So, here is the start of my post-season minors top 30…
The 26 Thru 30 Lads
A few months back, I had written the following about traded-away Mets prospects:
“Which fellas 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 - # 7
Blade Tidwell - #13
Drew Gilbert - no longer listed as a prospect. He hit .190 in 100 SFG ABs.
Nate Dohm - # 17
W. Aracena - # 29
Tony Nunez - not in his new team’s top 30 (puzzler)
Chandler Marsh - not in top 30.
High octane Raimon Gomez fascinating, but ended the season post-trade injured and outside his new team’s top 30 too.
Salty Elissalt - not in his new team’s Top 30.
That’s a lot of (somewhat) painful movement out of the Met’ pre-trade Top 30. Just realize that in the Mets’ loaded farm system, a guy like Jesus Baez, ranked 7th by his now team, likely does not crack the Mets’ Top 10.”
The guy I think we might miss the most is Blade Tidwell.
Nonetheless, the Mets’ post-trades Top 30 list?
It looks strong.
If they had all stayed, it would have been SO VERY strong.
But David went shopping and had to pay a bit heavily for his purchases.
In my new series:
I will address five top 30 prospects at a time, in reverse order, so this article covers 26-30, my next articles will be 21-25, and I will work my way down. I will, after I get through the Top 30 over this my next five articles, add a 7th article on 10 (or so) guys of promise outside my top 30 (31-40).
MY 26 THRU 30:
26. Yonaton Henriquez
A 20 year old athletic switch hitter, OF Yonatan Henriquez had 35 steals, a .263 average, and a .353 OBP with 8 HRs and 52 RBIs in 111 games, mostly with St Lucie.
Second half, uptrending, with a sizzling .294/.377./441.
He went 7 for 20 with 6 RBIs in the Brooklyn playoffs, too.
I’d sure keep an eye on this athletic young fella.
I may have him too danged low. I hope so.
27. OF Randy Guzman
252 at bats, 22 doubles, 2 triples, 10 HRs, 57 RBI’s. Yes, he killed it.
I’d like to see those #s projected over 600 at bats. OK, so I did:
600 at bats, 52 doubles, 5 triples, 24 HRs, 137 RBIs. Sweet.
He hit .302/.375/.524 overall in 2025.
After his promotion to St Lucie, no adjustment period necessary - he demolished it at .333/.381/.604 in 26 games. DANG!
And just 54 Ks in 283 PAs. And he doesn’t turn 21 until April.
And, as Ernest Dove told us, he is a great clubhouse presence already.
I cautiously expect him to be a 2026 minors beast.
I simply had to get him in my top 30.
28. RJ Gordon
The 23 year old 13th round righty had some heck of a heckuva year, spanning 2 levels up to AA, going 11-3, 3.36, with 147 Ks in 129 IP.
Keep that up!
I hesitated a bit in putting him higher, due to his 13th round draft status.
Next year, if he is strong again, he will RISE!
Might he even debut with the Mets in relief in 2026?
If so, call him Flash Gordon.
29. Brendan Girton
The 10th rounder righty was super in Brooklyn in 2025, and got promoted to Binghamton. He ended up 3-4, 3.10, ERA, the same exact ERA that the great Carlton Willey put up for the 1963 Mets when he went 9-14 as the ace of their staff during that tough season.
Girton’s ERA sadly jumped above 3.00 in his final outing, where he gave up 4 earned runs in 2 IP.
Girton ended up with 110 Ks in 87 innings,and a 1.16 WHIP.
He threw 2 gems in Brooklyn that spanned 10 innings, in which he allowed just 1 hit, walked 2 and fanned 15. The Dominator. The Girtonator.
Given the level of bullpen churn in Metsville each year, it would not at all surprise me to see Mr. Girton make his Mets’ debut out of the bullpen in late 2026. But first, he needs more AA (and then AAA) seasoning.
Still, for me to have guy this talented as low as # 29 says great things about the system.
29. Brendan Girton
The 10th rounder righty was super in Brooklyn in 2025, and got promoted to Binghamton. He ended up 3-4, 3.10, ERA, the same exact ERA that the great Carlton Willey put up for the 1963 Mets when he went 9-14 as the ace of their staff during that tough season.
Girton’s ERA sadly jumped above 3.00 in his final outing, where he gave up 4 earned runs in 2 IP.
Girton ended up with 110 Ks in 87 innings,and a 1.16 WHIP.
He threw 2 gems in Brooklyn that spanned 10 innings, in which he allowed just 1 hit, walked 2 and fanned 15. The Dominator. The Girtonator.
Given the level of bullpen churn in Metsville each year, it would not at all surprise me to see Mr. Girton make his Mets’ debut out of the bullpen in late 2026. But first, he needs more AA (and then AAA) seasoning.
Still, for me to have guy this talented as low as # 29 says great things about the system.
30. C Daiverson Gutierrez
Bonus baby Davey Gutierrez, still 19, played all season in St Lucie. Not the DSL. Not the FCL. BUT Low A St Lucie. Sweet!
His power output is limited so far, with a Buddy Harrelson-like 14 extra base hits in 395 plate appearances, but he walked 53 times, as compared to just 58 Ks. A fine rate.
Result? A solid OBP. His catching defense is of concern - let’s call it a work in progress, with 24 errors and 17 passed balls in 86 games catching and a 17% (late-in-season up trending) caught-stealing rate.
I believe his high catcher errors are in part due to this being an extremely high steal attempt league. So he is a long ways off, but he is 19, with a promising bat. Probably a 2028 Citi arrival? Late 2027, maybe?
He should add power, as he is listed at 5’11”, 210.
He has used the HBP as a tool to get on base, too, with 33 career HBPs in 748 PAs. My motto: Get on base however you can, but avoid injury.
My 26-30 choices, at your disposal, and I am sticking to them.
Until Stearns starts trading them, that is.
All of the pitchers can reach the Mets.
A number of hitters won’t…no room.
Next up? Prospects 21 thru 25.
But…before I go…I saw this. Thoughts?
Kenneth Teape, of SI, focusing on the T Rays, wrote:
“Jake Mangum is one player to keep an eye on because he was mentioned by Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic as a potential trade target for the New York Mets this winter…..the Mets have a young player on their roster, Ronny Mauricio, who should be of interest to Tampa Bay. The needs and current strengths of each roster look to match up, making them ideal offseason trade partners.”
Back to me….
Jake hit a low-powered .296 for Tampa in 2025, with a lot of steals (27 of 33) and strong CF defense.
Yes, he was a former Mets prospect who never somehow got called up by the Mets. Only to hit .296 as a Tampa rookie.
And yes, Tyrone Taylor hit .223 with less (just 12) steals as the Mets CF.
Last I checked, .296 is better than .223.
Your thoughts? My thoughts contain the following words:
“…in a heartbeat.”
28 comments:
Morning Tom
❤️ your picks so far.
Five at time huh? I started first with my list, one at a time, but you will be Silky Sullivan (youngens.. Google it) and beat me by a mile, you dirty 🐕:)
Jake Magnum
I tried and I tried and I found out squat why the Mets left this productive bat go
😎 of what Wilpon and Sandy & Co. used to do.
FENCES
One of Ole legend Philly DJs was found dead in his apartment yesterday.
In case I croak some day, I want to tell you that you won me over on the dimensions of Citi
I stand corrected (but never humble, son)
Guzman was so bad in the DSL I was waiting for him to be released not promoted .. I would watch his AB and think if only he could make more contact he would absolutely destroy the ball when he found that contact. Another low bonus gem for the Mets.
Tom,
Baseball America has released their 2025 Mets report card. Just one group's evaluation, but interesting.
Best Pure Hitter- Mitch Voit-Second Base- Round 1
Best Power Hitter- Antonio Jimenez-SS- Round 3
Fastest Runner- Sam Robertson-SS-Round 17
Best Defensive- Antonio Jimenez
Best Fast Ball- Natr Hall- P-Round 6
Best Secondary Pitch-Cam Tilley-P- Round 7
Best Pro Debut-John Ray-Of-Undrafted Free Agent
Best Athlete-Wyatt Vincent-OF-Round 11
Most Intriguing Bac Ground-SS- Anthony Frobose- Round 9
Closest To Majors- Voit
Best Lower Round or UDFA- Frank Camarillo-P-round 13
We will have to wait a few years to see how accurate these choices are going to be right.
I wanna see this year before I go ga ga here
Is this for the entire Mets rosters at all levels?
Tom,
I would certainly talk to Tampa and see what they would do in a Mangrum trade. I watched him play in college, he is a baseball player who gives you his best. The Mets need more of those type players.
Mack,
Sorry, that was their 2025 Draft Report Card. Baseball America's past report cards have been fairly accurate in highlighting future Met prospects.
YES PLEASE. I'd pack Mauricio's bags myself. Always loved that guy. Perfect fit in our outfield.
I agree that Blade Tidwell is always going to be missed. I saw in him a real toughness. He performed best when he was in a jam. This is a great quality that only some have. At the point he was traded, he had not yet refined the control he needed so he got himself into jams too often. That will eventually be fixed, and then he will be "the great one that got away".
I don't dislike Mauricio, but I always liked Mangum. Would love to have him back, but I also want to make sure there is opportunity for Benge and Ewing to advance.
Thank you DJ. I saw this but couldn’t open it.
Mack, they graded this year’s draft.
No, I’m not trading Mauricio. The talent level isn’t even close and the Rays would be selling high. The Mets were stupid once, let’s not compound it. If you want Mangum, wait a year and bring up Moribito.
Great start Tom. Some of these guys aren’t in my list, but I like your list better.
I frankly bunched mine, because if trades start happening in November/December it can mess up the lists, and I don’t want to be shifting slots mid-stream. This way, my Top 30 are done in two weeks. With a few more related follow up articles.
Probably his lack of power in a pitcher-friendly park. As I recall, Mangum was the all-time NCAA hit leader. Who’d want to keep that?
Hey Steve, move the fences in while we can still enjoy it, huh? LOL
I too, Mack, wanted to temper my enthusiasm. When he got promoted from the FCL to St Lucie, I thought, “here’s where we see the Ks spike and average drop 100 points. Instead, he killed it - and he missed some St Lucie time when he was blazing hot, due to an HBP, then sputtered for a few games when he returned…or his numbers might have been even more impressive. THE GOOZ.
MPG, some times a guy can click. Usually they don’t. A very pleasant surprise.
DJ, very interesting from Baseball America. I don’t subscribe, not because I’m cheap….i want my ideas to be my ideas, with as little outside influence as possible.
DJ, Mangum won’t give you power, but he will give you fine D and plus speed. So…one tool is missing…so what? Dumb to have not tried him. We try guys like Siri, and Keon Broxton. Brilliant.
You know, when I saw Mauricio’s allergic reaction to driving in runs thisyear, and his multi-years slow improvement on defense, like watching paint dry, I really think he is a case of the whole is less than the sum of the parts.
Gus…My list of 30 (spoiler alert) will eventually morph to 50. I kept asking myself, “how can I leave that guy, and that guy, and that guy out?” Once you get past 30, though, the ranking reliability of the listed order becomes fuzzy, but they’re on there. And I have a bias towards pitchers because pitchers make it if their arms simply stay attached, but many bona fide on the cusp hitters won’t. They should have been pitchers. Can you i aging a hitter missing as much time from 2019-2025 as Matt Allan has, and thinking that hitter has any realistic chance, unless his name is Robert Redford?
They also in 2024 traded Rhylan Thomas, who in AAA in 2025 was up 618 times, fanned just 32 times, hit .325 with 78 RBIs and 105 runs in 134 games plus 35 steals, and defends well. Another beauty of a move. We got Stinky Stanek for him.
Absolutely, sometimes you can’t predict it or understand it , if we could , we would be leading the Mets IFA department, 😂
I did want to add this about Daiverson Gutierrez on his defensive shortfalls, from the Mets Prospects website:
“The Caracas native has above-average arm strength, and while his caught-stealing numbers haven’t been great in the early going, they should improve as he works with more veteran arms who can be quicker to the plate themselves. He has the body of a catcher at 5-foot-11 and should get every chance to stick there heading into his 20s.”
So, he has potential to shake off those defensive woes. 2026 will be his opportunity.
I really hope Daiverson Gutierrez succeeds for the Mets sake , Mets have already released Cris Larez($1.4M) and Anthony Baptist($1.1M) from the same signing class. I think Gutierrez is going to be a slow burn as a prospect. Possibly a solid backup catcher at the major league level?? Mets have depth at the catching position in their system so it will be fun to see who breaks through and who gets traded.
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