Mack – Top 25 2020 Mets Prospects - #11-15

A man named John Sickles use to have a great series of top 30 prospects for all the major league teams. For some reason, the feature was discontinued.

John would rate the players with the A through F system, using A as a can’t miss prospect, B a probable, C a possible, and F… well, you can figure out what F meant.

The last top Mets prospect list he had led with a sub-headline of “ if you love C+ prospects than you are going to love the Mets.

Nothing much has changed. We have a couple of A/A- guys, a handful of B+/B/B- players and the rest are C+.

Was John right? Well, he did not have Jeff McNeil’s name come up until he ended the series with players in one paragraph entitled ‘honorable mention’.

Here’s my current list of my top 25. I will post this in five separate posts.

Here’s this week’s #11-15:

PC - Ed Delany

15.    OF Wagner Lagrange – Wagner started late in organized ball, playing at the DSL level as a 19/yr. old. He has always hit well, with a 5/yr. pro BA of .297, but he has always played at a level far below his age. A good arm and nice range in right, but do we need another outfielder with no power? I probably have him ranked high but I see nothing wrong with another potential leadoff hitter that can run as well as get on base.

PC - Ernest Dove

14.    SP David Peterson – At one point I had this guy as our top prospect. I danced in my living room when they called out his name on draft day. This past season, he had another so-so season (24 Bing starts, 4.19, 1.34). He also frustrates with his blow ups. Take his last 6 starts this past season. 24-IP. 4-ER. But, in between is a 2.3 inning stint where he gave up 7 earned runs. He will pitch Syracuse next year as a 25 year old and it’s time for him to prove to all of us that he was worth a 1^st round pick in 2017.

PC - John Canary

13.    OF Jake Mangum – Mangum hit his stride in August, hitting .286 in 77-AB for Brooklyn. He played 2019 as a 23/yr. old so there is some urgency here. A spray hitting, Mangum’s biggest asset is his speed and earns him accolated at the scouts and evaluators in this game. His defense is average, but his speed lets him catch up to balls that would fall if others were to play center. I’m sure the Mets will work with him defensively as his pitch selection improves at the plate.

12.    OF Alexander Ramirez -  The Mets signed the 16-year old Ramirez in the off-season and paid him a record $2.1mil bonus. He’s billed as a true power/speed centerfield threat. We will get out first look at Ramirez when the DSL teams take the field next year.

11.    3B Mark Vientos – Vientos got past his slow start last season and ended strong, hitting .272 for July-August in Columbia. His 12-HRs and 62-RBIs give a hint at what’s to come of this teenager. The only question is whether or not he can improve his defense enough to hold on to third.