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

The New York Mets farm system is ranked #22 by MLB Pipeline. The system as a whole is not strong or deep, but a handful of prospects at the top are very talented.

The Mets have three prospects in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 in baseball. Ronny Mauricio, the switch-hitting shortstop, is ranked #53. Brett Baty, the hard-hitting third baseman and corner outfielder, is ranked #45. Francisco Alvarez, the powerful catcher with a cannon of an arm, cracked the top ten at #10. Pipeline says that they could compare these three with the top three of any other farm system and they’d rank highly.

The goal of any minor league system is to take the raw talent from the draft or international signings and develop those players into major league talent. As players progress through the levels of the minors, they face better talent and become more polished. The Mets have a good history of doing that, such as recent core players like Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Seth Lugo, and Jacob deGrom. They’ve also had some solid role players come up, such as Luis Guillorme, Tomas Nido, and Robert Gsellman.

Let’s take a look at some things I’d like to see from the Mets’ farm system in 2022.

5) A future Mets ace’s return, or non-return

Matt Allan has the stuff to be an ace.

The Mets absolutely stole Allan in the third round of the 2019 draft. He was touted as the best high school arm available, but due to his commitment to the University of Florida, teams didn’t want to risk choosing him with a really high pick in case he went to college. The Mets lured him away with a $2.5 million signing bonus, almost four times the slot value for the 89th overall pick.

Allan has a power fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90’s. His best-offspeed pitch is his 12-6 curveball, thrown in the low 80’s with sharp downward break. His curveball is rated as a 60 on the scouting scale, which is considered a plus pitch. His fastball is rated at 65, on the cusp of being elite or “plus-plus.” He also throws a changeup, which is about an average offering with potential to be a plus pitch. He has good command of all three of those pitches.

The righty was slated to start the 2021 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, which is the Mets A+ affiliate. He was diagnosed with a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in early May and had Tommy John surgery shortly after. He missed the remainder of the 2021 season, and since the typical recovery time is 12-15 months, will miss at least part of 2022 as well.

I want to see the Mets take their time with Allan. This guy has the potential to be a star, and since he’s only in A+ ball, there’s no point in rushing him back and risking a setback. Even if he misses all of next year, no sweat. He’s only 20 years old, he’s got plenty of time.

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.