3 questions we'd ask Mets POBO David Stearns if he was given truth serum

3) Which, if any, of the Mets top prospects do you truly see turning into star-level players?

Last season, the Mets gave several young players chances to produce. Francisco Alvarez was the only one who showed much of anything. He had a fantastic rookie season. Guys like Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and even Ronny Mauricio struggled overall.

With Mauricio's injury, Baty figures to be the Opening Day third baseman. Vientos could see plenty of at-bats either as a platoon partner for Baty or even as the primary DH. If the season started tomorrow that'd probably be his role. We know the Mets want them to be good, but does Stearns actually believe in them?

Billy Eppler made several trades at the deadline which completely revamped the farm system. Luisangel Acuna, Drew Gilbert, Marco Vargas, and Ryan Clifford were all acquired in deadline deals and are all considered top-ten organizational prospects. How many, if any, of these guys does Stearns actually believe will turn out to be a star-level player? We know the Mets have shown no willingness to trade any prospect, but it's fair to question that philosophy.

Even before the trade deadline, the Mets had some intriguing prospects. Mike Vasil, Blade Tidwell, and Christian Scott are all making strides and could be seen as MLB-caliber pieces as soon as this year. Does Stearns really see them as major contributors in the future? Or will they just be younger versions of David Peterson and Tylor Megill. What about recent first-round picks Kevin Parada and Jett Williams? Parada seems to be having all sorts of struggles while Williams is on the opposite trajectory.

Building for the future is a great thing, but a lot of stock is being put into these prospects that Stearns had nothing to do with bringing aboard. His evaluations are likely entirely different than Billy Eppler's. Not every prospect will pan out as much as we'd like them to. Who does Stearns think can be the star Mets fans are craving? Relying on prospects like this involves a ton of risk but can lead to great things.