9 comments on “Baseball America’s 2018 New York Mets Top 10 Prospects”
David Groveman
1. Andres Giminez, SS – Optimistic ranking for a player who hasn’t reached Port St. Lucie. He could be the next Amed Rosario but that’s not yet something we really know.
2. David Peterson, LHP – Sure, with no minor league stats to speak of beyond his scouting he does look like a Top 3 guy.
3. Justin Dunn, RHP – Ha! After 2017 Dunn belongs outside the Top 10.
4. Peter Alonso, 1B – Seems low as I’d rank this guy #1 in the org.
5. Thomas Szapucki, LHP – About right, despite the injury.
6. Mark Vientos, SS/3B – Agressive but not insane ranking.
7. Marcos Molina, RHP – I’m waiting for him to outshine guys ranked after him like Conlon and Oswalt.
8. Desmond Lindsay, OF – Ha! Not as bad as Dunn but both don’t belong in the “Top 10” after last season.
9. Chris Flexen, RHP – I like this pick a lot considering the strides he made in the majors (prior to his early promotion.
10. Luis Guillorme, 2B/SS – He might make my “Top 10” too but it isn’t a good thing to have a future bench player ranked this high.
Jimmy P
Overall, that’s a troubling list.
It’s entirely speculative. Outside of Alonso, none of them have really put together two strong seasons in a row. There’s some raw talent, but usually with the top prospects you can see them coming a long way down the road. These guys are all based on hope and projection. We’re counting on bounceback seasons for four of these guys: Dunn, Szapucki, Molina, Lindsay. There’s a scenario where they are all quality major leaguers. And if that works out it would be great news. I guess I’ve gotten used to things not working out. Nobody outside of Alonso has really put together a track record.
Giminez at #1 is a very cynical comment about the state of the farm system. He’s done well in low-A. Not off the charts, just . . . looks like a ballplayer.
Didn’t BA list Mets farm like 27th overall? Or is that another thing I misremember?
Metsense
The farm system looks very weak. The Mets lost an opportunity to enhance the farm system when they did not kick in salary money for the trade deadline deals.
Do they have enough young players on the roster to carry the team through to the 2020 season (deGrom, Syndergaard, Conforto,Matz, Rosario and maybe Smith) or is the team headed to mediocrity? The buy in as a 2010-2014 fan was that the Mets were building a base to ensure competitive sustainability in the franchise. The present farm system appears to be unable to achieve that promise.
Jimmy P
To that point, Metsense, if you scroll down that link BA lists this “projected” lineup for 2021:
Well, I agree with the overall feeling that this list is lacking pizzazz, but hopefully injecting Kay next year, Lindsey continuing his second half surge from this year, and a great draft this year can help them jump into mediocrity – as far as the minors are concerned.
Losing the #1 for Cuddyer, drafting a reliever the next year at #19 and an overall strategy of drafting unathletic and MLB-talent lacking players like Paez, Cecchini, Woodmansee, and Tiberi have handicapped the farm system.
The teams that are in the World Series crave athleticism, and their rosters show it. Until the Mets can accept that talent is needed to win, they never will. Their penny-wise dollar-foolish owners will continue to strangle this team with their low budget ways, and really blew a good chance this season to get a few good prospects.
Jimmy P
Two things:
1) I don’t believe the Wilpons have enough money to own a ML team in NY; they’ve been artificially propped up by Selig when they should have been forced out.
2) The financial constraints shouldn’t really have much of an affect on draft and development. This is on Sandy Alderson who has done a bad job (in all caps) building a farm system. Even international signings, though they cost money, are relatively cheap compared to, say, signing a loogy for $7 million. I don’t think we can blame the Wilpons for just a brutal job building the farm system.
Why this offends me is because the pervasive narrative for years in the Metsblogosphere was how Sandy had “fixed” the farm system. He was given instant accolades for a job he failed at, praise based on assumptions rather than facts. At least now his sycophants finally have to admit to the reality that the system is at best bottom tier, and more likely bottom 25% in all of baseball. Seven years and here we are. He failed at the most important part of the job, especially for a small market team.
Which is not to say that it’s easy. It’s a damn hard thing, and luck is involved. But still: It’s the job. The Mets AAA team was 30 games under .500 last season. Up and down, we see bad minor league teams in the system. Whatever they are doing, they’ve been doing it wrong.
TexasGusCC
Amen.
Rabbit
It’s not a top ten system any more but it’s still pretty good. PRobably in the top half. Lot of talent in the pipeline.
Jimmy P
The last BA ranking I saw — and I’m not going to look it up now — had the Mets ranked 27th overall.
1. Andres Giminez, SS – Optimistic ranking for a player who hasn’t reached Port St. Lucie. He could be the next Amed Rosario but that’s not yet something we really know.
2. David Peterson, LHP – Sure, with no minor league stats to speak of beyond his scouting he does look like a Top 3 guy.
3. Justin Dunn, RHP – Ha! After 2017 Dunn belongs outside the Top 10.
4. Peter Alonso, 1B – Seems low as I’d rank this guy #1 in the org.
5. Thomas Szapucki, LHP – About right, despite the injury.
6. Mark Vientos, SS/3B – Agressive but not insane ranking.
7. Marcos Molina, RHP – I’m waiting for him to outshine guys ranked after him like Conlon and Oswalt.
8. Desmond Lindsay, OF – Ha! Not as bad as Dunn but both don’t belong in the “Top 10” after last season.
9. Chris Flexen, RHP – I like this pick a lot considering the strides he made in the majors (prior to his early promotion.
10. Luis Guillorme, 2B/SS – He might make my “Top 10” too but it isn’t a good thing to have a future bench player ranked this high.
Overall, that’s a troubling list.
It’s entirely speculative. Outside of Alonso, none of them have really put together two strong seasons in a row. There’s some raw talent, but usually with the top prospects you can see them coming a long way down the road. These guys are all based on hope and projection. We’re counting on bounceback seasons for four of these guys: Dunn, Szapucki, Molina, Lindsay. There’s a scenario where they are all quality major leaguers. And if that works out it would be great news. I guess I’ve gotten used to things not working out. Nobody outside of Alonso has really put together a track record.
Giminez at #1 is a very cynical comment about the state of the farm system. He’s done well in low-A. Not off the charts, just . . . looks like a ballplayer.
Didn’t BA list Mets farm like 27th overall? Or is that another thing I misremember?
The farm system looks very weak. The Mets lost an opportunity to enhance the farm system when they did not kick in salary money for the trade deadline deals.
Do they have enough young players on the roster to carry the team through to the 2020 season (deGrom, Syndergaard, Conforto,Matz, Rosario and maybe Smith) or is the team headed to mediocrity? The buy in as a 2010-2014 fan was that the Mets were building a base to ensure competitive sustainability in the franchise. The present farm system appears to be unable to achieve that promise.
To that point, Metsense, if you scroll down that link BA lists this “projected” lineup for 2021:
PROJECTED 2021 LINEUP
(Listed with 2021 season age)
CKevin Plawecki (30)
1BDominic Smith (26)
2BAndres Gimenez (22)
3BWilmer Flores (29)
SSAmed Rosario (25)
LFBrandon Nimmo (28)
CFJuan Lagares (32)
RFMichael Conforto (28)
SPJacob deGrom (33)
SPNoah Syndergaard (28)
SPSteven Matz (30)
SPDavid Peterson (25)
SPRobert Gsellman (27)
CLJustin Dunn (25)
For what it’s worth.
Well, I agree with the overall feeling that this list is lacking pizzazz, but hopefully injecting Kay next year, Lindsey continuing his second half surge from this year, and a great draft this year can help them jump into mediocrity – as far as the minors are concerned.
Losing the #1 for Cuddyer, drafting a reliever the next year at #19 and an overall strategy of drafting unathletic and MLB-talent lacking players like Paez, Cecchini, Woodmansee, and Tiberi have handicapped the farm system.
The teams that are in the World Series crave athleticism, and their rosters show it. Until the Mets can accept that talent is needed to win, they never will. Their penny-wise dollar-foolish owners will continue to strangle this team with their low budget ways, and really blew a good chance this season to get a few good prospects.
Two things:
1) I don’t believe the Wilpons have enough money to own a ML team in NY; they’ve been artificially propped up by Selig when they should have been forced out.
2) The financial constraints shouldn’t really have much of an affect on draft and development. This is on Sandy Alderson who has done a bad job (in all caps) building a farm system. Even international signings, though they cost money, are relatively cheap compared to, say, signing a loogy for $7 million. I don’t think we can blame the Wilpons for just a brutal job building the farm system.
Why this offends me is because the pervasive narrative for years in the Metsblogosphere was how Sandy had “fixed” the farm system. He was given instant accolades for a job he failed at, praise based on assumptions rather than facts. At least now his sycophants finally have to admit to the reality that the system is at best bottom tier, and more likely bottom 25% in all of baseball. Seven years and here we are. He failed at the most important part of the job, especially for a small market team.
Which is not to say that it’s easy. It’s a damn hard thing, and luck is involved. But still: It’s the job. The Mets AAA team was 30 games under .500 last season. Up and down, we see bad minor league teams in the system. Whatever they are doing, they’ve been doing it wrong.
Amen.
It’s not a top ten system any more but it’s still pretty good. PRobably in the top half. Lot of talent in the pipeline.
The last BA ranking I saw — and I’m not going to look it up now — had the Mets ranked 27th overall.
So when you say “top half,” what is it based on?