Can Ryan Clifford Be A Geater Met Than Lucas Duda?
Before I start here, do I think the next Francisco Lindor-caliber infielder is in the Mets minors?
No. He is on his way to an 85 WAR career.
That said, there are some really good ones:
Elian Pena has the hype and flashed some teenage super-power last year. In 2026, I expect him to give us a clearer picture as to whether he might in fact be the next Lindor-caliber infielder.
Jacob Reimer had an impressive 2025, and I expect him to be equally impressive in AAA in 2026. A future David Wright Light? Don't be so quick to say no.
Ryan Clifford is a 22 year old super pounder, who will be looking to attack in AAA and brandish "Power Supreme." Future 1B/LF? Hopefully a starter caliber dude.
And Randy Guzman took the lower minors by complete surprise in 2025. Can he prove to be a stud prospect in 2026?
Jett Williams ought to be jetting into Queens in 2026. Hopefully, the next Gregg Jefferies.
Boston Baro, Trey Snyder? Possibles with rabid speed. They need to step it up. Marco Vargas? Not a speed, but ditto. This is the year for all 3 to impress management.
Of course, let's not forget Antonio Jimenez, who I think will excite the fans in his first full pro season in 2026, and show he has future MLB chops.
And, of course, the blazingly fast Mitch Voit. Who just might be the best infield prospect in 2026 in his first full pro season.
Yeah, there are other infielders, but my typing fingers are getting tired.
Not sure there is the next Lindor or Wright in this group, but the talent level is undeniable. And ABUNDANT.
1 comment:
and we replenish every year: remember three roles for even first tier minor leaguers; one group makes it to majors with the club; one group is part of trades for major leaguers that fill gaps or improve performance at key positions; one group is traded for other minor league talent either younger, earlier in development stage, replenish particular positions, etc. Also remember that evidence shows that even among your top tier minor leaguers the performance distribution at the major league level is uneven, as some perform at MLB average at their position, some below, and some above. Some have average length careers, some shorter, some longer; and of course their performance distribution over their careers is also distrubted in roughly the same way. Once you look at the system dynamically and holistically you immediately see that this must be organized in several different ways: talent evaluation first, risk management, second, maximizing development in the same general approach to playing baseball, and rinse, adjust to new informaiton and repeat. The key point is this: instead of having no process or plan and being largely reactive to opportunities (which are poorly defined in the absence of a process) you have a systematic approach that provides flexibility for opportunities that are well defined by the process. This is the approach the Mets are taking; and to be honest, while it is the approach the Dodgers started with in the Friedman era, I, for one, with some knowledge of this approach to system building, organizational structure and rational game and decision making, would argue that they have shown signs of straying from -- and for two reasons. They are on a run, which is seductive in itself and have shifted resources to the present, which has a downside risk of reconceptualizing 'opportunities' which should be a very small and well defined category of exceptions to the plan and not the core operating principle. This is really the first full year that the Mets have been able to implement this system approach while cleaning house of players and contracts that do not fit the model. Abundance of talent is a desirable feature given all the roles top tier talent play inside this process, and the subtext is that you collect those assets at positions in which there is a larger pool to choose from (shortstops as opposed to catchers, say) pitching arms overall as opposed to lefties/righties, sp/rp. You can't just put talent as such on the field as a major league line-up, but you can do that in development phases through the minors, then couple them on teams in the upper minors with veteran players who will play well/reliably with them as it dramatically helps your ability to assess what you have.
Post a Comment