Mets Minors: Jarred Kelenic and the farm system that could have been

Brodie Van Wagenen has not been particularly lucky as Met General Manager but he’s also done much to hinder himself.  Looking at selling off players, once again we are left to wonder what our future might look like without the worst of Van Wagenen’s moves hanging over the team’s head.

 

Let us remember that regardless of his influence the Mets would be staring at an aging, often injured hitter named Yoenis Cespedes taking up a huge chunk of money through next season.  That combined with the team’s long-standing joke contract with Bobby Bonilla and Brett Saberhagen cannot be construed as Brodie’s fault.  Yet the contract of Robinson Cano (Nearly $100,000,000.00 is fully) his own fault.

 

Since this is Mets Minors I won’t be focussing on the financial stupidity of trading for a veteran, in decline, who is owed this much money.  Instead, I want to talk about a farm system that could have been among the very best in baseball.  Take a look at what I would project the Top 20 prospect list at if the two lost players were still with the team:

 

1. Jarred Kelenic, OF (A+)
2. Ronny Mauricio, SS (A)
3. Francisco Alvarez, C (R+)
4. Andres Gimenez, SS (AA)
5. Justin Dunn, RHP (AAA)
6. Brett Baty, 3B (R+)
7. Matthew Allan, RHP (R)
8. Mark Vientos, 3B (A)
9. Thomas Szapucki, LHP (A+)
10. Anthony Kay, LHP (AAA)
11. David Peterson, LHP (AA)
12. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP (A)
13. Freddy Valdez, OF (DSL)
14. Josh Wolf, RHP (R)
15. Franklyn Kilome, RHP (AA)
16. Adrian Hernandez, OF (R)
17. Luis Carpio, IF (AA)
18. Tony Dibrell, RHP (A+)
19. Ali Sanchez, C (AA)
20. Jeremy Vasquez, 1B (A+)

 

The Mets certainly still have talent without these two players but losing players who would both slot into your Top 5 in return for a closer who is struggling and dead weight doesn’t do much to help the team.

 

Jarred Kelenic 2019: (A and A+)

 

 

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	OPS	SB
78	291	84	20	4	15	37	75	.912	12

 

Justin Dunn 2019: (AA)

 

G	IP	IP/G	ERA	H	BB	K	WHIP	K/9	BB/9
16	81.1	5.08	3.76	78	24	102	1.25	11.3	2.66

 

To his credit, Brodie Van Wagenen had, what looks like, a very good draft.  Selecting and signing three (3) first round talents but this farm system could have been one of the best in baseball if not for a general manager “trying to put his mark on the team”.

 

AAA:

Syracuse Mets

 

Anthony Kay hopefully finding his footing – His recent 5.2 inning outing saw him give up only 5 hits, 1 ER and 1 BB with 3 Ks of his own.  It isn’t great but it’s certainly better.

 

AA:

Binghamton Rumble Ponies

 

Ali Sanchez cools down – It’ll be fundamentally important to see how Sanchez finishes his year with the Rumble Ponies when evaluating his value.  He needs to keep his OPS above .700 to stay in the Top 20 prospects.

 

Andres Gimenez needs a strong second half – He’s hit .333 over his last 10 games but he needs to make up for lost time or risk falling out of a Top 5 organizational prospect list crowded with very young talent.

 

David Peterson hasn’t had an awful year – He’s certainly not looking like an “Ace” but he’s pitched reasonably well through AA in his first stint there.  I don’t think it would hurt his development to have him start there again in 2020.

 

A+:

St. Lucie Mets

 

Jeremy Vasquez… again – I don’t know how much more clearly I can say it.  He does not belong in Advanced A anymore.  Please promote him to Binghamton already!

 

Kevin Smith is an unsung star – I haven’t talked much about Smith all season.  The 2018 7th round pick for the Mets followed up some solid numbers in Brooklyn with a season of note in advanced A.  His 102 Ks in 85.2 IP are deceptively close to upper rotation-like numbers.

 

Tony Dibrell back at it – He stumbled for a bit but over his last 5 starts he’s only given up 5 earned runs in 29.2 innings pitched.

 

Thomas Szapucki being stretched – He’s in Advanced A and just had his second longest outing of the season (3.1 IP) which is still a good sign for a pitcher who missed the better part of two years.  It’ll take a lot in the second half to convince the Mets to advance him to AA for 2020’s start.

 

Hansel Moreno might have slipped your notice – The former shortstop is now officially being moved into the outfield and seems to have finally begun finding his groove at Advanced A.  He’s hitting .448 over his last 10 games.

 

Soon to pitch… Jordan Humphreys – Expect more innings this week.

 

A:

Columbia Fireflies

 

Here comes Mark Vientos – We’ve been hinting at a surge coming for a few weeks and we seem to be seeing that production shine through.  He’s hitting .361 over his last 10 games and showing power as well.

 

Simeon Woods Richardson tosses a nice one – With 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts it’s outings like this that will remind us of the potential he has.

 

Wagner Lagrange is on the fringes – He’s done enough in 2019 to suggest following him moving forward.  He will be in the Top 50 prospect list, but where depends on the rest of his year.

 

Who is Hayden Senger – The catcher was a 24th round pick in 2018 but he’s hit in both his stints with the Mets minors.  Currently he’s sporting a .792 OPS in Columbia.

 

SS:

Brooklyn Cyclones

 

Branden Fryman gathering stats – He started in the GCL, where he was too old to take seriously.  Now, playing with others his age, the skinny shortstop is still hitting the ball very well.

 

R+:

Kingsport Mets

 

Francisco Alvarez is making a run at Top Prospect – He’s 17, he’s playing in the Advanced Rookie League and, after a few games to settle, he’s absolutely raking.

 

Jaylen Palmer is interesting – The Mets have a few too many players for a few too few positions right now.  Palmer is hitting well but has Mark Vientos ahead of him and Brett Baty behind him.

 

Brett Baty shows some pop – He’s still finding his footing, post promotion, but he’s hit 2 home runs in his last 2 games.

 

R:

GCL Mets

 

Endy Rodriguez looks like a hitting catcher – He hasn’t shown much power but he is hitting .343 after his mid-season promotion from the DSL.

 

Josh Wolf and Matthew Allan may appear soon – They are both officially on the team and listed as active.  I am hoping to have innings to report on next week.

 

DSL:

Mets 1 & 2

 

Carlos Dominguez shows off his wheels – He’s already proven some hitting ability but his 4 stolen bases in the last 10 games are important too.

 

Federico Polanco is strong for his size – The 5’10” infielder is hitting .405 over his last 10 games and has 14 extra base hits this season.