Reese Kaplan -- Older Prospects Can Become Add-On Trade Chips

It’s interesting to read the in-house and outside narratives about what’s going right in the minors for the Mets.  Obviously productivity at any level is most welcome but where it becomes most interesting is who is trying to figure out who is playing himself into the Mets major league plans and who is making himself into a valuable trade chip?

Obviously the inherent worth of a player like Brandon Sproat or Blade Tidwell exceeds that of Dom Hamel based primarily on projected major league competence and minor league pedigree.  With Hamel hitting 26 he’s at the limit of his prospect status for the club and although his results would suggest he is certainly now a formidable opponent on the mound, I think David Stearns will find that his desirability by other clubs will not approach that of the younger starting pitchers.

Now don’t get me wrong.  There’s nothing inherently bad about being a bit older than the competition without having shown a whole late lately on your minor league resume.  Think all the way back to early in the 2024 season when a filler named Dedniel Nunez all of the sudden came from seemingly nowhere to provide high quality pitching out of the bullpen.  It is possible for these types of things to happen, but having primarily been a starter in the minors it may be that a second division club would envision Hamel taking the ball every fifth day as one of its starters.  It’s also conceivable that another club facing a major loss due to injury might want to give the older minor leaguer a shot.  

On the offensive side of the ledger you kind of have to feel for Joey Meneses being the hitting equivalent of Dom Hamel.  He’s not a kid, already 32 years old having played as a rookie at the advanced age of 30 for the Washington Nationals.  After a three year stint there the Mets picked him up as AAA filler as he’s not even on the 40-man roster.  As Tom pointed out, he’s going double crazy with a .309 batting average though he’s yet to launch one over the fence.

The flip side, of course, is youngster Drew Gilbert who has returned with an offensive vengeance.  The now 24 year old left handed hitting center fielder has put together a bit more than an aggregate full season worth of minor league at-bats.  In 727 times to the plate he has 32 HRs, 105 RBIs and 21 stolen bases while hitting .267.  For a little guy at only 5’9” those numbers are pretty impressive.  If he can remain healthy and continue to feast on AAA pitching he may find himself the long term replacement for Jose Siri sooner than anticipated.

Of course, the bigger AAA bat people are waiting with bated breath to see is a healthy again Ronny Mauricio who proved with his glove, his arm, his legs and his bat he was ready to play in the major leagues.  He will need at least 6 weeks of solid daily play to demonstrate his health and his resumption as a top prospect either for the Mets or for a new employer in trade.