), but he stumbled a bit with St. Lucie, posting a 6.23 ERA in his 17 1/3 innings there. The biggest question moving forward might be whether he stays as a starter or becomes a bullpen arm that can stretch to multiple innings, as he was used far more often as a reliever than as a starter in 2022.
Ovalles took a massive leap forward in strikeouts in 2022 but issued far more walks and surrendered way more hits, an expected but somewhat concerning trade-off. He has an impressive spin rate on all of his pitches, from his fastball sitting in the low-90s to his off-speed offerings sitting in the low to mid-80s. Ovalles had a generally positive first year playing in the U.S., and he should be entering his age-20 season with plenty of confidence as he looks to continue utilizing his pitch mix to devastating effect.
Javier Atencio, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN
17. Javier Atencio, LHP
B/T: L/L Age: 21 (11/26/2001)
Height: 6’0 Weight: 195
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2018
ETA: 2026 Previous Rank:
2022 Stats (FCL Mets/St. Lucie): 2.06 ERA, 1.351 WHIP, 5.2 BB/9, 11.5 K/9
Another player who has found a lot of success despite losing a year to the canceled 2020 season is Javier Atencio, a left-handed starter out of Venezuela. Atencio had a rather lackluster 2019 season in the DSL as a 17-year-old (4.75 ERA across 36 innings), but he put together an immensely impressive 2021 season, posting a 2.44 ERA with 76 strikeouts in just 48 innings. That success helped him earn a spot on the St. Lucie roster to start the 2022 season, and while his ERA improved to a 2.06 mark, his strikeout rate dipped a bit and his walk rate rose to an alarming 5.2 BB/9.
Atencio’s pitch mix consists of a low 90s fastball with natural sinking movement, a sweeping slider, and a hard changeup, a great three-pitch mix for the young starter that has helped him routinely blow pitches past his opposition. However, his lack of command and subsequent bloated pitch counts during his appearances has raised serious questions as to whether he can stick it out as a starter long-term. Given how much experience he already has pitching in the organization, it’s important to consider that he only just turned 21 and still has a long way to go in his development. Left-handed starters (really, southpaws in general) with plus strikeout stuff are generally hard to come by, and as such Atencio is a name to continue watching out for based on intangibles alone.
Stanley Consuegra, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN
16. Stanley Consuegra, OF
B/T: R/R Age: 22 (9/24/2000)
Height: 6’2 Weight: 206
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2017
ETA: 2025 Previous Rank: N/A
2022 Stats (St. Lucie/Brooklyn): .245/.317/.408, 27 2B, 13 HR, 59 RBI, 12 SB
It’s been a bit of an arduous journey so far in professional ball for Stanley Consuegra, who signed with the Mets in 2017 but only just made it to Low A by the start of the 2022 season. A combination of various injuries and the canceled 2020 season delayed his development significantly, but Consuegra put himself squarely back on the Mets’ radar with a strong showing in 2022. He posted a .755 OPS in 66 games with St. Lucie, crushing eight homers and serving as one of the premier bats for a St. Lucie team that dominated the Florida State League last year.
He earned a mid-season promotion to Brooklyn, where he struggled initially but eventually turned it around in the final few weeks of the season. He even earned a roster spot in the Arizona Fall League, which allowed him to get even more reps in and helped him achieve more game action this past year (122 games played in 2022) than in the previous four years combined (84 games played from 2018-2021).
Consuegra possesses a lot of speed which did not translate so much on the basepaths (12 stolen bases in 22 attempts) but proved immensely helpful on defense. He spent time in all three outfield positions and also has a strong throwing arm, which may keep him in a corner outfield spot moving forward. He makes up for somewhat average bat speed with very strong exit velocity numbers. The 2023 season could prove to be a make-or-break year for Consuegra, who has the opportunity to string together consecutive full seasons in the minors after so many interruptions early in his career. That alone could prove to be invaluable in his development as he looks to get back on track and showcase his numerous talents.
