John from Albany - The Alternative 50 Mets Prospects, #3 Wilmer Reyes

#3 Wilmer Reyes, SS, Bats Right, Throws Right, DOB 12/22/1997, Mao, Dominican Republic, Signed by the New York Mets as an International free agent on June 1, 2016.

Last week I mentioned how not many were high on Patrick Mazeika.  Wilmer Reyes is another that does not show up on many top prospect lists. 

For example, Wilmer was not on MLB.com’s top 30 Mets Prospect list.

Tom had him on his prospect list at #16.

But how many current Mets minor leaguers or Mets top prospects were the hands down MVP of a team that won a championship?

How many are clearly the most exciting player on the field with great defense, hitting and very aggressive base running?

Last year, only two Mets minor leaguers (Ruben Tejada and Luis Guillorme) had a higher OPS with over 200 at-bats (and Ruben and Luis are no longer prospects).

Wilmer’s 2019 numbers: .333/.350/.441 - .791 OPS; 5 HR; 33 RBI; 12 steals; 61 games; 229 at bats; 74 Hits; 32 Runs; 8 2B; 3 3B; 12 SB;

While he played 38 games at short, for a period, Wilmer wasn’t even the number one shortstop for Brooklyn.  When 2019 Draftee Branden Fryman was brought up from the Gulf Coast Mets in July, Fryman played short while Wilmer played Second Base (2 games), Third Base (10 games), First Base (2 games), DH (5 games).  When Fryman was later injured, Wilmer was back at short for the remainder of the season.

Wilmer also played 23 games in LF in 2018 but he seems more suited for the infield. 

One of the most fun things to watch about Wilmer is the aggressive way he runs the bases. 

Most Mets fans I know say that the Mets are way too conservative on the bases.  Not Wilmer.  One way or another, he gives you your money’s worth every time he is on base. 

Granted, sometimes he can be too aggressive.

Down one run in the ninth against the Tri-City Valley Cats here in Troy last July, Wilmer started off the inning with a single, his third hit in a 3 for 4 night.   Jake Ortega, the Brooklyn catcher, then laid down a perfect bunt.  Wilmer thought he would catch the defense napping, took a wide turn rounding second and was thrown out at third, basically killing any chance of a rally. 

Andres Gimenez, Ronny Mauricio, and Manny Rodriguez will most definitely be ahead of Wilmer next year in the system.  The Mets may also rank Hansel Moreno, Luis Carpio, and Branden Fryman ahead of him too. 

So where does that leave Wilmer in 2020?  My guess is that he start the year in Columbia, hopefully as the everyday shortstop or at least playing every day at another position.

Either way, it will be an interesting year for him.  He will be Rule 5 draft eligible this December.  If he has another year like the one he had for Brooklyn in 2019, we could see him get moved to another team via a trade or the Rule 5 draft.

My hope is that he somehow makes it to Binghamton at some point in 2020 so I can see him play again.

Here is Wilmer Reyes’ FANGRAPHS page.

Here is Wilmer Reyes’ Baseball Savant page.

FYI, here are the top ten OPS numbers for Mets Minor Leaguers last year for players with more than 200 at bats for one team:

Ruben Tejada, Syracuse, 276 At Bats .328/.404/.471; .875 OPS;

Luis Guillorme, Syracuse, 228 At Bats .307/.412/.452; .864 OPS;

Wilmer Reyes, Brooklyn, 229 At Bats .323/.350/.441; .791 OPS;

Freddy Valdez, DSL 1, 220 At Bats .268/.358/.432; .790 OPS;

Jason Krizan, Binghamton, 323 At Bats .257/.335/.443; .778 OPS;

Danny Espinosa, Syracuse, 473 At Bats .256/.338/.440; .777 OPS;

Omar De Los Santos, DSL 2, 209 At Bats .278/.357/.411; .769 OPS;

Dyron Campos, DSL 2, 259 At Bats .301/.367/.398; .765 OPS;

Jaylen Palmer, Kingsport, 242 At Bats .260/.344/.413; .757 OPS;

Barrett Barnes, Binghamton, 311 At Bats .228/.350/.399; .749 OPS;