NY Mets prospect stolen from the Yankees is already ranking higher than Elian Pena

The New York Mets' farm system has been bursting with talent in recent years, to the degree that New York's brightest prospects seem to be perpetually leapfrogged by younger, brighter talents.

Such is the case with rising, 18-year-old star prospect Elian Peña, who has already been surpassed by 16-year-old Wandy Asigen in the Mets' system, at least in the eyes of FanGraphs.

Wandy Asigen now ranks higher than Elian Peña in Mets' system

FanGraphs ranked Asigen No. 7 and Peňa No. 11 in a newly updated Mets prospects snapshot. To be seen as a greater talent than Peña is no small deal for Asigen.

Peña, after a tough start to 2025, rebounded splendidly and finished with a .292/.421/.528 line with nine home runs and 21 steals in 55 DSL games last year. Peňa showcased his five-tool prowess and convinced the Mets that his $5 million signing bonus was well worth it.

Peña is viewed as an elite prospect by virtually everyone. MLB Pipeline and Baseball America ranked him third and second, respectively, among international prospects from last year's class. Last February, MLB.com forecasted that Peña would be the Mets' top prospect by 2027. Moreover, Peña is now represented by Scott Boras. All the signs of imminent stardom are there.

All of this, and yet, Asigen might be the more electrifying prospect. There's a reason New York Yankees fans were terrified when reports first surfaced about Asigen's potential defection from the organization and return to the open market.

This latest Asigen evaluation from FanGraphs only adds to the hype train. FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski described Asigen as "arguably the best all-around prospect in the 2026 class." Longenhagen and Gawlowski also said that Asigen, were he a high school player, would be seen as a top-five overall draft pick.

Lika Peña, Asigen is a lefty-hitting infield prospect with an unknown ceiling. Longenhagen and Gawlowski noted his bat speed while also wondering how his swing, currently built for low-ball contact, will handle elevated fastballs at higher levels of pro baseball.

There's plenty of time to find out, as Asigen isn't even 17 years old yet. If he pans out in the long run, it'll be a big win for the Mets and a big loss for the Yankees, whose firing of international scouting director Donny Rowland happened within the same timeframe as losing Asigen.

FanGraphs didn't verify that the two departures were related, but that doesn't change the fact that the Mets were ready to jump at an advantageous situation.