Five Mets prospects make The Athletic’s Top 100 list, including two new names
There are five Mets prospects on The Athletic’s new top 100 list in advance of the 2022 season.
The list, from Keith Law, ranks C Francisco Alvarez No. 8, SS Ronny Mauricio No. 40, 3B Brett Baty No. 41, 3B Mark Vientos No. 71, and OF Alex Ramirez No. 100.
Vientos and Ramirez are the newcomers on the list.
Both Vientos and Ramirez were not on the latest Baseball Prospectus list (Alvarez, Baty, and Mauricio were on it) or the Baseball America list (which also only had Alvarez, Baty, and Mauricio).
On Alvarez, Law says he has a “Mike Piazza-like upside if his bat keeps improving.” Alvarez will likely start this season with Double-A Binghamton, and has an MLB ETA of 2023.
Law thinks Mauricio will move off shortstop, but is still high on his upside with the bat. Like Alvarez, Mauricio — who could debut in the majors at some point in 2022 — should open this season with Binghamton.
Regarding Baty, Law writes that he “has the core ingredients for an impact bat” in the majors. Baty finished last season with Binghamton and will probably open the 2022 season there, but he should make it to Triple-A Syracuse at some point this year.
Vientos, who had a monster season power-wise in 2021, was curiously left off the recent BA and BP lists, but Law believes he has the potential to hit 30-to-35 homers at the next level. Vientos will open the 2022 season with Syracuse, where he will be just a phone call away from the Mets.
The inclusion of Ramirez on the list this soon was a bit surprising, but he’s a center fielder with five-tool potential who could reach the majors by 2024. Law notes that Ramirez could be a plus defender in center who hits 25-to-30 homers a year.
While the Mets already have five top-100 level prospects, they could soon have more.
RHP J.T. Ginn is knocking on the door as a top-100 prospect, and RHP Matt Allan — who lost the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery — could be a slam-dunk top-100 pitcher once he’s back healthy.
The Mets also just signed OF Simon Juan — one of the top international prospects — and should have six top 100 picks in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Source: Yahoo Sports