When I wrote up my draft preview I listed only pitchers around all of the Mets top picks in the 2023 draft. The Mets farm system is no longer the breeding ground for Aces it was in years past and it seemed time for the Mets to focus their attention on rebuilding this aspect of development. Instead of following my advice the Mets selected an 18 year old, 6’2” shortstop out of Georgia.
Introducing Colin Houck: MLB.com ranked Houck 12th overall in their (typically terrible) rankings but his scouting is still pretty excellent. He has good contact skills and good power with very good defense and a great arm. He is a little too tall for the position but has the other skills to be a plus defender at third base or the outfield should the Mets wish to move him. Unlike Mauricio, his defensive metrics are all on the plus side. It seems very possible that he actually holds onto this role and could be a Francisco Lindor replacement once he finishes development.
His signing makes the choice of Jett Williams seem worse. The Mets wasted a very high pick on a 5’6” shortstop with a ceiling of an MLB starter but not that of an All Star. To follow up Williams’ selection in 2022 with Houck makes it feel like the Mets are giving up on Williams. Given that feeling, there are a few pitchers I would have taken in his stead.
Re-Introducing Brandon Sproat: One hopes the Mets are able to successfully sign Sproat, after failing to do so last year. Sproat has a great fastball and scouts love his stuff but he’s failed to get results at the college level and that makes me worried.
Introducing Nolan McLean: I wrote about McLean in my preview and he’s a solid two-way prospect with power to spare. There are two very large concerns attached to his profile. The first is health (the Orioles balked at signing him after his physical) and the second is his control on the mound, which doesn’t rank well. All and all a solid pick this low.
Introducing Kade Morris: A pick I dislike as Morris belonged in a selection two picks later if at all. He screams mediocrity to me. There isn’t anything that makes him stand out as a player with much of a ceiling.
The Mets then turned to players who didn’t rank in the Top 200 and whose scouting is a little harder to glean. I’ll be doing a deep dive on draft scouting in the offseason as I develop my Post-Season Top 50.
Prospect Updates:
AAA Syracuse:
● Ronny Mauricio – Mauricio had a down month for June but is off to a strong start in July. Defensively his two errors in few chances in the outfield aren’t good signs either.
● Mark Vientos – Back with consistent playing time and Vientos is raking in AAA. Makes you wonder what would have happened if Buck Showalter actually gave him a chance.
● Mike Vasil – Vasil is finding his footing since his promotion with two good outings and two not-so-good ones.
● Nate Lavender – This lefty reliever has firmly made it onto my Top 20 prospects and should be on the major league squad by the end of the season.
AA Binghamton:
● Jose Peroza – Not off to a good start in July, Peroza has nothing left to prove in AA and belongs in AAA.
● Coleman Crow – Currently Injured
● Daniel Juarez – The Mets seem to have relegated Juarez back to the pen after their brief experiment as a starter.
● Dominic Hamel – He’s floated between awful and great outings but there have been more good ones than bad ones recently.
● Landon Marceaux – Currently rehabbing with the FCL Mets.
A+: Brooklyn:
● Kevin Parada – Parada’s good numbers in Brooklyn need to be tested in Binghamton. He could have been doing that all of June, as far as I’m concerned.
● Alex Ramirez – Ramirez has hit a rough patch and needs to get better at contact before moving along.
● Blade Tidwell – Don’t look now but it seems Tidwell has turned a corner and is beginning to look like the starter we had hoped we were drafting.
● Tyler Stuart – The best performing prospect pitcher in the system continues to shine as the Mets continue to not promote him.
● Stanley Consuegra – He’s slowed down a bit thanks to an injury but the Mets should still be looking to promote him soon.
A Port St. Lucie:
● Jett Williams – A fantastic month of June is enough for me to be convinced. Get him to Advanced A and make way for Colin Houck.
● Calvin Ziegler – Still hasn’t pitched.
● Jacob Reimer – He’s on a tear since the start of June and no longer belongs at this level.
● Wilfredo Lara – Finished June with an OPS of .814 which is a pretty good trick, if you can manage it.
● Luis Rodriguez (R) – Quietly looking like a reliever to watch.
R Port St. Lucie:
● Nick Morabito – Mediocre stats in rookie ball for a 20 year old.
● Willy Fanas – Starting to find his footing and looks like he might have a chance of doing things.
DSL Orange and Blue:
● Daiverson Gutierrez – Nothing too promising to report just yet.
● Anthony Baptist – His results have been truly fantastic. He’s moving up the rankings.
● Christopher Larez – Good hitting but far too many strikeouts to warrant too much attention.
● Enderson Asencio – Hard for a player to succeed with more strikeouts than games played.
Excellent article, as always, David!
Thanks Dave. How about Christian Scott at Binghamton?
He’s been okay but I don’t think he’s Top 20 relevant.
Here’s Tidwell’s line in his last 4 starts:
3-0, 1.38 ERA, 0.808 WHIP, 2 HR, 37 Ks, 26 IP
The five starts before that were solid, too. Here are his numbers in his last 9:
5-0, 1.55 ERA, 1.001 WHIP, 2 HR, 70 Ks, 46.1 IP
It’s really time to get him to Double-A.
If only the Mets promoted players when they were ready for promotions.
Good stuff, thanks Dave.
The Mets really really really need Tidwell to blossom into a quality big league starter.
Much appreciated, Dave. I got the impression it was a pretty mediocre draft. One question, if you didn’t like a pick, would you suggest a player or more who would have been a better pick? You did this with last year’s draft and I hope you do so again. Thanks for your consistent excellence.