The 2016 minor league season is behind us and the Mets are now purely focused on the major league squad reaching the postseason. Let’s look back at some of the best Met storylines from the minors from this past season.
10. Brandon Nimmo masters AAA – Say what you will about the Las Vegas team and how the stats are skewed towards the offense, but Nimmo’s 2016 was a net positive. Spending a few stints in the majors where he filled in for Michael Conforto, he really has re-emerged as a viable candidate for a major league roster spot in 2017.
9. Did anyone see Seth Lugo coming? – Sure, anyone who knew the Met minor league system knew who Lugo was, but nobody thought that his 6.50 ERA in AAA would translate into substantial major league success. That isn’t to say he came out of nowhere though. Lugo had shown some promise at Binghamton and Las Vegas in 2015 but nobody expected this.
8. David Thompson is a legit prospect – After blasting off to start his season for Columbia, Thompson earned a midseason promotion to Port St. Lucie. He finished 2016 hitting .280/.333/.444 which puts him on course for a fine 2017 and a potential MLB debut sometime in 2018.
7. Desmond Lindsay is progressing well – Brooklyn is a hard place for hitters to find success but Lindsay seemed to do pretty well for himself. A .297/.418/.450 batting line is more impressive than it looks on paper. We’ll know much more about his actual hitting talent once he reaches Advanced A and Port St. Lucie which could be very soon.
6. Learn the name Nabil Crismatt – The Mets started Crismatt in relief and quickly shifted him to the starting rotation and eventually even promoted him. His raw pitches don’t jump off the page but everything about his results in Brooklyn and Columbia do.
5. Gavin Cecchini makes his case for 2017 – The defense is still a major issue but the Mets will eventually see enough in Cecchini’s bat to give him a shot. From all I’ve heard, the Las Vegas infield is a particularly hard infield to play on. Does that excuse bad defensive numbers at the most crucial defensive position? No.
4. Hello Peter Alonso – If Desmond Lindsay was impressive in 2016, Alonso was a revelation. His numbers in a league with poor offensive numbers were .321/.382/.587 and I don’t think I’ve seen many batters accomplish that in the NYPL, let alone Brooklyn. Expect Alonso to rightfully skip right over Columbia and start his season in Port St. Lucie.
3. Dominic Smith continues to impress – While he’s hit at or above .300 at each level he’s played, the Mets had to want more from their top hitting prospect than the .771 OPS he displayed in 2015. Smith must have known that too as his 2016 numbers were substantially improved, seeing him reach a career high .824 OPS through his first complete season in Binghamton. For the record, Binghamton does not inflate numbers like Vegas.
2. Yes, I’m about to talk about Thomas Szapucki again – If you’ve read my articles this season, you know how excited I am about Szapucki. The 20 year old lefty pitcher made some mighty leaps in his development this season as he took a promotion to Brooklyn in stride and produced some jaw dropping results. His 86 strikeouts in 52.0 innings was good and his 0.88 WHIP were even better. The Met farm system was supposed to be out of Aces but that might not be true.
1. Amed Rosario is the Mets top prospect – If 2016 proved anything, it was that the scouts may have been right all along about the Met shortstop prospect. Through three prior seasons we had watched as the physically gifted player adjusted to the life of professional baseball and waited for the abundant talent to emerge. In 2016 we stopped waiting as Rosario blossomed in big ways. That meant a higher batting average, more power, more speed and significantly more walks. Sure, he still strikes out a bit too much, but almost everything about his 2016 was a giant thumbs up.
Boy, the world has changed since John Thorn, Pete Palmer, Bill James et al arrived upon the baseball scene. I can remember a time when at least part of this sort of article (which would have run in Sporting News”) would have been devoted to “Mets farmhands win batting crowns in the PCL, the Eastern League and the FSL.”
And, except that I would have thought there would be a place for Thomas Nido in your piece, you were probably right not to mention it.
Tomas Nido had a fine season but I thought he would probably have landed as the #11 or #12 story line for the Mets. The issue I have with Nido is that I like Patrick Mazeicka a whole lot more.
Other honorable mentions would be: Robert Gsellman, Matt Oberste, Phillip Evans, Chris Flexen, Harol Gonzalez, Merandy Gonzalez and Andrew Church.
I have been a die hard Mets fan since I was 6 years old. I still believe that Yankees do a better chance of having players make it to the Major Leagues. I do love the Mets.
Hey Frank,
Not sure I understand.
Are you saying the Yankees have a better track record of prospects making it to the majors? I don’t think facts back that up.
Dave…have you seen Nido and Mazelka Play?
Nido is actually a bit younger, and he’s playing in a league that is a substantial step up from The Southern League.
I haven’t seen either play—- are they legit Catchers? They seem to be competitive Bats.
I have both players based on scouting and stats only, though I did see Nido play in Brooklyn.
Nido has been with the team longer and feels older while Mazeicka came with some college seasoning. Neither is a glove-first catcher but both are supposed to have the ability to hold onto the position.
I saw Nido play in Savannah. Even though he made the SAL all star team that year he was good but nothing special. Plawecki when he played at Savannah was special in comparison. Nido is obviously developing well in St Lucie. Mazeicka looked better than Nido did but not as good as Plawecki.
Last night’s was a game so bad it didnt even warrant a “Gut Reaction”!?!?!?!?
What position do you see Cheech getting a chance play in the Bigs for the Mets. I cant help but wonder if he is a trade chip of some value. Hes blocked at short, and with this on-again off-again love affair with Flores who likely slots in at 2B. With defense so much a struggle…can you envision him taking his bat to the OF, like the Nats did with Trea Turner?
Cecchini should wind up at second or third but his bat is only big enough for him to factor at shortstop or second.
I think Cecchini is a second baseman. The arm isn’t SS caliber from what I’ve seen and read.
He’s scheduled to play 2B in the Arizona League. There’s hope for him there.
About those 33 errors at SS? Cabrera has made 6.
Lindsay’s numbers are outstanding for Brooklyn. Harol Gonzalez also got my attention, though Brooklyn is so easy for pitchers that I only make a mental note and wait for St. Lucie, the first real test. Glad to read, elsewhere, that Molina is back on the mound. I like live arms and “stuff.”
Turner is a dynamic offensive talent. Cheech is young and will get a shot. “Slots” don’t last forever. Flores cannot play baseball, other than with his bat. If he hits enough to play, he’ll be a 1b/dh—he will never “have and hold” a mid infield starting spot
Will Rosario be ready to take over for Cabrera in 2018? Could Cheech be his DP partner by then?
Matt, I would think 2018 full time for certain; I cant envision any reason to have a stop-gap between he and Cabrera. Does he even need more time in Bingo? Possibly start there, and then head to LV. for the season — I think he gets a cup in 2017, certainly for September call up on his present arc.
Any thoughts on Rosario’s ceiling or comps? Are we looking at a franchise shortstop? an all-star? I imagine we’re not expecting Carlos Correa.
To begin, Rosario will be auditioning for a 2017 debut this spring. The most likely course of action is that he plays 2017 in AAA with a September call-up and rolls into 2018 as the starting shortstop.
Gavin Cecchini could be the Mets starting second baseman in 2017 depending on his defensive results in the AFL. The Mets are offensively better off with Wilmer Flores playing second for the entire year though. I’m expecting Cheech to be a true IF super-sub in 2017.
Comps are always difficult because no two players are the same. Rosario does not have the power of a Carlos Correa but he does have the potential to hit near .300 with 15+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases. That puts his comp/ceiling around Derek Jeter… minus the “intangibles”.
Cabrera has a cheap option year in 2018 so they could have a safety net for Rosario if they need it.
What is great is that we are able to have these conversations about some great young talent on the horizon.
PJ Conlon is also quietly becoming a top prospect.
Wait! No Justin Dunn?
Also: time to kiss future Managing Prospect Wallace Backman goodbye. I’m shattered (shilubi)…