Best Gosh-Darn Guppies Around, I Say
SNY has a bright individual tracking prospects, namely the sharp Joe DeMayo.
These are the Top 20 fellas he ranks. I largely agree with them, but I feel it is unfair to stop at 20, and I disagree slightly with a few.
I'm taking the list from 20 to 25 and adding my thoughts.
Here is my midseason Top 25 prospect update:
1. C Francisco Álvarez
Interestingly, Joe says "He has made strides defensively this year, grading out as the best pitch-framer in the Double-A Eastern League. He still needs to work on his game-calling and preparation, but he is very advanced for 20 years old and has a chance to be a franchise-type player."
2. 3B Brett Baty
Baty has been smoking hot with power and totally deserves the # 2 rank. He will be really good. Really good. Just promoted to AAA.
3. C Kevin Parada
Mack is sure he will hit for average and power. That, and Parada being picked 11th overall, is good enough for me.
4. OF Alex Ramirez
Ramirez may not be the next Soto, but that doesn't mean he won't be a major league star. And who IS the next Soto, anyway? Answer: no one. But Ramirez could turn out to be pretty close.
5. 1B Mark Vientos
Absolute HR machine. 2023 is his year. At least as a DH vs. lefties. Please stop missing games. He had a hit and walk Wednesday night.
6. SS Ronny Mauricio
Big power, still 21, hitting skills are maturing. Who can argue with 43 XBH, 21 HRs, 68 RBIs in his first 89 games? Those are BIG-TIME #s. I foresee a 2024 arrival, maybe late 2023, but will have to move away from SS.
7. RHP Matt Allan
Hard to know where to put Allan until he throws again in anger this fall. Some guys return better, some guys worse. I'll go with Allan at # 7, although maybe this spot should belong to Tidwell.
8. SS Jett Williams
5-foot-8 package of excellent tools. 8th slot works for me.
9. RHP Blade Tidwell
Tidwell is loved by Mack and hits 99. Future rotation piece.
10. RHP Calvin Ziegler
Ziegler has great stuff. He needs to stay healthy and fix his control.
11. RHP Dom Hamel
Hamel has pitched great this season. Bright future. Count me in.
12. RHP José Butto
Not sure I have Butto in my top 20 - I'd like more dominance, so I go with low 20s. I like fireballer Bryce Montes De Oca at # 12, even if no one else does. (Butto finally just promoted to AAA after 133 career innings in AA, going 9-7, 3.79, 158 Ks). Maybe Butto turns into a top Mets bullpen arm soon, in the mode of a Jeurys Familia.
13. OF Nick Morabito
75th overall pick, good power. I can live with him at # 13.
14. RHP Joel Diaz
Great outing the other day. Next year, everyone will be talking about him.
15. RHP Mike Vasil
One of many 2021 draftees pitching well in 2022. I'm OK with him at # 15.
16. OF Simon Juan
Struggling in the DSL, so I'd put him at # 25, expecting he'll be a lot higher in 2023. I like Keyshawn Askew at # 16, pitching really well in 2022 (4-0, 1.76, 70 Ks in 51 innings).
17. RHP Junior Santos
I like Junior here - Junior Tilien that is. I'd put Junior Santos at # 24. Santos, to his credit, has had very good back-to-back starts for Brooklyn. Still 20.
18. CF Jake Mangum
Missed a lot of time with his back, just when he was doing quite well. Just 42 games this season - last game June 15. I bet his injury cost him his MLB debut this year. Who knows if (and how much) that injury will hinder him - so I put him at # 23.
My preference at 18, though, is Wyatt Young, who skipped over St Lucie and Brooklyn and has had a truly fine year offensively and defensively. Wyatt is hands down my overachiever of the year. I think in a pinch he could hold his own with the Mets right now. Little guy has his HR total up to 5, too. I really should have Wyatt higher than # 18. He has played so few pro games, he shouldn’t be ready. But he’s ready for the big leagues right now, in my humble opinion. Just 497 pro plate appearances, .294/.376/.402. A walk every 2 games on average this year. Just 13 errors in 117 games at SS, 2B, and 3B. Just 5 errors in 82 games at 2B.
19. Outfielder Omar De Los Santos
As good as his astronomical number of steals are, and pretty impressive power #s too, he strikes out too much for my Top 20 (120 Ks in 88 St Lucie games) - so I'll put him at # 22, and put OF Stanley Consuegra here instead. If righty Omar starts hitting lefties better, it will expedite his climb.
20. SS Jesus Baez
A DSL dandy - I can live with him there at # 20.
My 21-25:
Jose Butto, Omar De Los Santos, Jake Mangum, Junior Santos, Simon Juan, in that order. OK, that is my list.
Absolutely, to me, a better list than this time last year.
Even without the traded Nick Zwack, right, Mack?
Thoughts? Please limit them to 25 or 26, will ya?
8 comments:
Frankly, as good as Dom Hamel has been in 2022 (stats tomorrow on my Top 25), if Allan, Ziegler, and Tidwell turn out to be better than Hamel, the team's pitching future is very bright.
I think they missed the boat by not putting Wyatt Young on the list somewhere in the second 10. But everything is time dependent - there was a stretch this year that Young was underperforming at AA Binghamton. Recently he went on a tear so our radars are seeing it. I also think Matt Allan is too low, but once again these lists are "what have you done for me lately" material.
Paul, if by too low, you mean Matt Allan should be higher ranked, I think his 14 pro innings since 2019 warrants some ranking conservatism. I personally wonder a bit why Hamel, Ziegler and Tidwell are not higher than him. But, it is possible that DeMayo has some inside info that Allan, who likely is ramping up now, is looking really good. Hopefully, he will fall into the TJS recovery success cycle of Jake, Wheeler and Matz. Once those 3 finally got past their TJS rehab, they were really good.
True on Young's recent surge after a prolonged slump. If it was me, after his absolutely terrific 19 games in AAA early in the year, when he was frankly almost solely responsible for pulling Syracuse out of its early season deep plunge, I would have left him there and not sent him down to AA. Maybe he got a bit demoralized being demoted after posting a .446 OBP as a lead off hitter there, thinking "what else could I possibly do?" But he has been blistering hot of late. I think last night, Binghamton had 4 baserunners, 3 of which were Young, keeping Binghamton from being no-hit.
As usual Mauricio is rated too low. And why? Be cause he plays SS and he isnt and is “blocked”. Shortstops move to other positions, He has hit more homers than fan favorite Vientos. He is still filling out. He will be a power hitting OFer. Don’t trade him.
What? No Lee or Plummer? Both started the year in the top 10.
Lee and Plummer have turned into Flee and Bummer
I think Mauricio's negative is not his fielding but his OBP - but he is 21, and could be "fully fixed" by age 23. Jeff McNeil became a major leaguer at age 26.
Ray, I had Eric Orze in my top 25 last year, but he has slipped a bit this year, IMO
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