The next Mets prospect to jump up the rankings

Mike Vasil is a 22-year-old righty in the New York Mets system who will have a serious chance to raise his prospect stock further even when the regular season ends as he’ll pitch in the Arizona Fall League. In his second professional season, Vasil has become a name fans are watching closely.

Vasil had a successful stint with the St. Lucie Mets where he was 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA. Things didn’t go nearly as well in Brooklyn but minor league numbers are not much more important than the points on an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Currently ranked 11th in the system according to MLB.com, Vasil is a Mets prospect capable of making the next major leap forward in the rankings.

Mike Vasil is the next Mets prospect to leap in the rankings

At the moment, the Mets have several pitchers clustered together with Vasil being the fourth one. Blade Tidwell (8), Calvin Ziegler (9), and Matt Allan (10) are the only ones ahead of Vasil. On his tail are Dominic Hamel (12), and Joel Diaz (13).

None of these Mets pitching prospects have differentiated themselves from the pack. Allan was the foregone favorite until Tommy John Surgery threw a wrench in his trajectory. Tidwell, Ziegler, and Hamel are all high draft picks Mets fans have kept tabs on from the moment they joined the organization.

Vasil, on the other hand, was taken in the eighth rank in 2021 and has had to fight against the odds for attention.

Even if Vasil’s future doesn’t have him starting games for the Mets, there is plenty of room for him to become a reliable and capable relief pitcher. It’s too soon to make the switch now. The Mets are far from deep in this area.

Working in Vasil’s favor to climb the prospect rankings is his performance in 2022 and also the likelihood of seeing the Mets subtract some other prospects in the offseason. By trading away Mark Vientos, Vasil would automatically make his way into the top 10 by default.

It’s not just subtraction that can add to any hype surrounding Vasil. The Mets always seem to have a guy like him pop up from practically out of nowhere. He could easily be the next Tylor Megill.

Vasil might not have finished the season strong with Brooklyn but he’ll get another shot with them or even Binghamton to begin next year.