• The Mets’ High-A affiliate in Brooklyn came through Wilmington a few weeks ago, with a killer heart of their lineup in Francisco Álvarez, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty. Mauricio showed incredible bat speed from both sides of the plate, with loose, quick hands, but a tendency to rush himself and commit on pitches before he needs to. He really struggled at shortstop — his range was fine but he wasn’t positioned well on multiple plays, and didn’t show me the hands I’d like to see in a true shortstop. His reputation for defense was far better than what I saw in two games with him.

• Álvarez, a catcher, made some extremely hard contact in the two games I saw, with quick hands and an impressive, balanced approach start to finish. It’s hard to imagine someone with this kind of swing not hitting for average and power — the only example I can remember would be Josh Vitters, but Álvarez already has more unintentional walks this year than Vitters ever had in any professional season. He showed arm strength behind the plate but his receiving was just fair, although in his defense, in one game he caught a pitcher who’d just been signed from independent ball and couldn’t get out of the first inning.

• Baty was the Mets’ first-round pick in 2019, a 19-year-old high school third baseman who had a great swing and plenty of power already, but who was big for the position and whose age made him riskier than the typical high school position player prospect. The early returns have obviated any concerns over his age — he’s 21 now, in High A, and hitting .323/.421/.535 through Thursday. We knew he could hit, but I’m more impressed by how he’s trimmed down his body, improving his chances to stay at third base. He’s more agile now, with good enough hands for the position, and his arm is plus. I’d like to see the Mets challenge him at Double A this summer, both to see how his bat adjusts to better pitching and to see his defense when the game is a little faster.

Source: Keith Law, The Athletic (Subscription Required)

One comment on “Keith Law’s scouting notebook

  • Woodrow

    Sounds like 3 good ones,don’t trade them for an average ML player with one season left on his contact or 3 months (Berrios or Bryant).

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