MACK: MY Wednesday Observations - Where Should The Prospects End Up At The End Of The Season – Outfielders - Power Rankings, A.J. Minter, Rental Bats, Jake Bird

 

Where Should The Prospects End Up At The End Of The Season – Outfielders

 

It’s been a long time since the Mets had this kind of outfielder depth in their chain. There are six guys to discuss here. First, who will finish in Syracuse:

Drew Gilbert is already there. We all had hoped he would have been ready to roam center in Queens already, but it just didn’t pan out that way. Sure, he’s still a prospect, but he continues to only show flashes of what he was projected to be. He’s currently hitting barely above .200 and has hit less than 10 home runs. That’s not what the Mets expected here. Me? I don’t see this happening anymore and, instead, I see him settling into an AAAA role in Syracuse.

So is Gilberto Celestino, a very pleasant surprise this season. The Mets signed him to a minor league contract on 2-5-25. In the past, he played for Minnesota (0.2-WAR) and Houston, Pittsburgh, and Cubs minor league teams. He’s still only 26 and hitting well above .275. Limited homers but also limited strikeouts. My bet is he would be the first emergency call-up this season, not Gilbert. He has + centerfield defense and could be your next Siri this season.

The big question is where Nick Morabito will finish this season. He’s playing everyday in AA-ball and proving every day that he’s ready to drive his truck across the state. Morabito starts out with 70-grade speed and 55-grade centerfield defense. Nice start, huh? He does have a limited arm but plays shallow and can easily catch up at balls it over his head. Add to this is the fact that he just simply gets on base in AA-ball and his current OBP is well above .500. Yup. Well above .500. Add to this that he steals the shit out of bases and I know in my baseball heart that he will end the season batting leadoff and roaming center for AAA-Syracuse.

One then must ask, where will Jett Williams finish this season? Frankly, this might not matter when it comes to the future of Williams in centerfield, what with Morabito out-performing him and others I will touch on next coming up right behind him. He could be moved to one of the corner positions, but I don’t see that being developed. No, with this and the fact that the infield is quite crowded, I’m even more convinced he will be traded.

Next up is the first of very two future options. Carson Benge is a 22/year old LHH who hit well for Brooklyn and is showing improved exit velocities and line-drive rate, suggesting growing power. However, right now, still too groundball-heavy and not producing enough home runs. + defensive player with a 60/80 arm. Benge was a big time first round draft pick that luckily fell to the Mets. Should have been drafted earlier. He’s starting to turn into the player this team had hoped for. Capable centerfielder, but I see his future in left next to the next guy in center.

20/year old LHH  A.J. Ewing has burst upon the scene this year in a dramatic way after being drafted in the 4^th round of the 2023 season. Comp pick for losing Jake deGrom. 55-run grade. 50-grade fielding. Arm only 45. Compared to Nick Morabito. Currently hitting .330+ for combined St. Lucie/Brooklyn this season. Young, but quickly developing an ETA of 2027. I have him in center in the future.

Eli Serrano, Simon Juan, and Edward Lantigua show future promise, but their current output doesn’t warrant being part of this series. Maybe soon.

MLB Power Rankings

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429187/2025/06/17/mlb-power-rankings-mets-dodgers-2/

1. New York Mets (Average ranking: 2.0)

Record: 45-27

Last Power Ranking: 2

Preseason Power Ranking: 5

In late March, the Mets were a top-five team that felt kinda similar to the other teams around them in the rankings. By late April, the Mets were the first team this season to supplant the Dodgers as the No. 1 team in our Power Rankings. They’ve gotten less than expected from Juan Soto — though Soto’s coming around — and Sean Manaea has yet to pitch, but Pete Alonso’s been awesome, same for Francisco Lindor, and the rotation has been shockingly good (and deep). The NL East isn’t the three-team race we anticipated — for more on that, see No. 15 — but the Mets have helped keep the division strong at the top. We expected them to be pretty good, and they’ve been better than that. — Chad Jennings

Re-drafting the 2015 MLB Draft

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6430735/2025/06/18/2015-mlb-draft-redraft-alex-bregman-kyle-tucker/

28. A.J. Minter, LHP

Career WAR to date: 6.0

Spot Actually Selected: Round 2, Pick 75, Atlanta

Player Actually Selected No. 28: Mike Soroka, RHP, Atlanta

I saw Minter very early that spring, at home, on the same trip when I saw Hayes, and until 2021 or so that game at College Station was the coldest I had ever been while at a ballpark, 45 degrees at first pitch, and apparently the concourse there is just a wind tunnel. I hated his delivery but the two pitches were impressive enough to see a strong reliever upside. He blew out before the draft, Atlanta took him anyway, and he gave them 5.6 WAR over 384 appearances, all of them in relief. 

He’s out for the rest of 2025 after surgery to repair a lat muscle.

Top Rental Arms and Bats on the Block at the MLB Trade Deadline

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/rental-arms-bats-mlb-trade-deadline-candidates/

Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Orioles: There isn’t a world where it makes sense for Cedric Mullins to be playing on the Baltimore Orioles come August 1st. The Orioles are not going to make the playoffs, he is a rental, and he plays a premium position in center field.

Adding a potential plus bat in center field can mean all the difference to lengthen out a playoff lineup, so there is sure to be plenty of interest. Mullins is also one of those free agents who falls just below being extended a qualifying offer, as he may jump at the $20+ million payday. (Think Jurickson Profar last year).

If the Orioles aren’t going to extend the QO, get the best prospect you can before it is too late. 

Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles: Everything we just wrote about Mullins can be rinsed and repeated here with Ryan O’Hearn. The Orioles are unlikely to extend him a QO, and he is going to be a free agent this winter. The time is now to sell. The good news is that O’Hearn is tearing the cover off the ball this year, angling for his first-ever All-Star appearance. 

Mike Tauchman, Chicago White Sox: Might not get you much more than a PTBNL, but someone has to acknowledge that Mike Tauchman is having himself a fine season. Everyone wants to read about Luis Robert Jr., but here is Tauchman with a 141 wRC+ in 26 games.

Any team that is looking for a left-handed platoon bat that will play you solid defense in the corner outfield spots, and center field in a pinch, should be looking to add a solid vet like Tauchman.

 

Putting Together a Rockies-Mets Trade for Jake Bird

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/jake-bird-rockies-mets-trade-deadline/

If the Rockies were to trade Bird to the Mets, what might a reasonable return package look like? I asked Just Baseball’s Ryan Finkelstein, who is the host of the Locked On Mets podcast, for his opinions. He offered the potential of three Mets prospects who might align with the Rockies’ rebuilding timeline:

Ronny Mauricio (INF) – Previously ranked as the Mets’ No. 9 overall prospect, the 24-year-old Mauricio is a toolsy infielder with a high ceiling. While he’s dealt with injuries and inconsistency, he offers the potential for power from both sides of the plate and has played multiple positions. Under team control through the 2029 campaign, Mauricio’s versatility and upside make him a perfect candidate to step into the Rockies’ infield mix in 2026 and beyond.

Drew Gilbert (OF) –The former 28th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft by the Houston Astros, Gilbert came over to the Mets in the Justin Verlander deal and has continued to show flashes of elite athleticism. Ranked 10th in the system, he’s a high-energy player with above-average speed, defensive instincts, and contact skills. The Rockies’ outfield depth in the minors could use a boost of athleticism, and Gilbert could fill a long-term need in center field.

Jack Wenninger (RHP) – A lesser-known name but still promising, Wenninger is currently ranked No. 29 in the Mets’ system. A 6-foot-4 righty with projectable stuff, he has shown command of a mid-90s fastball and solid secondaries. The Rockies desperately need starting pitching depth, and Wenninger could begin his development in Double-A with an eye on making the MLB roster within two to three seasons.