New York Mets top prospects list has undergone some recent changes

The New York Mets list of top prospects has undergone some big changes since the 2019 Draft and trade deadline.

You can say what you will about the Brodie Van Wagenen era. But you can’t deny that it has been an interesting time for the New York Mets. From the offseason to the trade deadline, the Mets have made one thing clear: they are pulling out all the stops to win in 2019 and 2020.

While the team still finds themselves in the bottom half of the National League East standings, a recent hot streak has fans daydreaming about Jacob deGrom taking the mound in a winner-take-all wildcard game. The team has elected to postpone any talk of a rebuild and is all-in on building a winning roster.

The potential for winning baseball in Queens has Mets fans all over the world rooting for our team! With Marcus Stroman joining an already dangerous rotation, a playoff run may very well be possible.

However, with the team’s plethora of moves over the past few months, fans may be wondering about the state of the Mets’ farm system. Deals for MLB veterans like Stroman, Robinson Cano, and Edwin Diaz have all involved trading away prospects from the minor leagues.

The Rankings

Unsurprisingly, the Mets’ system ranks near the bottom of the league. Bleacher Report recently ranked them 22nd in the league. MiLB ranked them at 20th before they surrendered Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods-Richardson (their fourth- and sixth-ranked prospects) in the Stroman deal. Fangraphs also ranked the team outside the top 20 (23rd overall) before the 2019 MLB Draft and the trade deadline.

The Top Prospects

MLB’s list of top 100 minor league prospects contains both good and bad news. On the positive side, the Mets have three players on the list. Shortstop Ronny Mauricio, third baseman Brett Baty, and shortstop Andres Gimenez are all commonly recognized as top prospects.

Negatively, all three of these players rank in the bottom 80 on the top 100. Mauricio checks in as the top player at #84, with Baty just behind at #85, and Gimenez checking in at #94.

The Conclusion

The team’s system is also notably skewed toward hitting. While the current major league roster has based their identity on their pitching staff, their future seems to be based much more on their batters.  The Mets’ top five prospects are all hitters, leaving the team void of elite pitching prospects.

By any measurement, the Mets’ farm system ranks in the bottom third of the league. Due to the team’s lack of prospects in the top 80, I rank New York’s current minor league 26th in MLB (behind the Red Sox, Brewers, Cubs, and Angels).

If the 2019-2020 Mets can achieve their postseason goals, the state of the minor league is well worth it. In a league full of teams selling and playing it safe, it’s refreshing to see the Mets keep their focus squarely on winning. However, if the currently constituted roster is unable to seriously contend in a loaded NL East, there will come a point where the blue and orange will have to revert and become sellers in order to preserve the next decade of Mets baseball.

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While we all remain hopeful and cheer for our team’s season, Van Wagenen must ensure that the team does not find themselves in a position where they miss the postseason in the short term, while going into the future with a farm system ranking in the bottom of the league.