Here are the Mets' 2020 Top 30 Prospects

The new Mets Top 30 Prospects list looks much different than it did a year ago, following the graduation of National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso and the trade that sent pitching prospects Simeon Woods Richardson and Anthony Kay to Toronto for Marcus Stroman. But the organization still has a deep group of young talent, including four Top 100 position-playing prospects, none of whom are older than 21.

This year’s Mets list is teeming with homegrown talent, as all but two players on the Top 30 are products of either the Draft or the international market. The latter group accounts for the top three spots on the list and exactly half of the Top 30, while Draft picks round out the rest of the Top 10.

The list is top-heavy with position players, with Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez, Andrés Giménez and Brett Baty leading the organization’s next wave of potential impact talent. After that, however, 18 of the remaining 26 spots belong to pitchers, including seven international hurlers whom the Mets signed for $35,000 or less.

And while most of the Mets’ star prospects are several years away from reaching the Majors, the club should still receive some reinforcements throughout the upcoming season. Left-hander David Peterson enters the year on the cusp of the Major Leagues, providing the Mets a viable rotation option if needed, while oft-injured hurlers such as Thomas Szapucki and Jordan Humphreys represent key depth pieces capable of contributing in multiple roles.

Here’s a look at the Mets’ top prospects
1) Ronny Mauricio, SS (MLB No. 62)
2) Francisco Alvarez, C (No. 63)
3) Andrés Giménez, SS (No. 84)
4) Brett Baty, 3B (No. 93)
5) Matthew Allan, RHP
Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2019 preseason list to the 2020 preseason list:

Jump: Kevin Smith, LHP (2019: NR | 2020: No. 9) – A breakout prospect who reached Double-A in his first full season, the 6-foot-5 southpaw led all Mets farmhands (100 IP min.) in strikeouts (130) and strikeout rate (27.2 percent) and finished second in ERA (3.15).
Fall: Desmond Lindsay (2019: 11 | 2020: NR) – The 2015 second-rounder looked like he might turn the corner in 2020 after an encouraging Arizona Fall League campaign, but the 23-year-old outfielder appeared in just 15 games in the Florida State League in ’19 before a calf injury forced him to the injured list for the duration of the season.

Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 60 -- Alvarez
Power: 60 -- Mark Vientos (Mauricio)
Run: 60 -- Giménez
Arm: 60 -- Baty (Mauricio, Alvarez, Giménez, Vientos, Shervyen Newton, Ali Sanchez)
Defense: 60 -- Giménez (Sanchez)
Fastball: 60 -- Allan (Josh Wolf, Junior Santos, Franklyn Kilomé, Robert Dominguez, Michel Otanez, Ryley Gilliam)
Curveball: 60 -- Allan (Thomas Szapucki, Wolf, Gilliam)
Slider: 60 -- David Peterson
Changeup: 60 -- Jose Butto
Control: 60 -- Peterson

How they were built
Draft: 13 | International: 15 | Trade: 2

Breakdown by ETA
2020: 8 | 2021: 5 | 2022: 8 | 2023: 7 | 2024: 2

Breakdown by position
C: 3 | 1B: 0 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 3 | SS: 2 | INF: 1 | OF: 2 | RHP: 15 | LHP: 3