Here's the Mets' new Top 30 Prospects list
Anthony DiComo
@AnthonyDiComoNEW YORK -- Across baseball, spanning all 30 Major League organizations, only six catchers made the Top 40 in MLB Pipeline’s midseason re-rank of prospects.
The Mets employ two of them.
In addition to Francisco Álvarez, who remains the game’s highest-ranked prospect at any position, top Draft pick Kevin Parada is ranked 40th in MLB (and third on the Mets’ organizational list) on Pipeline’s re-rank. Parada joins fellow first-rounder Jett Williams in the Mets’ Top 5.
The Mets consider their glut of catching a fantastic problem to have, and one they’ll address in the future if both Álvarez and Parada continue to excel. For now, team officials are more interested in continuing to nurture a farm system that is on the ascent. Unlike previous front-office regimes, which dealt away significant prospect talent from 2019-21, general manager Billy Eppler made a point this July to keep the upper portions of his farm intact. The Mets also had five selections within the first 90 picks of this year’s Draft, which added plenty of talent to the existing pool.
Here’s a look at the Mets’ top prospects:
1. Francisco Álvarez, C (MLB No. 1)
2. Brett Baty, 3B (MLB No. 19)
3. Kevin Parada, C (MLB No. 40)
4. Alex Ramirez, OF (MLB No. 90)
5. Jett Williams, SS
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump: Mike Vasil, LHP (Preseason: 21 | Midseason: 11) -- Vasil moved up 10 spots despite suffering an injury after his promotion from Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn. Keep an eye also on 21-year-old outfielder Stanley Consuegra, who clocked in at No. 23 on the midseason list after being unranked in the preseason.
Fall: Khalil Lee, OF (Preseason: 8 | Midseason: 24) -- It’s been a tough go for Lee, who hit his first big league homer in June but has spent most of the season slumping at Triple-A Syracuse. Now 24, Lee may find it difficult to carve out a future role in Flushing.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
No. 3, Kevin Parada, C (Draft, first round)
No. 5, Jett Williams, SS (Draft, first round)
No. 8, Blade Tidwell, RHP (Draft, second round)
No. 14, Nick Morabito, OF (Draft, second-round compensation)
No. 18, Jacob Reimer, 3B (Draft, fourth round)
Impact callup
Francisco Álvarez, C (No. 1/MLB No. 1)
It’s worth dreaming, right? The Mets did not make a move at catcher before the Trade Deadline, and while the 20-year-old remains young with defensive issues, he’s getting closer and closer to being ready for Queens with the bat. Ignore Álvarez's BABIP-deflated average at Syracuse, and pay attention to the fact that nine of his 15 Triple-A hits have gone for extra bases, including five homers. The Mets may be running away with the NL East, but if they want to give their best shot at winning a pennant in the fall, they might want to give one of their best catching options a look before the season is out.
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: 60 -- Jett Williams (Nick Morabito)
Arm: 60 -- Stanley Consuegra (Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos, Khalil Lee)
Field: 55 -- Alex Ramirez (Stanley Consuegra, Khalil Lee)
Fastball: 65 -- Matt Allan (Robert Dominguez)
Curveball: 60 -- Matt Allan
Slider: 60 -- Grant Hartwig (Blade Tidwell, Keyshawn Askew)
Changeup: 60 -- Jose Butto
Control: 55 -- Eric Orze (Mike Vasil, Jose Butto)