Mets Minors: Top 50 prospects 2017 40-36

As we continue to progress through the Top 50 prospect list we begin to get a little bit of name recognition. Some of these players you may have heard of before. Maybe they were very strong in 2015 and fell off the radar in 2016 or maybe they came out of relative obscurity and produced great numbers. It’s an interesting mix of players this deep in the rankings. We see that last year players like Thomas Szapucki appeared down here. Who knows, one of these players could be 2016’s surprise sensation.

#40 Jeff McNeil, 3B/2B/SS: On our 2016 prospect list, McNeil ranked 42nd on Mets360’s list of prospects. How does a player spend a year mostly injured and move up a spot? Frankly, attrition. Many of the players who were ranked higher on the list graduated or disappeared entirely. With 9 players who had previously ranked above him no longer qualifying for the list and another 6 falling beneath the Top 50 it was bound to happen. Still, it’s hard to be too bullish on a player who at 25 will be at AA for essentially the first time. However, like T.J. Rivera, he has a very decent chance of hitting enough to make an impact on a major league bench. (ETA: 2017 Ceiling: Utility Guy)

#39 Luis Guillorme, SS: In 2016 Guillorme ranked 11th in our overall rankings and 14th in my personal ones. How could he fall so far so fast? Well, that’s also pretty simple. I described Guillorme as Ruben Tejada Mk II. After all my derisive talk on Tejada you can see how that wasn’t exactly praise. In 2015, he hit .318 and earned organizational awards and in 2016 he came back down to earth. Sometimes when players have exceptional years we find a need to pump up their expectations to match their accomplishments. Based on his 2016 numbers it’s hard to see much of a road to the majors for him, but a bounce back campaign is always possible. (ETA: 2018 Ceiling: Backup Infielder)

#38 Ben Griset, RP/SP: Prior to 2016 it is unlikely that you would be too familiar with the name Griset. A former 13th round pick for the Tampa Bay Rays, he was largely mediocre in two seasons. Now with the Mets, he has had something of a renaissance. Back with the Rays Griset was viewed as a starter but his WHIP and K/9 were not particularly good. The Mets moved him into the bullpen and it paid immediate dividends. His 2015 WHIP was a sparkling 1.195 and his K.9 was a healthy 9.4. Last season the Mets promoted Griset to Port St. Lucie and the lefty was even better. He even returned to starting for several outings, a trend you can expect the Mets to continue to test in 2017. Should Griset turn out his 2016 numbers in a starting capacity people will begin to whisper about where he fits into future Met rotations. (ETA: 2018 Ceiling: Setup Guy)

#37 Beck Wheeler, RP: Some people shy from listing middle relievers in prospect rankings because the ceiling is viewed as “too low to matter”. Wheeler does not project to be a closer or even much of a setup option for the Mets but he does easily project into the met bullpen in 2017 or 2018. It is worth noting that his 2016 campaign was a major step backwards in most regards. His ERA and WHIP ballooned to numbers above those you’d look for in a prospect but something that didn’t fall away were the strikeouts. Wheeler managed a K/9 of 12.1 between AA and AAA, which indicates that his power is still there. He needs to cut the walks down significantly but if he can do that, the Mets will call his name. (ETA: 2017 Ceiling: Setup Guy)

#36 Ali Sanchez, C: The Mets signed Sanchez out of Venezuela back in 2014 and entering his 4th season with the Mets he will only be 20 years old. He was scouted well and the Mets still believe that they have someone who can be a starting major league catcher some day but the results have yet to open many eyes. 2016 was pretty pitiful for Sanchez, who played for the Cyclones and had a pretty abysmal OPS of .535 for the year. You can bet that Sanchez will ride his scouting to Full Season A-ball but he’s got to show a lot more… and soon. (ETA: 2020 Ceiling: Starting Catcher)