This is the third year where this top prospect list of mine has been done with a tiered approach, rather than an ordered list. It’s my opinion that a tiered list is more valuable than trying to guess which older reliever is better than the others and should rank higher, only for the best one to make a very minimal contribution in the majors.
Last year, the list received a major tweak, as we introduced an age component. That’s being used again this time. In case you forgot, the target age breaks down as follows:
23 – Triple-A Syracuse (SYR)
22 – Double-A Binghamton (BNG)
21 – Hi-A Brooklyn (BRK)
20 – Lo-A St. Lucie (SLU)
19 – Florida Complex League (FCL)
This year the biggest change is making a strict requirement for entry to the second group, the young guys with a pedigree. To qualify for this level, a player needs to either be a top-100 overall pick or receive a $500,000 bonus for international free agents (IFA.) In some cases, this will override the age component but that’s rare.
Additionally, this year will not include a list of those older prospects who fall outside the grace period. Last year there were 13 older players listed, with only one making the majors and that was Josh Walker, who had 10 IP and a 10.80 ERA. It doesn’t seem worth either my time or yours to make that list again.
But fear not, this year’s list will have write-ups on 64 players and numerous others listed in one form or another. To me, that’s an indication that the system has made a big move in the right direction, as there are plenty of prospects worth mentioning.
For what it’s worth, it does not go unnoticed by me that some of you prefer your prospect lists to be in a ranked numerical order. And while you won’t get that here, it’s very likely that David Groveman, our full-time prospect maven, will do one of those before the start of the minor league season. If you’re frustrated by this tiered approach, make sure to thank David when his ordered list comes out.
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Our first group is the Tylor Megill level. These are guys who played within two years of the preferred age level last season, like Megill did when he pitched at Hi-A in 2019 at age 23. Odds aren’t stacked against these guys but they can’t really afford any more setbacks, either. All players in this and future levels are listed in alphabetical order.
Felipe De La Cruz – LHP got a late call to Hi-A and notched 17 Ks in 17 IP.
Paul Gervase – Listed last year as a guy to keep tabs on, Gervase dominated at Hi-A and held his own in Double-A. The 6’10 righty fanned 96 in 57 innings.
Trey McLoughlin – Had a 4.0 K/BB ratio last year between BRK-BNG. Threw 8.2 scoreless innings in AFL.
Kade Morris – The 101st player selected in the 2023 Draft, Morris has a full repertoire but no pitch is considered a plus offering. Could be a test case for how effective the pitching lab can be.
Matt Rudick – A shoulder injury derailed what was developing as an impact season last year at Double-A. The 5’6 OF had a 1.013 OPS in his first 177 PA last year
Christian Scott – Rocketed up prospect lists but advanced age for his level is a red flag. This upcoming year will be his age-25 season, the same age Megill was the year when he started in the minors and made his MLB debut.
JT Schwartz – After returning from a quad injury that sidelined him for two months, Schwartz posted a .327/.420/.462 line in 181 PA. But the 1B had just 2 HR in that stretch. Put up a .736 OPS in the AFL.
Tyler Stuart – Had TJ surgery early and came back as a collegiate reliever. Had great year as a SP, with his slider emerging as a strikeout pitch. One bad outing skewed his Double-A numbers.
Joander Suarez – Another pitcher slowed by TJ surgery, Suarez made 22 starts last year and was nearly unhittable in his last four: 24 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 25 Ks. Three of those outings were at Double-A.
Rhylan Thomas – Advanced from Lo-A to Double-A and hit at all three stops. Strong AVG and OBP at all levels. ISO went from .131 in Lo-A to .087 in Hi-A to .039 is Double-A.
Jordany Ventura – Healthy last year for the first time since 2019, Ventura had 106 Ks in 103 IP between Lo-A and Hi-A. Also had 83 BB.
Our next group is the Luis Guillorme level, guys on the correct age path (or better) who show some promising signs without having a great pedigree.
Jesus Baez – After a strong season in ’22 in the DSL, Baez struggled at age 18 in the FCL. But 19 BB in 160 PA is a strong showing for a teenager.
Boston Baro – Eighth-round pick in 2023 Baro was given an overslot bonus, one more in line with what a third-round pick would get. He had a brief, but strong, showing in the FCL.
Robert Colina – Made an emergency start at Double-A but spent most of the year at Hi-A. In his last 43.2 IP, had 55 Ks and only 7 BB.
Joel Diaz – Fireballing righty missed all of ’23 season with TJ surgery.
A.J. Ewing – Prepster was a fourth-round pick in 2023. Had 5 BB in 21 PA in FCL.
Saul Garcia – Venezuelan native had 96 Ks in 67.1 IP in Lo-A, along with 48 BB and 10 HBP.
Franklin Gomez – Strong year in the DSL at age 17 and made one appearance each in the FCL and Lo-A.
Jose Gomez – Had a 5.0 K/BB ratio in the FCL at age 19 and also appeared in five games in Lo-A.
Raimon Gomez – Last year’s sleeper candidate was limited to three games with TJ surgery.
Justin Jarvis – Was solid in Double-A but awful in Triple-A in both NVL and SYR
Daniel Juarez – The 5’11 LHP had 61 Ks in 57 IP with a 3.39 K/BB ratio split between Hi-A and Double-A.
Andriel Lantigua – Saw his OPS got up 324 points in repeat season at FCL
Wilfredo Lara – Dominican native was young for SLU. Numbers boosted by home park, where he had a .987 OPS, compared to .640 mark in road parks.
Nate Lavender – A success story of this ranking style. Lavender was on this list last year while he was mostly ignored elsewhere. LHP had 86 Ks in 54.1 IP and notched 7 Saves.
Layonel Ovalles – In a weird twist, Ovalles was much better as a SP than as a RP. He limited opposing hitters to a .646 OPS as a starter but that ballooned to a .961 mark as a reliever.
Carlos Oviedo – Pointed out last year for his performance in the DSL and someone to potentially make the list once he made it to this country, Oviedo did not disappoint. Despite a .191 AVG, he posted a .751 OPS. Oviedo displayed power and patience but 20 Ks in 63 AB held down his AVG.
Jose Peroza – 3B/2B put up an OPS 50 points above team average at BNG then had four of his 10 hits at SYR go for extra-bases.
Wilkin Ramos – Had a 2.50 ERA in 57.1 IP and pitched better after promotion to Double-A, where Ramos posted a 1.96 ERA with 24 Ks in 18.1 IP.
Jacob Reimer – Fourth-round pick in 2022 was solid in Lo-A but fell off considerably in Hi-A. Sometimes hitters just need to survive Brooklyn, a notorious pitcher’s park.
Luis Rodriguez – On last year’s list, there were two players with this name. Now we’re down to just one, a lefty with a big fastball who was limited to 10.2 IP as he recovered from TJ surgery.
Christopher Suero – Young catcher raked in his U.S. debut, putting up an .891 OPS in the FCL.
Junior Tilien – 2B/3B/SS put up solid numbers in Lo-A but found the sledding tougher in Brooklyn.
Marco Vargas – Mexican native hit great in 33 games in the FCL for the Marlins and not so hot in 15 games at the same level for the Mets after being acquired in a deadline deal. Infielder played six games at the end of the year in Lo-A and went 8-26.
Mike Vasil – Mets were unusually aggressive with Vasil last year, promoting him to Double-A after he had a 5.13 ERA in nine games at pitcher-friendly BRK. Vasil was solid at Double-A but got knocked around like virtually every other pitcher in SYR.
Our next group is the young guys with a pedigree, who haven’t quite shown enough to be in the top group yet. Sort of like 2009-era cement boots. It’s the Wilmer Flores level. The hope is that a few of these players graduate to the top level but the majority will likely fall backwards on this list.
Anthony Baptist – One of the Mets’ three big IFA signings last year, Baptist had a terrific debut, showing a great eye at the plate and better power than expected. He finished with a .903 OPS and will likely make his U.S. debut this season.
Stanley Consuegra – Received a $500K bonus in 2017. It’s been a slow climb but he had a strong year at the plate in Hi-A, where he had 23 HR and 42 XBH in 394 PA. Could take a big leap up prospect lists, as he had a .687 OPS at home, compared to an .865 mark on the road. Just survive Brooklyn, man.
Yohairo Cuevas – Received a $500K bonus in 2021. Was terrific in his U.S. debut in the FCL, posting a 1.022 OPS and receiving a promotion to Lo-A. He struggled in the advanced league but was young for the level.
Willy Fanas – One of the club’s top IFA signings in ’22, Fanas had an underwhelming year in the DSL at age 18. It wouldn’t have been surprising if the Mets kept him in the DSL but they brought him to the FCL, where he had 15 XBH in 152 PA for a solid debut in this country.
Daiverson Gutierrez – The club’s top IFA signing in ’23, he was touted as a power-hitting catcher. He struggled last year in the DSL at age 17 and wouldn’t be a surprise if the Mets had him repeat that level this year.
Dominic Hamel – The 81st player selected in the 2021 Draft, Hamel had a tough start in Double-A last year but ended on a really strong note. In his final 74.1 IP, Hamel had a 2.66 ERA, with 96 Ks and 27 BB.
Ronald Hernandez – Received an $850K bonus from the Marlins in 2021. Vargas might have been more highly touted at the time of the trade but Hernandez had the better pedigree, performed batter in the FCL and plays the more valuable position of catcher. Like Vargas, he also got a late call to Lo-A, where he was 5-29.
Colin Houck – The 32nd player selected in the 2023 Draft, Houck played nine games in the FCL. A prep SS but unlikely to play there should he reach the majors, Houck saw two games at 3B and one at 2B.
Daviel Hurtado – Received a $500K bonus in 2023. A 6’1 LHP from Cuba, Hurtado turns 21 in late January. He’s yet to pitch professionally.
Jeremiah Jackson – The Angels selected him with the 57th pick of the 2018 Draft and traded him to the Mets for Dominic Leone. Jackson is the ultimate super sub, playing three infield positions (no 1B) and all three OF positions, too. Hit 22 HR with 42 XBH in 500 PA last year.
Simon Juan – One of the club’s top IFA signings in ’22, Juan struggled in the DSL at age 16. But like Fanas, the Mets brought him to this country for ’23. But he found the sledding even worse in the FCL, where he had just a .596 OPS. But he has plenty of time to turn things around.
Edward Lantigua – Mets gave $950K bonus this year to bat-first outfielder has been praised for his athleticism.
Nolan McLean – The 91st player selected in the 2023 Draft, McLean was a two-way prospect out of Oklahoma State. The Mets plan to let him both hit and pitch but while he has power potential, the real appeal is his 98-mph fastball and a curve with a high spin rate.
Leandy Mella – A $500K signing in this year’s IFA class, Mella is a middle infield prospect known more for his power bat than his defense.
Nick Morabito – The 75th player selected in the 2022 Draft, Morabito went just 2-24 in the FCL in his draft year. But he raked at that same level in ’23, putting up an .869 OPS before a promotion to Lo-A, where he posted a solid .781 OPS in 120 PA.
Jensy Rivas – A $500K signing from the latest IFA class, Rivas is a switch-hitting shortstop more advanced with the bat but is considered to have the tools to succeed defensively
Jeremy Rodriguez – Received a $1 million bonus from the Diamondbacks in ‘23 and was sent to the Mets for Tommy Pham. Had a strong year in the DSL for Arizona before the trade and was even better after the deal. Overall, he had an .878 OPS in 202 PA. That’s terrific production for a shortstop in his age-16 season.
Yovanny Rodriguez – Considered the top catcher in this year’s IFA class, Rodriuez signed for $2.85 million.
Dangelo Sarmiento – One of the club’s top IFA signings in ’22, Sarmiento played very well in the DSL that season. It was a tough debut in the FCL, where he recorded a .418 OPS in 43 PA. Like Juan, time is on his side.
Brandon Sproat – The 56th player selected in the 2023 Draft, it was the second time the Mets drafted him, as they were unable to sign him after making him the 90th player selected in ’22. Sproat had to approve the Mets drafting him a second time and he agreed to a slot-level bonus. Sproat has a four-pitch arsenal with a 96-mph fastball. Right now, command is the big challenge.
Calvin Ziegler – The 46th player selected in the 2021 Draft, Ziegler missed nearly the entire year. Bone spurs, which required surgery, sidelined him before the year started and then he tore his quad during rehab. Ziegler made it back on the mound and struck out the side in his only inning of work. Previously, he showed a mid-90s fastball and a wicked curve that was his out pitch.
Our final group is the Pete Alonso level, the ones who seem on track for a productive MLB career. Although no one should expect the equivalent of 53 homers, injuries aside, it would be a disappointment if these players didn’t make it in New York or serve as valuable trade chits at some point in the future.
Luisangel Acuna – Is a weapon on the basepaths and figures to be above-average defensively at 2B. The big question is what the bat will look like. Some dream of a five-tool talent but that seems incredibly optimistic to me. Hopefully Acuna regularly runs .325 BABIPs in the majors and can be an elite table setter.
Ryan Clifford – It was quite a shock going from the good-hitting environments with the Astros teams he played on to end up with Brooklyn. Clifford had a .605 OPS in home games after the trade. With 390 Hi-A PA on his resume last year, let’s hope the Mets send him to BNG to start 2024.
Drew Gilbert – For the year, in three different home parks, Gilbert had a 1.007 home OPS, compared to a .717 mark on the road. He may very well be the best player picked up at the deadline by the Mets last year. But it would be nice to see better than mediocre results in away ballparks in 2024.
Ronny Mauricio – It was heartbreaking to hear about his injury in Winter Ball.
Kevin Parada – While he did not light it up offensively last year, he stayed healthy and got a lot of development in defensively. Catchers have odd growth patterns. Hopefully he remains healthy and my belief is that at some point the bat will come around.
Alex Ramirez – It’s hard to look at his 2023 season as anything but a major disappointment. But the Mets added him to the 40-man roster rather than exposing him to the Rule 5 Draft, which should tell you all you need to know about his upside. Binghamton here we come!
Blade Tidwell – His first five starts in Hi-A were awful. But his final 12 games for BRK were sublime. Tidwell finished with a 1.56 ERA in his final 63.1 IP, with 85 Ks and only 4 HR allowed. He made eight starts in Double-A, with four of them being great and four being lousy. There are some command worries but Tidwell made good strides in this department during the year. The biggest thing is he stayed healthy and displayed his upside in 16 of his starts last year.
Jett Williams – Began the year in Lo-A, where he showed power and patience. Advanced to Hi-A and added AVG to the other two pieces. Teenager ended his year in Double-A, where he should start 2024. Williams should be the only untouchable player in the farm system.
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No doubt you’ve noticed some players missing. Here are the ones that stand out to me and why they’re not written up:
Matt Allan – We can still hold out hope but he hasn’t pitched in a while and may not in ‘24, either.
Carlos Cortes – A third-round pick in 2018, he had a good year for SYR at age 26. Too old for me.
Robert Dominguez – Did not pitch as he continued rehab from TJ surgery in 2022.
Cristopher Larez – A top IFA signing in 2023, Larez was busted for PEDs.
Junior Santos – He’s still young for his level but has never turned in a good year.
There are two more groups of players worth a mention. The first are the additions from the Rule 5 Draft. Ryan Ammons came to the Mets in a trade for a guy they selected to trade to the Red Sox. Ammons was a 10th-round pick in 2023 out of Clemson. The LH reliever did not pitch professionally last year. Donovan Antonia was drafted from the Reds. The Curacao native made his U.S. debut last year and saw limited action in the FCL and Lo-A. RHP Alan Perdomo was selected from the Rockies. He made his U.S. debut last year and had a 5.71 ERA despite a 1.183 WHIP.
Also, the Mets made some headlines when they signed Vladi Guerrero, son of Vladimir Guerrero and half-brother to Vladimir Guererro Jr. He’s not listed above because despite his pedigree, the Mets’ new Guerrero signed for just $117K. Compare that to 2015, when they signed Gregory Guerrero, nephew to the first Vladimir Guerrero, to a $1.5 million bonus. My choice is to go slow with ranking the latest Guerrero.
Additionally, the Mets had been connected with IFA Raymel Ortiz for a while but have yet to sign MLB.com’s No. 26 prospect. No one else has signed him yet, either.
Finally, it’s tough to accurately view stats posted in the DSL, it’s very common to see unheralded guys put up great numbers there and then fall apart when they come to the U.S. That being said, the following players posted good numbers in the DSL and are worth a follow this year with their likely FCL placement: Julian Hernandez, Branny De Oleo, Julio Zayas, Marcos Terrero, Jeisel Vargas and Jeffry Rosa.
DeGrom was 25 when he made it to majors too and look at Scott’s pristine k-bb ratios and tell me he’s not a ten five Mets prospect.
You can also point to Jeff McNeil as an older prospect who made it.
But both of those guys had injury problems which delayed their ascent to the majors. But putting that aside, if you want to point out the extreme outliers to make your case – go right ahead. The overwhelming majority of older minor league guys do not make an impact in the majors. And that gets even greater if we were to build an injury component into things.
Hoping Lavender gets a look in the pen this year. Excited to see how Scott, Suarez,, Tidwell, Sproat and Hanel continue their development.
A bunch of people moan that the Mets don’t have any elite pitching prospects but gloss over the fact that they’ve got a bunch with a fair amount of upside. Besides the ones you mentioned, Stuart and Ziegler are all worth watching.
And Butto!
Thanks for this list Brian. I like the bucket approach.
I am most excited about Jett Williams. Hope he mashes and goes to the show. Hope he becomes an A+ leadoff hitter.
It will be curious to see what the lineup looks like if Williams, Gilbert and Acuna all make it. You’d think that Acuna would lead off in that situation but maybe he hits ninth for the double-leadoff hitter thing. I’m not sure where anyone else would slot. Would you go with two of the three rookies in the top three spots? Is this where you drop Nimmo to a more-traditional RBI slot? Lets of different ways it could go.
So much to digest.
What a telling sign of our times that so many young prospects required TJ surgery. Used to think of that as something an older pitcher needed after years of pitching. It’s clear now that these guys threw too many innings when they were younger.
Also, a bit dismayed that the list contained very few players that were kicking butt down at whatever level of the minors they played at, and wondering out loud if this is a drafting and development flaw, or whether these results are common for most franchises. In rebuilding this franchise, a better approach to developing position players, akin to the pitching lab they are putting into effect down at Port St. Lucie, would be welcomed.
TJ surgery apparently is a fact of life for most pitchers when they go all out on every pitch. I think max effort is more of a culprit than too many innings here in the 2020s.
One thing to keep in mind in regards to the Mets’ full-season teams:
SLU – Hitter’s park in pitcher’s league
BRK – Extreme pitcher’s park
BNG – Slight pitcher’s park in slight pitcher’s league
SYR – Slight pitcher’s park
There’s no place that’s just great for hitters, certainly nothing like the Fayetteville-Asheville-Frisco loop for Astros hitters. Brooklyn’s a great place for pitchers – and we’ve seen stats to support that – but it’s not all sunshine after that.
I guess I’m fairly happy with the Mets’ system right now. I think they’ve got a star in Jett Williams and a bunch of other players – both hitters and pitchers – with some upside. Mets fans were just spoiled with bringing up Harvey, Wheeler, deGrom, Syndergaard and Matz one after the other. That can’t be the expectation.
Quite an enjoyable read. While I understand your grouping them, I don’t see how you can really decide where they belong. But, I loved the writeup for each one.
A few comments and a question:
– Did Sproat really h a v e to approve the Mets drafting him again, or they just wanted to make sure they didn’t waste the draft pick?
– Ramirez was asked to lower his K% and up his BB%, and he did that. Yes, he struggled but changing the way he has always thought would be hard.
– I read an interview that Parada gave after the AFL and while I was looking to read something about his disappointment in a bad statistical year, but he offered nothing of the sort. It has been written of him that he has a high baseball IQ, so if he was satisfied with the results, I’m sure it was appropriate. I have also read that catchers in the minors do so much defensively that they don’t have time to work on their offense and are often so tired during games that they can’t put their best showings forth. Let’s hope that was the case for Parada.
Thanks Gus!
“Doing so required Sproat to give his consent to a Mets organization that continued to value him despite an inability to come to terms a year ago.”
https://www.mlb.com/news/brandon-sproat-drafted-no-56-by-mets-in-2023-mlb-draft
While I don’t believe there’s only one way to organize the prospects into tiers, my approach makes all but the final level fall into specific groups, which makes it very easy to decide where they belong.
Thanks to Dr. Worm from The Knight Report for linking to this piece. If anyone from that Rutgers site is visiting for the first time – Welcome! If you have any questions, I encourage you to leave a comment and I will reply.
Thanks again – Brian
Hey Brian,
Thanks for all the work that went into this.
I love getting these quick snaps on all of these guys.
One of the things that is so interesting about this type of list vs the type I keep is that players who are listed in Megill, Guillorme and Flores groupings could be justified as being ranked higher than one or two of the players in your Alonso list.
Megill Level Thoughts:
Paul Gervase – On my list of players my rankings missed on, Gervase certainly features. I don’t think I’d put him in the Top 30 just yet but he could become a solid reliever in the majors.
Christian Scott – I moved him as high as 8th in my current list but I felt like I was pressured to do it by my scouting peers. I can’t see Scott reaching a ceiling of #3 pitcher and 8th overall still feels high.
Tyler Stuart – My favorite underdog Met prospect. This likely curses him to failure.
Joander Suarez – A player I don’t think I’m wrong for ranking as low as I have after seeing him flounder again and again in the lower levels.
Jordany Ventura – Like Suarez I’m not ranking him again just yet.
Guillorme Level Thoughts:
Boston Baro – Metsmerized is way off base ranking him 15th overall. I don’t feel bad not even having him in my top 50.
Daniel Juarez – The Mets waited way too long to promote him from High A.
Wilfredo Lara – Another of my Top 50 misses who definitely gets in when I correct things.
Jose Peroza – Peroza is hard to rank in my style of list. His future is clearly not as a starter but he hits and fields well as a solid bench contributor.
Mike Vasil – Maybe I’m wrong but I’ve stepped off of the Vasil bandwagon and feel like my ranking of 12th overall was overly generous.
Flores Level Thoughts:
Stanley Consuegra – Based on time in minors I feel like he’s older than he is.
Dominic Hamel – Player most likely to travel up or down the list quickly.
Simon Juan – One of the only names you have that I have to disagree on when it comes to Top 50.
Alonso Level Thoughts:
Blade Tidwell – His year had so many highs and lows I have issues ranking him as highly as I did (6th overall) and feel like in a Met team with better overall pitching talent he’d be ranked around 15th. His ceiling remains the highest of the arms we have but does he shine merely in comparison?
Thanks for your detailed thoughts!
There’s zero doubt in my mind that someone from the other three groups will have a better career than several of those listed in the final tier. But who? My hope is that a year or two from now, I’ll be able to move someone unexpected into that top level. I can see Stuart and/or Suarez making that jump. Consuegra, too, if he mashes all year like he did a season ago on the road. And who knows which IFA lottery ticket will move up? I’ve tweaked the levels so that three of them are fairly rigid on who slots where. But anyone can reach that top level with their play.
Here’s a bit on Vasil from The Athletic:
“Inside the New York Mets’ pitching lab in October, the high-speed cameras and sensors hooked up to prospect Mike Vasil helped inform staffers that the right-hander would benefit from a mechanical change.
Essentially, Vasil needed to stay on his back side longer during the early stage of his stride so that he didn’t go down the mound too quickly within his delivery. From there, Mets coaches designed throwing drills with weighted balls and ultimately created a program to help him build up throwing while also implementing the new mechanics. Vasil hopes the adjustment leads to more consistent velocity at maybe a tick or two higher. In the meantime, Vasil has also worked on a bigger slider to pair with a harder one, which may evolve into a cutter that helps him perform better against right-handed batters.”
I have a question: Say Edwin Diaz was a prospect. We don’t know the results yet but we see the package. Because he is a reliever, does he get ranked lower? If so, why? That’s his position and he shows to be a stud. Maybe Gilbert and Williams, possibly Acuna before him, but…
I ask because Gervase was incredible this year and if he is just as incredible next year, will he be artificially lowered due to being a reliever? I hope not. I would easily put him top 10, and I can see possibly in the top five if he deserves it.
That’s an interesting question.
I looked at Diaz’ minor league numbers. And the first thing that jumps out is that he was a starter in the minors. He made one start and eight relief appearances in 2012. But the next three seasons, all 64 games of his were starts. The following year he began in the minors, split time starting and relieving before making his MLB debut. And he pitched too many innings in the majors in 2016 to be eligible for a prospect list the following year. So, he’s not really a good test case for how I would rank relievers in the minors.
Relievers are going to be tricky, just because they usually don’t come with a great pedigree and frequently come out of nowhere, like Gervase this past season. If Gervase pitches as well in 2024 as he did last season, and doesn’t lose his rookie status, he’s absolutely a strong candidate for my top level. At the end of the day, it’s tough to get too excited about a guy without a pedigree excelling in one year. Eric Orze looked great in 2021 but hasn’t done as well the following two seasons. But do it two times and you make a case.
Trouble in IFA land:
“Many teams recently learned a player they were either interested in, or had reached a verbal agreement with, was older than previously believed, according to people briefed on specifics who were not authorized to speak publicly. Those teams included the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, and Oakland A’s, all of whom declined to comment.
snip
Prospects from earlier classes have also come into question. The age of a Mets signee from the 2023 period is under investigation by the league and the player could be suspended, multiple people briefed on the player’s situation said. The Mets declined to comment.”
https://theathletic.com/5231394/2024/01/27/mlb-age-falsification-identity-fraud-dominican-republic/
Could be why the Mets didn’t sign Raymel Ortiz, like originally stated.
Not surprised, but hope the Mets don’t get dinged. Age games in the DR go back to Raphael Furcal to the best of my memory. Too, was Albert Pujols only 20 when he came up? That was debated.
Great outing for Nate Lavender in the ST opener