This has been our most mixed group of talent in the list so far. Here we have advanced prospects, formerly highly rated, who have failed to take the final steps in their careers, mixed with breakout stars too old for their league and international prospects that are too young to properly scout. The bottom 20 prospects are always going to have players with various “warts” on their profiles. Some of these players will overcome their shortcomings but most of them won’t. The outlier in this bunch is Stanley Consuegra who has yet to do much in the minors to dictate his status but is still firmly on the radar because of his international money.
31. Wagner Lagrange, OF (NYP) – Despite us reaching the end of the bottom 20 there are still a handful of players who did not appear on everyone’s list. I ranked Wagner LaGrange within the Top 20 and Gus hadn’t ranked him at all. If I had to guess why, it would likely have to do with his age and size. Having played 2018 at the age of 22 in the New York Penn League, Lagrange was older than most of the college draftees and at 5’11” he’s shorter than most of them as well. One can argue his ranking is far above where it should be with Ross Adolph twelve spots below him on the list but his performance in 2017 are likely floating him higher in my own personal esteem.
Gus: Another outfielder that didn’t do much to garner attention. As an outfielder that has some speed but didn’t hit any homeruns, nor have a particularly high batting average (given his age and division) he needs to do more to make me notice. He has a nice arm and good range for RF, but so did many of us playing ball in our respective leagues once upon a time. As a hitter, he shows bad balance, no leg drive, and a slow bat in a weak arms-only swing. The only pitch he could possibly drive on is low and in. In the video I saw, when reaching for the outside pitch he almost fell down on his face twice and I just didn’t bother watching anymore video.
Chris: Not sure there is a ton to be excited about with Lagrange. After a good run in Kingsport with peer age equivalence, things didn’t look as hot in Brooklyn, where he dropped half a point in Batting Average and significantly in his OPS. A bad sign, especially playing over peer age.
32. David Thompson, 3B (PCL) – I’m not very high on Thompson who failed to do much in his injury shortened time in Las Vegas. Thompson’s defense will never be enough to get him to the majors and it looks as if his offense will never be good enough either. I believe this is the last time we’ll see Thompson on this list and his relatively high ranking is due to his perceived value in 2017 and 2016 more than what we saw in 2018.
Gus: Suffered from injury last year, has a weak arm and not enough pop to supplement his “doubles hitter” production, the batting averages have lowered at every level.
Chris: Looks like fading light here.
33. Stanley Consuegra, OF (GCL) – The “Other Guy” when the Mets signed Mauricio, Consuegra is a toolsy outfielder who has yet to grow into himself. The Mets aggressively promoted him from the DSL to the GCL in 2018 which didn’t do much for the (then) seventeen year old. He should be back in the GCL in 2019 and he has the potential to develop into quite the player but he’s almost entirely potential for the moment.
Gus: Another toolsy player that at 17 has time on his side, but not the stats so far.
Chris: Don’t have a lot to add here. Lanky teenager that would surprise me if he’s destined to ever play again at SS as he fills out. Looks like he has good speed on the bases. In the field, he has a habit of pounding his glove before fielding a ball (which might be a nervous habit of a tool he uses for timing. Either way, the habit strikes me as unnecessary and at advanced game speed could be a problem.
34. Stephen Villines, RHP (EAS) – Another fast-rising relief prospect in the Met system, Villines began his year with the Columbia Fireflies, where his power numbers were quite impressive. He earned a promotion to Port St. Lucie where he avoided bats and free passes like an All Star. Villines even pitched well after a promotion to Binghamton which is pretty impressive for a player who had never pitched above Rookie Ball.
Gus: A sidearmer with outstanding control, Villines has a chance to be special. Will continue at AA after a small but successful stint last year, he is equally effective on righties and lefties.
Chris: Interesting guy with a genuine sidearm delivery. What’s not to like at this point with 94 minor league Innings Pitched and a sub .900 WHIP? Nice east-west break going both ways it seems. I always cringe when the crazy delivery guys pitch against the Mets. I’d hate to be a righty hitter with that arm action.
35. Eric Hanhold, RHP (PCL) – Hanhold was thrust into the majors pretty aggressively and is ranked somewhat highly by MLB.com and a few other sources. His presence at 35th overall can be credited to Chris F who ranked him in the Top 25. Both Gus and I ranked Hanhold, who appears to be a future middle reliever (at best) in the bottom 10 of our rankings. His K/9 in Binghamton and Las Vegas do suggest that he could have success in the majors.
Gus: A meh prospect in the Milwaukee system, he was in A+ last year and in MLB this year. While he is 24, that jump seemed awfully aggressive.
Chris: So I get that there is a bit of so-so when it comes to Hanhold. I think the aggressive promotion path was to his detriment. All that taken into account, he was my “Jokers Wild” pick of all the relievers. What I like about him is that he has is two things you can’t teach: solid velocity, and late life in the zone. He has a fastball that runs away from lefty’s and a nice breaking pitch. Does spend a lot of time pounding low in the zone. I think that’s enough to hope he can make it as a major league reliever.
I was disappointed that Lagrange was back in Brooklyn. He did ok there but not enough to force his way to Columbia. Hard to see much of a future for him.