These Mets prospects are Major League ready
This browser does not support the video element.
This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Last week’s promotion of Francisco Álvarez rekindled talk of which other Mets prospects might fit with the big league club, which has struggled to generate consistent offense early this season. Of note, three of the Mets’ Top 8 prospects are currently raking at Triple-A Syracuse.
Here’s a look at all three -- and how they may or may not -- fit with the Mets in the short-term future.
Brett Baty, 3B (club's No. 2 prospect)
OPS at Triple-A: 1.195 through seven games
The case for a promotion: Although Baty has played just 14 career games at Triple-A, he has little to prove at the level given his prospect pedigree and roaring success there. Baty has also demonstrated marked defensive improvement since the start of Spring Training, making it more difficult for Mets officials to lean on that as a reason for further development. Given Baty’s success, and Eduardo Escobar’s struggles since the start of Spring Training, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore what -- on paper at least -- seems like an easy fix.
The case for standing pat: The Mets still owe Escobar nearly $10 million, and team officials aren’t convinced that two bad weeks mean the 34-year-old is finished -- especially given his red-hot performance last September. The team is also wary of abandoning a popular clubhouse figure without offering him a longer runway to break out of his slump.
Mark Vientos, 1B/3B (club's No. 8 prospect)
OPS at Triple-A: 1.145 through 10 games
This browser does not support the video element.
The case for a promotion: Similar to Baty, Vientos has little left to prove in the Minors with more than a full season at Triple-A on his resume. All he’s done is hit, proving especially potent against left-handed pitchers.
The case for standing pat: Given Tommy Pham’s early success against lefties and the fact that Baty and Escobar both sit above Vientos on the depth chart at third base, there’s no clear path to playing time for him in the Majors. Evaluators are also wary of Vientos’ strikeout rate, which remains high at Syracuse despite his early success there. One other factor to consider: if the Mets ultimately hope to trade Vientos, having him rake in the Minors could do more for his value than making him ride the bench in the big leagues.
Ronny Mauricio, SS (club's No. 6 prospect)
OPS at Triple-A: 1.145 through 11 games
This browser does not support the video element.
The case for a promotion: There are few hotter hitters in the upper Minors than Mauricio, who crushed four home runs over his first 10 career games at Triple-A. On the heels of his strong Spring Training, that performance offers plenty of evidence that Mauricio is big league-ready… or at least close to it.
The case for standing pat: Much like Vientos, Mauricio has no obvious place to play in the Majors. Francisco Lindor has shortstop on lockdown, Baty is ahead of him on the third base depth chart, and Jeff McNeil starts most days at second. There’s also a small-sample-size effect potentially at play for the 22-year-old Mauricio, whose minor league track record isn’t as robust as those of Baty or Vientos.
Finally, keeping Mauricio in the Minors could give the Mets more opportunities to expose him to other positions -- something the organization has been reticent to do, but which seems inevitable.