Midseason Prospect Update: Mets — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

The Midseason Top 10 Prospect lists are compiled from conversations with front office officials and scouts from all 30 teams. Players who have exhausted prospect eligibility or were in the Major Leagues as of June 22 are not eligible. Draftees from the 2016 draft and July 2, 2016 signees are also not eligible.

SEE ALSO: Midseason Top 100

The Mets hit more home runs than any National League club but the Nationals in the first half, yet a poor batting average—particularly with runners in scoring position—translated to a run total that ranked 13th out of 15 NL teams.

2019 PROJECTED LINEUP

No. 1 Starter Noah Syndergaard

No. 2 Starter Jacob deGrom

No. 3 Starter Matt Harvey

No. 4 Starter Steven Matz

No. 5 Starter Zack Wheeler

Closer Jeurys Familia

Fortunately for the Mets, the club’s pitching staff and defense held opponents to 3.58 runs per game and 0.9 homers per nine innings, which both ranked second best in the NL. Righthanders Noah Syndergaard (2.56) and Jacob deGrom (2.61) ranked top 10 in the league in ERA, while closer Jeurys Familia led the NL with 31 saves.

Therefore, the Mets will be buyers this summer, though they don’t have as much inventory to sell as they did in 2015, when a series of trades fortified a team that ultimately captured the NL pennant.

A year ago, New York dealt Michael Fulmer to the Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes, Rob Whalen and John Gant to the Braves for Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, and Casey Meisner to the Athletics for Tyler Clippard. The series of maneuvers helped patch holes in the lineup and bullpen for a Mets team with arguably the finest rotation in the game—at least in 2015.

While Syndergaard and deGrom continue to shine, rookie southpaw Steven Matz has excelled and the ageless Bartolo Colon gets results, the Mets’ rotation this season suffers in comparison with last year because of the decline of Matt Harvey. He went just 4-10, 4.86 in 17 starts this year, his pitch command clearly compromised. As it turned out, Harvey suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome and had season-ending surgery in July to repair a pinched nerve in his shoulder.

So while the Mets’ offense would seemingly benefit from an upgrade—they signed Jose Reyes as a utilityman in July to add speed to the lineup—the team can’t possibly continue to hit a major league-worst .213 with RISP. That could lead the front office to target a starting pitcher on the trade market to compensate for the loss of Harvey, the injury setback to the Tommy John surgery-rehabbing Zack Wheeler and possible regression from the club’s other young starters.

MIDSEASON TOP 10

1. Amed Rosario, ss

The 20-year-old has blossomed in his fourth pro season, reaching Double-A in June while maturing as a hitter and turning his impressive tools into skills. Prior to the Futures Game, Rosario hit .330/.377/.472 in 82 games while showcasing fine plate discipline, improved power, good glove work and baserunning acumen.

2. Dominic Smith, 1b

The 2013 first-rounder plays great defense but still is refining his approach in pro ball. For example: He hit just .260 with four homers through June 19, and then .338 with six homers in the 19 games leading up to the Futures Game. He has to work to keep his body in check as well.

3. Brandon Nimmo, of

Nimmo started slowly but developed a blend of discipline and power to earn a late-June callup as a corner outfielder. He hit .356/.439/.588 with 24 extra-base hits and nearly as many walks (26) as strikeouts (30) in his final 43 games at Triple-A.

4. Gavin Cecchini, ss

One of the youngest regulars in the Pacific Coast League, Cecchini continues to show a patient, grinding hitting approach with gap power, but error-prone work at shortstop, due to persistent throwing problems, raises the specter of a shift to second base.

5. Desmond Lindsay, of

A hamstring tear dropped Lindsay into the second round of the 2015 draft, and another hamstring injury consigned him to extended spring training in 2016. The Mets see him as a power-speed center fielder and expect him to play at short-season Brooklyn this season when healthy.

6. Robert Gsellman, rhp

The 6-foot-4 groundball machine earned a quick promotion to Triple-A before being waylaid for a month with a quad injury. He locates his fastball down in the zone and generally hits his spots with average secondary stuff.

7. Wuilmer Becerra, of

Becerra has strived for more contact in 2016 and has emerged as a surprise batting-title contender in the Florida State League. He’s physical enough to hit for at least average power and possibly hold down an outfield corner.

8. Luis Guillorme, ss/2b

The South Atlantic League MVP last season, Guillorme keeps doing his high-contact, low-watt, opposite-field thing at the plate, but he ranks this high because he’s the best defensive shortstop in the system. He played primarily second in the first half this year in deference to Amed Rosario but moved back to short after Rosario’s Double-A promotion.

9. Marcos Molina, rhp

Molina suffered an elbow injury in 2015 that truncated his season at high Class A St. Lucie, and he had Tommy John surgery last fall, so he’s yet to pitch in 2016. When healthy, he slings a quality, low- to mid-90s fastball backed by two quality secondary pitches.

10. Gabriel Ynoa, rhp

The 23-year-old always takes his turn in the rotation and throws strikes, but Ynoa lacks a separating pitch. He’s on the 40-man roster and throws three major league average pitches, so improved command could have a profound effect.

RISING

Lefthander P.J. Conlon doesn’t have top-shelf stuff, but the 13th-rounder from San Diego in 2015 knows how to mix his pitches effectively. He works at about 90 mph with a nice changeup and slider, and he recorded a 1.97 ERA and 5.3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 16 starts at Class A this season . . . Short-season Brooklyn righty Merandy Gonzalez reaches the mid-90s while flashing two plus secondaries, and he has advanced control for a 20-year-old . . . Rookie-level Kingsport lefty Thomas Szapucki ranges from 90-96 mph and throws a plus breaking ball from a low three-quarters slot. The 2015 fifth-rounder struck out 30 through his first 17 innings . . . Venezuelan shortstop Andres Gimenez, who signed for $1.2 million as the No. 2 international talent in 2015, started hot in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .343/.455/.505 through 27 games with nearly twice as many walks (19) as strikeouts (11).

FALLING

High Class A St. Lucie third baseman Jhoan Urena starred in the New York-Penn League as a 19-year-old in 2014, but he hasn’t made the jump to the Florida State League. He hit just .214/.278/.321 this season after similarly poor results last year. Caveat: Urena suffered injuries to both wrists in 2015, and that sort of injury that can linger . . . Low Class A Columbia third baseman Eudor Garcia returned in July from an 80-game suspension he incurred after testing positive for a performance-enhancer.

HURTING

Righthander Marcos Molina won’t pitch this year after having Tommy John surgery in September . . . Shortstop Luis Carpio tore the labrum in his right shoulder in March and had season-ending surgery . . . Righthander Robert Gsellman missed a month with a quad injury but returned to action in early July.

GRADUATING

The Mets graduated righthander Noah Syndergaard and outfielder Michael Conforto in 2015, and both rookies started for the club deep into October. The system also has produced the likes of righthander Jacob deGrom, closer Jeurys Familia and catcher Travis d’Arnaud in recent seasons. Thus with the upper levels thinned, lefthander Steven Matz is the only rookie to factor for the 2016 Mets. He has excelled, however, going 7-5, 3.38 with 90 strikeouts in 96 innings in the first half.

COMING ABOARD (Check Draft Database for all picks)
The Mets’ first five picks of the 2016 draft. (s—supplemental round)

1. Justin Dunn, rhp, Boston College. While not big in stature, Dunn throws big-time stuff, including mid-90s heat, a tight-spinning slider and a changeup that has emerged.

1. Anthony Kay, lhp, Connecticut. The UConn ace sits in the low 90s and deceives righthanded batters with a plus changeup. He signed a below-slot $1.1 million bonus due to a reported elbow issue.

2. Peter Alonso, 1b, Florida. Big-time power from the right side is Alonso’s carrying tool, but he’s going to have to hit given his defensive limitations and poor speed.

3. Blake Tiberi, 3b, Louisville. While he doesn’t look like a classic third baseman with questionable range and below-average power, all Tiberi has done as an amateur is hit.

4. Michael Paez, ss, Coastal Carolina. Scouts tend to view the shortstop for the College World Series champs as a second baseman in pro ball without a plus tool, but he can hit.