Tom Brennan - DeMayo vs. Brennan Top 30 Prospect Lists Compared; Fast Healers

So, here is my mid-season minors top 30… 

I recently noted the following about traded-away Mets prospects:

“Whom did our David trade away? Best way perhaps is to see how the traded guys rank in their new organizations’ top 30 prospects.”

Jesus Baez  -   # 6

Blade Tidwell - #12

Drew Gilbert - #13

Nate Dohm - # 15

W. Aracena - # 22

Tony Nunez - # 24

(SPOILER ALERT: JUST READ THIS: Drew Gilbert has been called up by the San Francisco Giants.  The outfielder hit .500 with a double and two triples in five games with Triple-A Sacramento before being promoted on Aug. 8 by the Giants, who acquired him from the New York Mets in a July 30 trade deadline deal.

Gilbert debuted Aug. 8 against the Washington Nationals, hitting ninth in the Giants' 5-0 win. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.)

BACK TO MY ARTICLE:

Chandler Marsh - not in top 30; high octane Raimon Gomez fascinating, but outside his new team’s top 30 too, as is Salty Elissalt. 

That’s a lot of painful movement out of the Top 30.

Nonetheless, the Mets’ post-trades Top 30 list, looks strong.  

If they had all stayed, it would have been VERY strong.

But David went shopping and had to pay heavily for his purchases.

Joe DeMayo of SNY post just his updated Top 30; his listed names are as  follows, with my brief comments added.  

I do largely agree with his list, I’ll say that up-front. Where I differ, I’ll say so.

1. INF/CF Jett Williams

Described by Joe as “the well-built 5-foot-6 Williams”, I am nervous about how high a ceiling there realistically is for short guys, even highly athletic ones like Jett.

 I have him therefore at # 5, not # 1, which is not a slight, because the next four dudes below that I rank before Jett are pretty exceptional.

2. RHP Jonah Tong

Tong is my co-number-one. He is simply terrific.  Take out his first 2 season outings in cold weather, and whose minor league pitching numbers anywhere are better?  No one’s. 11 earned runs in his last 88 innings (1.12 ERA), 154 Ks in 97 innings, just 47 hits allowed, and just 5 HRs in 210 innings over his last 2 seasons.  Good golly, Miss Molly.

3. OF Carson Benge

Benge is doing incredible. He is a co-number-one.

4. RHP Nolan McLean

McLean, had he not tried to be a two-way player in the first half of 2024, slightly slowing his pitching development, would be in the majors already.  Outstanding starter,and a co-number-one.  AAA hitters hate facing him.

5. RHP Brandon Sproat

Sproat has re-emerged with a vengeance…last 6 AAA starts, 39 IP, just 5 earned runs. Wow.  My last of four co-number-one prospects.

I simply cannot, as I write this, decide which of any one of the four is the best. Those 4 are each great. If I had to, I’d rank them 1 through 4 in the order presented.

6. 1B Ryan Clifford

Clifford has accelerated, yet I would flip him here to #7 with Elian Peña moving to # 6 - Elian has greatly accelerated at a younger age and lower level.

I think, though, that Clifford reads my articles…essentially…

”OK, you’ve proved you can walk a lot, now ATTACK!”

And he has. And his average and HRs are rising.

Keep attacking, Ryan. You are my # 7. 

From here on out, please be the next Nick Kurtz.  Attack.

7. SS Elian Peña

Peña has hit great after his 3 for 45 head scratcher start.  I can give you 5 million reason$ why he will be great in 2-3 years. He is my # 6.

Next year at this time? # 1?

8. 3B Jacob Reimer

I hope he is a # 8. By this time next season, we will know much better.  His 2024 hammy injury destroyed that year of development. Strong bounce-back 2025, adjusting now to AA pitching. I could have easily slid him down to 10, because his hitting has chilled quite a bit for a while now, but I will stay at 8. Anyone can (and will) incur a slump from time to time.

9. OF A.J. Ewing

Ewing is going to be a 21-year-old in 2026, and is a high-on-base,base-swiping machine. He is top 5 a year from now.

10. LHP Jonathan Santucci

I love Santucci the Superb.  Doubts that others have about Santucci, I do not have.  Rising like a rocket. Top 5 in 2026.

11. RHP Jack Wenninger

Wenninger has been terrific. Deservedly deserves # 11.

12. INF Boston Baro

I’d have him below Nick Morabito, who I’d move up here to # 12.

Boston could be very good, but 2025 has been a bit of a (inclining) struggle.

13. OF Eli Serrano III

I’d have him below Nick Morabito, too.  Could be very good, but 2025 has been a bit of a struggle. More pop than Nick, but Nick is fast and hits better.

14. RHP Will Watson

Very, very promising, but I’d have him below Nick Morabito. I like Nick more.

15. OF Nick Morabito

Morabito started 2025 frigidly, but has been great since.  He WILL add power. Steals bushels-full of bases.  He is my # 12.

16. C/1B/OF Chris Suero

Suero has speed, power, clutch hitting, and versatility including catching. Can he hit high caliber pitching? Probably well enough.  But I switch him below Mitch Voit, at # 17.

17. 2B Mitch Voit

Voit was the Mets first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and I give deference to that in ranking him over Suero, even with Voit’s early slow start in St. Lucie.  My # 16 is Mitch Voit.

18. INF Marco Vargas

DeMayo wrote this: “Vargas was the headlining return of the David Robertson trade back in 2023. At one time he was a top 10 prospect in the system, but missed most of last year with a wrist issue and his 2025 has been just solid. He has above average bat-to-ball and pitch recognition skills but really does not impact the baseball at all. He is a solid athlete who has played around the infield and has stolen 33 bases. He probably projects more as a backup infielder type, if his hit tool carries him through the upper minors.” 

So…that I agree with entirely, but I push him down to # 22, a property level for a future utility MLB guy.

19. RHP Dylan Ross

Ross  is a high power reliever. K Machine.  # 19 works for me.

20. INF Trey Snyder

Snyder has fine tools and speed. We will see the real Trey Snyder in the minors in 2026. Very young.

21. RHP Ryan Lambert

Lambert, another fireballing reliever with toughness, will be a real factor in the Mets pen in 2026.

22. RHP Jonathan Pintaro

NOT in my top 30. Close, though. Older guy, hope he surprises me.

I put Zach Thornton here at # 22.

23. C Yovanny Rodriguez

A gut feeling he should be at # 18. But I will leave him at # 23.

Great year in the DSL. But it is the DSL. 33 games, .337/.469/.495.

24. LHP Zach Thornton

Thornton is my # 22. Brendan Girton has been super in Brooklyn in 2025, and the overlooked Girton is my # 24.

25. C Daiverson Gutierrez

Gutierrez’s defense at catcher has been weak.  I like him more at # 30, or slightly below.

Here instead at # 25 I LOVE Randy Guzman, thank you very much. I gave a good feeling about Dandy Randy. Hitting well, low Ks.

26. INF Jeremy Rodriguez

Rodriguez has disappointed this year, or he’d be higher than # 26.

27. OF Edward Lantigua

Lantigua has much competition from some DSL hitters not named Peña or Yovanny, but I like him at # 27.

28. RHP Peter Kussow

“Kussow is the only other 2025 draft pick to crack this list as a fourth round pick out of high school in Wisconsin.”  So says Joe. I will defer to Joe on this slot for Kussow.

29. RHP Douglas Orellana

Orellana deserves to be in this list at Joe’s # 29.

30. RHP Jace Hampson

“Hampson was the Mets’ 18th round pick out of high school in Washington state in the 2024 draft.”  So notes Joe.

I’d take a flier instead on Yunior Amparo (.339/.451/.496, with just 14 whiff in his first 42 games in the DSL) at # 30. He is having a very fine DSL season.  But the leap to the FCL is huge for many. And DSL stats are poor projectors.  The league’s top two (non-Mets) on base guys have incredible on base percentages in the .540’s, so how good exactly is Amparo’s .451?

Or even at # 30 a Franklin Gomez, a lefty mostly in St Lucie this year, but in Brooklyn, too, who, at age 20, is 3-2, 1.89 ERA in 57 innings spanning 9 starts and 7 relief outings.  Who doesn’t love 1.89?

Bonus baby Simon Juan at age 22 hit .219 at St Lucie, with 7 HRs and 89 Ks in 274 at bats, and no promotion to Brooklyn, so he ranked is somewhere between 31 and 40, perhaps. Colin Houck, first rounder, hit better before his promo to Brooklyn, but Brooklyn has been a .168 experience for him in 107 at bats, with 40 Ks, so I have him somewhere in the 31-40 range, too. Probably closer to 40 than 30.

And Kevin Parada, who in mid-May-was hitting a gosh-awful .122 in 82 at bats, but as of April 7 had doubled that to .244. He also, since that .122 nadir, has driven in 37 runs in 174 at bats. I’d have him in the very low 30s.  He might well deserve to be in the 20s.

I will get into more detail on prospects in the off-season.

Tell me who I missed. 

(No, no, Drew Gilbert is gone. He is 6 for his first 12 with 4 walks in the PCL, though. Out from under the Mets’ cloud?)

You can read Joe DeMayo’s final full listing and narratives here:

https://sny.tv/articles/mets-midseason-top-30-prospects-2025

WAIT….SOME GUYS RETURN FASTER THAN EXPECTED?

This injured Seattle player is way ahead of schedule.  Who is the last Mets injured player you can name that healed way ahead of schedule?

“Outfielder Victor Robles (left shoulder dislocation) continued to work out with the team pregame and is scheduled to start a rehab assignment on Aug. 12 with Tacoma. 

“He’s way ahead of schedule,” Hollander said. “He’s missed like four months of baseball so it’s not going to be a weekend (rehab) and then go play again. He’s going to need 40 to 50 at-bats at least. Really excited to get Vic back out there running around. He’s worked his butt off to get to this point and endured a lot.””