Here are the Mets' 2023 Top 30 prospects

And in the end, the prospects remained.

The Mets were one of the most aggressive clubs of the offseason, adding big names like Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga while retaining Brandon Nimmo, but outside of a few minor trades, most of their work came on the free-agent market. That means the core of a top-heavy system -- one that could have been used to pull off a blockbuster -- remains intact, and two of the biggest pieces of that core could be ready to help out in Queens in short order.

Francisco Álvarez (MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect) and Brett Baty (No. 21) each made their Major League debuts last year, taking their significant power potential to The Show, and both are knocking on the door this spring. Baty could take the third-base job from Eduardo Escobar out of the gate while the presences of Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido should help the 21-year-old Álvarez continue to work on his pursuit of becoming a more well-rounded backstop at Triple-A Syracuse.

Fellow Top 10 prospects Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos could also bring significant thump to Citi Field at points in 2023. The switch-hitting Mauricio, in particular, saw his stock drop a bit after he posted a .296 OBP at Double-A Binghamton last year, but he rebounded quite nicely as the LIDOM MVP with a .287/.335/.468 line in 46 games for Licey.

New York’s loaded 2022 Draft class also looks to make an impact in its first full season in blue and orange. The organization picked up another bat-first catcher in Georgia Tech’s Kevin Parada with the 11th overall pick (the same selection it was given for failing to sign Kumar Rocker in 2021) and selected a pure-hitting prep shortstop Jett Williams three picks later.

If anything, this group is a little light on high-ceiling arms. Top pitching prospect Blade Tidwell checks in after six hitters at No. 7 on the updated list. The 2022 second-rounder earns strong reviews for his plus fastball and slider and could become a bigger name if he can prove last spring’s shoulder issues at Tennessee are behind him. Speaking of pitching injuries, former Top 100 talent Matt Allan will miss out on another season after undergoing UCL revision surgery, leaving New York even lighter on the mound heading into 2023.

Here’s a look at the Mets’ top prospects:

1. Francisco Álvarez, C (MLB No. 3)
2. Brett Baty, 3B/OF (MLB No. 21)
3. Kevin Parada, C (MLB No. 36)
4. Alex Ramirez, OF (MLB No. 96)
5. Jett Williams, SS
Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2022 preseason list to the 2023 preseason list:

Jump: Jesus Baez, SS/3B (2022: NR | 2023: No. 13)
Baez may have been overshadowed by bigger international signings Simon Juan and Willy Fañas when he joined the Mets on Jan. 15, 2022 for $225,000, but he’s quickly become one of the most exciting bats in the entire system. The right-handed slugger shows tremendous raw pop, especially to his pullside, and that should find its way more into games as he continues to grow into what his now just a 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame. He’s already moved around a little between short, second and third but projects best at the hot corner with the arm strength to handle the position. Watch out for Baez’s stateside debut in 2023.

Fall: Khalil Lee, OF (2022: No. 8 | 2023: NR)
Acquired from the Royals in a three-team deal in February 2021, Lee had the chance to help New York’s outfield depth during his second season in the system. Instead, he was below-average Triple-A hitter (89 wRC+) who set a career full-season high with a 33.3 percent K rate. He only appeared in two Major League games for the Mets. Lee was designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man by New York this offseason after being put under investigation by MLB for an alleged domestic violence incident last summer in Syracuse, N.Y.

Top 30s
NLE: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
ALE: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
NLC: CIN | CHC | MIL | PIT | STL
ALC: CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
NLW: AZ | COL | LAD | SD | SF
ALW: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX

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 -- Brett Baty (Kevin Parada)
Power: 70 -- Francisco Álvarez
Run: 70 -- Dangelo Sarmiento
Arm: 60 -- Stanley Consuegra (Brett Baty, Alex Ramirez, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos, Jesus Baez, Dangelo Sarmiento)
Defense: 60 -- Dangelo Sarmiento
Fastball: 75 -- Bryce Montes de Oca
Curveball: 60 -- Calvin Ziegler (Matt Allan)
Slider: 60 -- Blade Tidwell (Dominic Hamel)
Changeup: 60 -- Jose Butto
Cutter: 55 -- Montes de Oca
Control: 50 -- Jose Butto (Blade Tidwell, Matt Allan, Mike Vasil, Joel Diaz, Layonel Ovalles, Junior Santos, Jordany Ventura, Luis Rodriguez)

How they were built
Draft: 13 | International: 15 | NDFA: 1 | Rule 5: 1

Breakdown by ETA
2023: 8 | 2024: 6 | 2025: 7 | 2026: 5 | 2027: 4

Breakdown by position
C: 2 | 1B: 0 | 2B: 0 | 3B: 4 | SS: 4 | OF: 5 | RHP: 13 | LHP: 2