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Mets Top Prospects: Three guys we’re eager to see play their first full professional season

By Tim Boyle |
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 19: A detailed view of the bat wieghts of the New York Mets in the on-deck circle against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on July 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 19: A detailed view of the bat wieghts of the New York Mets in the on-deck circle against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on July 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 14: Detail of the Nike shoes worn by Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on April 14, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 14: Detail of the Nike shoes worn by Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on April 14, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Minor league baseball returns to action this year after a layoff in 2020 because of the global pandemic. Resuming minor league ball across the country means a chance to take a look at some future members of the New York Mets. Amazingly, many of the club’s best prospects have yet to even play a full professional season.

The Mets farm system has few guys that are a stone’s throw away from a major league debut. After trading away several key pieces in recent years, we’re in the waiting phase.

Because the 2019 MLB Draft took place midseason and the 2020 one didn’t include any games after, there are two draft classes that have yet to experience what we could call a full professional season. These three Mets prospects are well-hyped and we should all be eager to see what they can accomplish in their first full season. Although 2021 might be a little shorter than most, they’ll give us far more innings and at-bats than they have already.

Mets top pitching prospect Matthew Allan has only a handful of professional innings

It’s not often the best pitching prospect in a team’s farm system is a third-round pick from only two years ago with just 10.1 innings of professional work on his resume. Let’s recall how the Mets landed Matthew Allan in the first place.

Way back in 2019 when Brodie Van Wagenen was calling the shots, the Mets selected nothing but college players after taking Allan in the third round. This allowed them to bolster their signing bonus to him, convincing the kid to skip college and come straight to the pro ranks.

Allan did pitch a little bit after he was drafted. His 8.1 innings in the Gulf Coast League resulted in a 1.08 ERA and a strikeout rate of 11.9. He wasn’t as lucky in his two innings in the New York Penn League—one level higher. However, it was two innings where he allowed as many runs in them.

The Mets built a good chunk of their 2019 draft strategy around signing Allan. A year off from playing actual games, it will be interesting to see how this may affect him.

If there is one prospect in the system you could expect to make a huge leap this season, I think it’s Allan. Teams always need pitching. While I don’t predict a major league debut just yet, Allan could put himself in a position to at least compete for a gig with the Mets in spring of 2022.

JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 17: Pete Crow-Armstrong #91 of the New York Mets scores a run against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning of a Grapefruit League spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 17, 2021 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 17: Pete Crow-Armstrong #91 of the New York Mets scores a run against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning of a Grapefruit League spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 17, 2021 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is a first-round pick we haven’t gotten to know yet

The 2019 first-round pick made by the Mets, Brett Baty, may not have technically have a “full year” under his belt, but over 200 plate appearances definitely is enough to have enough satisfaction. We can’t say the same for last year’s number one pick. Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has yet to play a single professional game.

He’s not alone in this regard. Because, well you know the story already about 2020, Mets fans are left wondering just how dazzling this young man can be both in the outfield and at the plate.

Possibly the future center fielder in Flushing, PCA is a lefty drafted straight out of a Los Angeles high school—not quite Compton. It’s never easy to know how a teenager can develop as a human let alone an athlete. I can only speculate about the type of player he can become or repeat what others believe. I won’t bother with that. Instead, let’s remember why he is important to the Mets.

This franchise has lacked legitimate outfield depth near major league-ready. The best Mets outfield prospects have either graduated to the big leagues, been traded, or fizzled out.

Crow-Armstrong can change the narrative and align himself well to one day become an everyday outfielder at Citi Field. We’ll need to remain patient with him. His ETA is a little more distant than some other Mets prospects the team has in the system. Let’s see if he can maybe speed it along a few months with a fantastic 2021 campaign.

JUPITER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 22: A detail of a New York Mets hat during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium on February 22, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
JUPITER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 22: A detail of a New York Mets hat during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium on February 22, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Mets pitching prospect J.T. Ginn is a big mystery

The Mets took a big chance by drafting J.T. Ginn with their second-round pick in 2020. The 30th overall selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018, Ginn pitched only three innings for Mississippi State before Tommy John Surgery wrecked his season. A year earlier, he was 8-4 with a 3.13 ERA in 86.1 innings pitched.

Ginn’s drop from his first draft to the next could be exclusively put on his TJ Surgery. He bet on himself and lost. Now, the Mets are betting on him to fully recover and become one of those pitchers the Dodgers wish they could have snagged.

On most prospect lists, Ginn is the second-best pitcher the Mets have behind Allan. Despite the franchise’s reputation as one that favors pitching, they’re a little dry at the moment as far as minor league pitching depth goes.

Ginn helps serve as one of those more promising young pitchers that could make a bid for the rotation in the future. Expected to be ready sometime this summer, he wasn’t affected as far as missing actually games played. Last year would have been an absent season from him anyway.

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The Mets may have “lucked out” by Ginn going down and falling so far in the draft to them. Although I expect him to be in only limited action this year, next season will hopefully be a year where we finally get to see him perform a whole lot more.

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