Here's the Mets' new Top 30 Prospects list
Anthony DiComo
@AnthonyDiComoNEW YORK -- Across baseball, spanning all 30 Major League organizations, only six catchers made the Top 40 in MLB Pipeline¡¯s midseason re-rank of prospects.
The Mets employ two of them.
In addition to Francisco ?lvarez, who remains the game¡¯s highest-ranked prospect at any position, top Draft pick Kevin Parada is ranked 40th in MLB (and third on the Mets¡¯ organizational list) on Pipeline¡¯s re-rank. Parada joins fellow first-rounder Jett Williams in the Mets¡¯ Top 5.
The Mets consider their glut of catching a fantastic problem to have, and one they¡¯ll address in the future if both ?lvarez and Parada continue to excel. For now, team officials are more interested in continuing to nurture a farm system that is on the ascent. Unlike previous front-office regimes, which dealt away significant prospect talent from 2019-21, general manager Billy Eppler made a point this July to keep the upper portions of his farm intact. The Mets also had five selections within the first 90 picks of this year¡¯s Draft, which added plenty of talent to the existing pool.
Here¡¯s a look at the Mets¡¯ top prospects:
1. Francisco ?lvarez, C (MLB No. 1)
2. Brett Baty, 3B (MLB No. 19)
3. Kevin Parada, C (MLB No. 40)
4. Alex Ramirez, OF (MLB No. 90)
5. Jett Williams, SS
Complete Top 30 list ?
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump: Mike Vasil, LHP (Preseason: 21 | Midseason: 11) -- Vasil moved up 10 spots despite suffering an injury after his promotion from Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn. Keep an eye also on 21-year-old outfielder Stanley Consuegra, who clocked in at No. 23 on the midseason list after being unranked in the preseason.
Fall: Khalil Lee, OF (Preseason: 8 | Midseason: 24) -- It¡¯s been a tough go for Lee, who hit his first big league homer in June but has spent most of the season slumping at Triple-A Syracuse. Now 24, Lee may find it difficult to carve out a future role in Flushing.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
No. 3, Kevin Parada, C (Draft, first round)
No. 5, Jett Williams, SS (Draft, first round)
No. 8, Blade Tidwell, RHP (Draft, second round)
No. 14, Nick Morabito, OF (Draft, second-round compensation)
No. 18, Jacob Reimer, 3B (Draft, fourth round)
Impact callup
Francisco ?lvarez, C (No. 1/MLB No. 1)
It¡¯s worth dreaming, right? The Mets did not make a move at catcher before the Trade Deadline, and while the 20-year-old remains young with defensive issues, he¡¯s getting closer and closer to being ready for Queens with the bat. Ignore ?lvarez's BABIP-deflated average at Syracuse, and pay attention to the fact that nine of his 15 Triple-A hits have gone for extra bases, including five homers. The Mets may be running away with the NL East, but if they want to give their best shot at winning a pennant in the fall, they might want to give one of their best catching options a look before the season is out.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Brett Baty (Kevin Parada)
Power: 70 -- Francisco ?lvarez
Run: 60 -- Jett Williams (Nick Morabito)
Arm: 60 -- Stanley Consuegra (Francisco ?lvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos, Khalil Lee)
Field: 55 -- Alex Ramirez (Stanley Consuegra, Khalil Lee)
Fastball: 65 -- Matt Allan (Robert Dominguez)
Curveball: 60 -- Matt Allan
Slider: 60 -- Grant Hartwig (Blade Tidwell, Keyshawn Askew)
Changeup: 60 -- Jose Butto
Control: 55 -- Eric Orze (Mike Vasil, Jose Butto)