MLB Draft Insider - Top 14 in ’14: New York Mets

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
1	Noah Syndergaard	RHP	L/R	6-6 / 240
He may not have been the most talked-about name in the R.A. Dickey trade, but Syndergaard is now the best prospect in the Mets system thanks to two plus pitches and significantly improved command. Syndergaard’s fastball will touch 98 with very little effort, and when he stays on top of the pitch he gets downhill plane with the ability to hit his spots on either side of the plate. The big development that has seen him become a top 30 prospect is the curveball, a pitch that will flash plus as a power curve with late break and excellent spin. His change is another above-average offering, with very good arm speed and occasionally some fade and drop to the pitch, too. His control is ahead of his command, but it should be plus as he continues to develop and walks have not — and shouldn’t be — an issue for the right-hander. There are arms with more upside than Syndergaard, but he’s got a chance to be a top-of-the-rotation starter with a chance to be a true ace if his curveball continues to improve. I’d expect to see him in the Mets rotation at some point in 2014, maybe as soon as June. FASTBALL 70-70 CURVE 50-60 CHANGE 50-55 COMMAND 55-60 ETA: 2014

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
2	Dominic Smith	1B	L/R	6-0 / 185
First base prospects who don’t have 70 grade power potential are generally not top 50 prospects, but Smith is a rare exception. Smith’s approach at the plate would be impressive for a 28 year old, much more so an 18 year old, and with strong wrists and a bat that stays through the zone, he has a chance to hit for both average and power at the big-league level, with plenty of walks to inflate the on-base percentage as well. There’s a non-zero chance that the power potential grade goes up a tick as well, but he’ll have to add some strength and work on keeping his front leg quieter in the front. Elite defense from first-base doesn’t have near the value that it does at most (all) other positions, but it’s nothing to sneeze at, and Smith has a chance to be among the best first-baseman in the game with excellent hands and a strong throwing arm that should allow him to be excellent on the 3-6-3, 3-6-1 double plays. Some have suggested he could play right-field, but he just doesn’t have the athleticism/footwork to play an outfield position. Still, is the best first-base prospect in baseball, with a chance to be a middle of the order hitter capable of hitting 20-25 homers a year and on-base percentages in the .400′s. HIT 50-65 POWER 50-60 SPEED 45-45 GLOVE 55-70 ARM 65-65 ETA: 2016

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
3	Travis D’Arnaud	C	R/R	6-2 / 195
It was another year of injury concerns for D’Arnaud, failing to accumulate 300 plate appearances in 2013 and if the questions about whether the talented catcher can ever stay healthy weren’t there yet, they probably should be now. That being said, when D’Arnaud is on the field he’s an impressive prospect, equally impressive with the glove as he is with the bat. At the plate, D’Arnaud has excellent hand-eye coordination and good bat speed, and he uses both along with a strong lower half to generate power to all parts of the field, though he’s more a doubles hitter to right-center than a guy who’s going to hit a lot of opposite-field homers. He will occasionally give away at bats and likely will never have big walk numbers, but .270-.280 batting averages are not out of the question. D’Arnaud continues to get better with the glove, and now projects to be a plus receiver, he works hard behind the plate and has soft hands and gives solid targets, and he gets rid of the ball quickly with strong accurate arm that will get all but the fleetest of foot runners to stay at their respected bases. Expecting him to play 120 games is looking less and less likely, but D’Arnaud still has a chance to be a top ten catcher — if not higher — if he can stay healthy and show just a bit more patience at the plate. HIT 45-50 POWER 60-60 SPEED 30-30 GLOVE 55-60 ARM 60-60 ETA: 2014

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
4	Rafael Montero	RHP	R/R	6-0 / 170
There are plenty of arms with higher ceiling’s than Montero, but few have a higher floor, with three above-average pitches and plus control/command. His fastball sits in the low 90′s but will occasionally touch the mid 90′s, and he might command his fastball as well as any prospect in baseball right now. Both his slider and change flash above-average, with the latter being the more consistent offering with excellent arm speed, but his slider continues to get better with tight spin and improving tilt. He repeats his delivery well and there’s no read flags in his delivery, but some have concern about his sleight build and whether or not he can handle 170 innings a year. I think those concerns are a bit unjustified, however, because he’s so efficient and the pitch counts should allow him to get fairly deep into games. He’s likely no more than a No. 3, but it’s difficult to see Montero not being a starter at the next level, and he should be in the Mets rotation at some point this season. FASTBALL 60-60 SLIDER 50-55 CHANGE 50-55 COMMAND 50-60 ETA: 2014

Rank	Name	Position	Bats/Throws	Height/Weight
5	Brandon Nimmo	OF	L/R	6-3 / 185
The Mets have allowed Nimmo to develop slowly since they took him in the first-round of the 2011 draft, and last year he began to show why so many were so high on his left-handed bat that year. He’ll never likely hit for huge power totals, but as he gains strength double-digit homers are not out of the realm of possibility. The hit tool though, projects to be plus, with excellent hand-eye coordination and pitch recognition, and a swing that is conducive to line-drives at all parts of the field. He does struggle against quality left-handed pitching, and there’s a chance that he’s going to have to be a platoon as a big-leaguer. Defensively, Nimmo’s likely landing spot is a corner outfield position, but there’s a non-zero chance he can stick in centerfield as he gets decent reads in the outfield with above-average speed. The bat profiles best in center, but even as a left-fielder Nimmo projects to be an above-average regular, with a chance to be more if the power develops and he proves he can play against southpaws. HIT 45-60 POWER 40-50 SPEED 55-55 GLOVE 50-55 ARM 55-55 ETA: 2016

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