Mets Minors: Kevin Parada leads new top 20

As much as I tend not to graduate players off of my Top Prospect list until the offseason, it is disingenuous to still list Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty as prospects. They are young and blossoming major league players and Alvarez seems likely to become one of the top offensive catchers in the league. With both the #1 and #2 players graduating off of the list and with a fresh crop of newly drafted talent, let’s take a look at where our Top 20 shake out.

Second Half Top 20:

1. Kevin Parada, C: For all of the focus on how great Francisco Alvarez is, and he is, Parada has been as good as advertised for the Mets. Since a slow start in April he has produced a consistent OPS North of .800 in a stadium that saps power and greatly limits home run production. He is an offensive catcher who does not fit into another position and the Mets will have trouble finding a way to justify keeping both Alvarez and Parada in the roster but that could make for one heck of a trade chip.
2. Ronny Mauricio, 2B/3B/LF: Now past his only down offensive month, June, he once again knocks on the door to the majors with urgency. The problem with Mauricio is one of the Mets own making. Had they showed any amount of foresight, he would have been playing in the outfield years ago. The results there in 2023 have been poor and show he will need adjustment. His results at second base are better but his defense will be a work in progress for some years to come. If only the Mets had realized what lowly fans had years ago.
3. Colin Houck, SS: The Mets grabbed talent that was slated for a much higher echelon. A player profiled as a Top 15 draft talent dropping to 32nd in the draft happens but likely means there were things that scared other teams away. Allegedly, it was the price tag and the Mets managed to meet it. He will now be chasing Jett Williams up through the minors and we hope to see the better talent rise to the surface quickly.
4. Mark Vientos, DH: The Mets failed Vientos in 2023. He earned a spot on the team out of Spring Training but was sent to AAA. He was promoted to the majors and never afforded a chance to actually play and now he is back on the team and hopefully Buck Showalter finally intends to let the talented slugger get his bearings. It should take some time but I believe he has the stuff to hit 40 home runs in a major league season.
5. Alexander Ramirez, LF: It’s been a down year for the Mets top outfield prospect. He hasn’t been bad in Brooklyn and has, at times, looked ready for his next step but he still swings too freely and doesn’t make contact often enough. The ceiling remains in high but his trajectory has fallen a peg.
6. Blade Tidwell, RHP: Since May 17th, Tidwell has begun looking like the top flight pitching talent the Mets desperately needed him to be when they drafted him. He has lowered his walks and earned runs and he’s looking more and more like a bonafide future starter with each outing. The time has come for him to leave Brooklyn but one can only complain about the Mets timid approach to player promotion so many times.
7. Mike Vasil, RHP: Vasil was the shining light of Mets pitching in the early season and he earned a promotion to AAA. While he belongs in the Top 10, fans need to temper their expectations. Vasil is not a front end starter and is likely only a #5. He does not belong in the majors just yet but will be in the conversation for 2024.
8. Stanley Consuegra, OF: At 22 years of age the Mets should want to promote him as soon as possible. Unfortunately a poorly timed injury has hindered and ascendant year for the outfielder. Hopefully he quickly returns to his April form and the Mets see fit to send him up to Binghamton.
9. Brandon Sproat, RHP: The Mets failed to sign Sproat in 2022 and chose to draft him again in 2023. He has very good raw stuff but seems to lack the ability to make that stuff mean something in terms of results. It’s not a very optimistic report for the Mets second draft pick but right now it’s hard to see Sproat becoming a starter unless the results begin to manifest.
10. Jose Peroza, 3B: Another good season curtailed by injury, Peroza was a shining star for the Mets farm before getting hurt. His ability to actually hit and play good defense at his position is a shocking rarity in the farm and he belonged in AAA before going down with an injury. He profiles as a major league bench player with versatility and some pop and has a sliver of a chance to be more than that.
11. Jett Williams, SS: Many scouts will have Williams higher than this but the small shortstop just doesn’t feel like a player whose ceiling we should be excited for. For all the comparisons to Jose Altuve, Williams’ success in Low A has mostly shown an advanced A for the level. He needs to be promoted and to continue to produce offense in a pitchers park like Brooklyn for me to grow in faith.
12. Tyler Stuart, RHP: He should have been in Binghamton months ago and has been the best prospect pitcher in the Mets organization all season. He doesn’t always light things up with strikeout numbers but he keeps his hits and walks low and that’s worth a ton. Mathematically the odds are against him being an impact starter but he continues to prove the odds wrong. He’s a player to watch in 2024.
13. Anthony Baptist OF: The DSL continues to mean nothing but Baptist has been better than advertised and should be stateside for sure in 2024. The outfielder shows a good eye, lots of speed and considerable power.
14. Daiverson Gutierrez, C: While the DSL means little, you want to see anyone scouted as highly as Gutierrez actually succeed there. He has not done well in his time so far and may be served by repeating the level in 2024.
15. Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B: The bat is real and Reimer looked ready for Brooklyn months ago. The Mets might have done just that if not for injury which justifies the lack of advancement in this case. He’s back in Port St. Lucie and hasn’t missed a beat so the Mets will soon be back in the position of being too timid with promotions.
16. Dominic Hamel, RHP: If only Hamel could consistently show us who he is. He bounces between highly and minimally effective looking like a longer and longer shot to be a major league starter. There are just too many bad outings to ignore at this point.
17. Calvin Ziegler, RHP: Has not yet pitched in 2023 and may not pitch again until 2024.
18. Cristopher Larez, SS: The shortstop prospect has a solid frame and was among the better Mets performers in the DSL. He’s worthy of being on the radar as an extreme longshot for now.
19. Daniel Juarez, LHP: The Mets took way too long to promote Juarez to Binghamton (where he should have started the season) and even seemed to have toyed with making him start for a brief time. Juarez still looks like he could become an impact reliever in the majors and should be on the radar to make an appearance in Queens in 2024.
20. Nathan Lavender, LHP: Why Lavender hasn’t already gotten the call to Queens is a bit baffling as the Mets could likely use the help. He’s been one of the best pitchers in Syracuse all year and seems to be ready for the call.