Mets minor leaguers we should be excited to see back in action

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JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 09: Andres Alfonso Gimenez #60 of the New York Mets throws against the Miami Marlins during a Grapefruit League spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 09, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Although we won’t get a minor league season in 2020, some New York Mets minor leaguers could make the job to the big league and we’re excited to see them play.

Major League Baseball recently announced that a shortened 60 game season will begin at the end of July, and the New York Mets will have important roster decisions to make. When play begins, all MLB teams will be allowed a 30-player roster for the first two weeks of the season. Roster limits go down to 28 for the next two weeks and 26 for the remainder of the season after that.

Mets fans are probably most excited to see fan favorites like Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso back in action when baseball officially resumes. In addition to the major league regulars, the Mets will likely have a few roster spots open for players in the organization who have yet to debut in the big leagues for the Amazins.

Several Mets minor league players were having impressive spring trainings before play was halted back in March. Here are three Mets minor leaguers we’re excited to see take the field again when the season begins.

Andres Gimenez

The Mets have several talented shortstops in the organization, including everyday player Amed Rosario and Single-A star Ronny Mauricio, but Andres Gimenez should not be forgotten as an important piece of organizational depth. He first came to the Mets as an international free agent in 2015 and made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following year.

Since then, Gimenez has slowly risen up the depth charts for the Amazins. As of this season, he is ranked in the top 100 baseball prospect lists by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus. Though Gimenez had a slow start in Double-A Binghamton last year, his bat heated up considerably in the 2019 Arizona Fall League, where he led the league with a .371 batting average and a .413 OBP.

Gimenez was having a decent spring in Mets camp, going 6 for 28 at the plate, but his glove has developed into a sure-handed strength over the past couple of years. For a Mets club that has power but tends to struggle in the field, his defense will be an important asset to the team’s near future.

In a recent interview with Metsmerized, Gimenez expressed his willingness to contribute at the major league level in any way possible.

“Wherever they need me I’ll be there,” he said. “It’s out of my hands and I can’t control when they call me up, but I’ll be ready whenever they do.”

Gimenez may not have a clear path to the majors at the moment, with Rosario, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, and Robinson Cano entrenched in their respective positions. However, he will certainly be in consideration for a spot on the expanded 2020 rosters. If any of the Mets’ infielders go down, he may very well get called up to Queens sooner rather than later.

David Peterson

The Mets have long prided themselves on developing frontline starters, and they are counting on David Peterson to be an important part of their future rotation. They drafted him out of the University of Oregon in the first round of the 2017 amateur draft. When Peterson was first selected, it was on the heels of two first-round pitching picks from 2016, Justin Dunn and Anthony Kay. They were both projected to play a large role in the Mets’ future pitching plans.

Now, with both of them gone via trades, Peterson is the lone recent pitching first-rounder who still has a chance to debut with the Mets. He has shown promise, posting a 4.19 ERA in 24 outings with Double-A Binghamton in 2019. Peterson also had a strong spring training in 2020, surrendering only one run in three appearances, including one start.

An important factor in Peterson’s career so far has been his durability. In his two full minor league seasons, Peterson has not missed extended time due to injury. This has given the Mets plenty of chances to evaluate him.

As other pitching prospects have left the team, he has risen in prominence and continually impressed his superiors. New manager Luis Rojas even referred to Peterson as the team’s “seventh starter” repeatedly in spring training earlier this year.

Save for current starter Steven Matz, the Mets are relatively devoid of left-handed, major league-ready pitchers in their organization. Peterson is aware of this. He believes that this year could be his chance to make an impact with the big club.

“Whenever my time comes that’s up to the front office,” Peterson told the New York Post. “But I want to make the decision on them as hard as possible and show them if they go with somebody that is a veteran and something happens I’m there.”

Ryan Cordell

Before this spring, I’d be hard-pressed to find one Mets fan who had heard of Ryan Cordell. The Amazins signed him to a minor league deal back in January, and he was a non-roster invitee to spring training. Cordell came from the Chicago White Sox, where he got off to a hot start at the plate in 2019 but cooled off to a .221 batting average by the end of the season.

In February and March, Cordell saw significant playing time in the outfield during spring training games in Port St. Lucie. He made the most of it. Cordell had 38 plate appearances this past spring, notching 10 hits and one home run for a .270 batting average.

He also had several defensive highlights, including this sprawling catch to rob the Astros’ Michael Brantley of an extra-base hit. A couple of days prior, Cordell showed off his strong arm with an outfield assist to double up a runner at first base and end the inning.

Last offseason, the Mets traded for Jake Marisnick, who is essentially an outfield defensive specialist. Marisnick is only signed through 2020, meaning that if Cordell can stick around in the Mets organization after this year, he could easily get a shot as a future defensive replacement. Cordell could also appear in a Mets game sooner than that if this season’s expanded rosters open up a spot for him.

In his short time with the Mets so far, Cordell has impressed his new manager with his variety of baseball skills.

“He features the speed, he features the defense and he’s had some good at-bats in games as well,” said Luis Rojas during spring training.

Brad Gunter Jr, Cordell’s high school baseball coach at Valley Christian Academy in Roseville, California, believes strongly that his former player has what it takes to be successful in the big leagues.

“It’s his athleticism,” Gunter said in a recent interview. “Anybody that sees him, that’s why they keep signing him and the fanbase has no clue who he is. They just see analytics with a batting average with the WAR (wins above replacement) or whatever and they’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t need that guy.’”

Depending on injuries and effectiveness on their major league squad, the Mets may very well need Cordell by the end of the season.

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All three of these players are unlikely to make the 2020 Mets roster outright. If this year has shown us anything, however, it’s that nothing about the 2020 baseball season is set in stone. Due to factors beyond their control, Gimenez, Peterson, and Cordell may play in Queens sooner than anyone expected.

Home / New York Mets prospects

Although we won’t get a minor league season in 2020, some New York Mets minor leaguers could make the job to the big league and we’re excited to see them play.

Andres Gimenez

David Peterson

Ryan Cordell

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