NY Mets: 5 things I want to see from the farm system in 2022

4) Francisco Alvarez’s continued climb up the Mets’ system.

The Mets have something special in Francisco Alvarez.

He’s the #10 overall prospect in baseball, and the #2 catcher only to future Orioles backstop Adley Rutschman. The Mets signed Alvarez out of Venezuela in 2018 as a 16-year-old. MLB Pipeline has him rated at a 55 hit and field, and 60 power and arm.

Alvarez is known for his power. Being 5’10” and weighing in at 233 pounds, Alvarez packs a punch into a compact frame. He has a lofty swing, with almost 40% of his batted balls going into the air. The combination of loft and hard contact makes him a threat every time he steps into the box. Alvarez started the season in A- but got promoted to A+ after 15 games. Between the two levels, he hit .272/.388/.554/.942 with 24 homers, 18 doubles, and 70 RBI’s. He also stole eight bases.

Defensively, Alvarez is known for his arm. He is a big guy, so his blocking and mobility behind the plate could use some work, but he’s still rated as an above-average defender.

With James McCann behind the dish, there’s no need to rush Alvarez. He’s still just 19 years old, and he will be in AA at some point early this year. MLB Pipeline projects him to come up in 2023, which is the third year of McCann’s contract. Alvarez has the chance to jump McCann on the depth chart at some point thanks to his powerful bat.

3) A true center fielder for the Mets

Brandon Nimmo is a great offensive player, but the Mets could benefit from a better defender in center field.

Last year, in a three-team trade with the Royals and Red Sox that sent Andrew Benintendi to KC, the Mets acquired left-handed-hitting Kahlil Lee. MLB Pipeline has him rated as a 50 power, 55 run and field, and 60 arm. If there’s one knock on Lee, it’s that he’s going to strike out (29.6 K% in AAA), but he balances that with a high walk rate (18.3% BB%).

Lee made his major league debut in 2021, playing 11 games and struggling to the tune of a .167 OPS with 13 strikeouts in 18 at-bats and just one hit. He was demoted to AAA and got raging hot. He finished the season with a .274/.451/.500/.951 slash line. He hit 14 homers, 20 doubles, and scored 67 runs. He walked 71 times, which is impressive.

Defensively, he can play anywhere in the outfield. He has the speed and range to stay in center or the arm strength to play in right. Let’s say that Conforto accepts the qualifying offer or signs an extension, we could see an outfield alignment with Nimmo in left, Lee in center, and Conforto in right.

With Lee’s athleticism, the Mets could have their first true center fielder since Juan Lagares. And I don’t mean the post-injury Lagares in 2016 and 2017, I mean the gold glove award winner in 2014.

2) A cornerstone third baseman for the Mets

The Mets haven’t had a great third baseman since David Wright retired.

Fortunately, that’s about to change. Two of the Mets’ top six prospects are third basemen, and there’s another candidate to play the hot corner on top of that.

Brett Baty has drawn rave reviews since the Mets drafted him out of high school in 2019. Baty entered the draft as a 19-year-old high school senior, and his advanced age may have spooked other teams away from drafting him, so he fell to the Mets at #12 overall. MLB Pipeline rates him as a 55 hitter, 60 power and arm, and 50 field. Baty had a great season in 2021, putting up an .855 OPS with 12 homers and 22 doubles across A+ and AA, and he followed that with a good showing in the Arizona Fall League as well. He is the most likely third baseman of the future in my opinion, but he has spent time in left field as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if he starts the season in AAA and eventually makes his debut in ‘22.

Mark Vientos is the #6 prospect in the Mets’ system and the next candidate to be a cornerstone third baseman. Vientos was the Mets’ second-round pick in the 2017 draft at just 17 years old. Vientos has light-tower power, rated as a 60 on MLB Pipeline. His arm is also a 60. He hit 25 homers and 18 doubles this season, good for a stellar .581 slugging percentage and a .933 OPS. He spent most of the season in AA but got promoted to AAA for the last 11 games of the season. He should start there in 2022 and make his major league debut at some point.

The other candidate to potentially play third base is Ronny Mauricio. Since Francisco Lindor has shortstop locked up for the next decade, Mauricio doesn’t have a set position to play in the big leagues. Mauricio has a 50 hit tool, 60 power and arm, and 55 field. Personally, I think second base is a more likely home for him than third base, since some combination of Baty and Vientos will hold down third. Mauricio probably won’t come up until 2023, and I think there’s a good chance the Mets move on from Jeff McNeil before then.

There’s also the chance that one of these three gets used as trade bait. They have already drawn interest in trade talks, and there’s no reason to think that will stop. For them to be involved in a trade, the Mets would have to be getting someone pretty good in return.

1) Some potential Mets call ups

The great thing about developing talent in the minor leagues is that, when good players come up to the big leagues, it fills a hole on the roster and allows the team to spend money at other positions where they don’t have young talent. There are a few players towards the top of the prospect list we could see in Queens next season, so the team can focus their free agent spending this winter at other positions of need.

I think Kahlil Lee is the most likely call up we see in 2022. After a brief cameo in the majors in 2021, Lee went back to AAA and absolutely crushed the ball. Thanks to his speed, range, and arm strength, he can play any outfield position the Mets need him to. Depending on what happens with Michael Conforto, we could see him sooner than later.

Baty and Vientos are also likely to come up next year. Since both of them have the skill and potential to be a star third basemen or corner outfielders for the Mets, the team doesn’t have to go after someone like Kris Bryant on a huge contract. That money could be better spent on a starting pitcher. Ronny Mauricio is another guy we could see, but he’s farther away and the position he’ll play in the majors remains to be seen with Fransisco Lindor at shortstop for the foreseeable future.

There are a handful of others who could contribute in smaller roles. Carlos Cortes is a candidate to come up as a utility guy or bench player. Jose Butto is a reliever with a great fastball-changeup combo who could eat some innings from the bullpen. Josh Walker is a southpaw starter who rose three minor league levels this year. He struggled a little bit at the end of the season in AAA Syracuse, but if he starts the year there and has some success, he could be a good depth option as a starter or reliever. If Thomas Szapucki is healthy, we’ll be seeing more of him too.

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