How the top 10 Mets prospects from 2013 turned out

Welcome to 2023 where everything that happened in 2013 is now ten years old. Time flies. More than a decade has now gone by since the New York Mets released Jason Bay and then traded the reigning National League Cy Young winner.

Those things remain a little fresher in our minds than who the top 10 Mets prospects were way back in 2013. Using the list from Baseball America, let’s go back in time and see how those top 10 turned out.

Looking back at the top 10 NY Mets prospects from 2013

Baseball America’s list of the top 10 Mets prospects serves as a reminder of how right, how wrong, and how patient we need to be with minor leaguers. This is what they had:

1. Zack Wheeler, rhp
2. Gavin Cecchini, ss
3. Brandon Nimmo, of
4. Luis Mateo, rhp
5. Rafael Montero, rhp
6. Wilmer Flores, 3b/2b
7. Michael Fulmer, rhp
8. Jeurys Familia, rhp
9. Domingo Tapia, rhp
10. Cory Mazzoni, rhp

Certain names stand out positively while others require a Google search. Zack Wheeler, Brandon Nimmo, Wilmer Flores, and Jeurys Familia each had an impact on the Mets at some point. Only Nimmo seemed to reach expectations while in New York. As good as Flores and Familia were, I think much more was expected from both.

Then there are those other guys. Gavin Cecchini stuck around for a while within the organization, but quickly became an afterthought in the farm system. Michael Fulmer helped the Mets acquire Yoenis Cespedes in 2015. Rafael Montero seems to have blossomed later in his career as a reliever.

The other three names are a complete loss. Luis Mateo, Domingo Tapia, and Cory Mazzoni mine as well be create-a-players. Mateo last pitched for the Mets in 2017, ultimately reaching Triple-A. Tapia was, to my surprise, actually on the active roster of the Oakland Athletics last year. Mazzoni was traded prior to the 2015 season to the San Diego Padres for Alex Torres.

Ten years later, only Nimmo remains with the Mets organization. This list serves as a reminder of how big of misses can happen but also the few hits along the way. Notably absent from this top 10 is Jacob deGrom.

For some final fun, Baseball America made a prediction of what the 2016 Mets lineup would look like. This was published shortly before the R.A. Dickey trade so please excuse them while they get this completely wrong.

PROJECTED 2016 LINEUP

Catcher Kevin Plawecki
First Base Ike Davis
Second Base Gavin Cecchini
Third Base David Wright
Shortstop Ruben Tejeda
Left Field Wilmer Flores
Center Field Brandon Nimmo
Right Field Cory Vaughn
No. 1 Starter Zack Wheeler
No. 2 Starter Matt Harvey
No. 3 Starter R.A. Dickey
No. 4 Starter Jon Niese
No. 5 Starter Rafael Montero
Closer Luis Mateo