TODAY, THE 16-20 FIVE!
Here we go with…
Three oft-injured position players, and 2 control-strong pitchers (but no partridge in a pear tree).
16) D’Andre Smith
Smith I probably have ranked too high here, but when he finally got healthy and on a roll in August and September, he hit .290/.370/.495 needs to sustain his late 2026 surge into 2027.
His 32 games in AAA, he hit .294/.389/.505 with just 24 Ks plus 14 walks. He stole 20 of 23 in 70 games in 2026. He is a solid outfield defender and can also handle 2B if needed. I wish he had 130 games in 2026, to better gauge him.
He’s 25, 5’9” 180, and was the 149th overall pick in 2022. I could conceivably see the righty bat as a versatile, cheap 5th outfielder, potentially, in 2027.
To possibly get there? Stay healthy.
17) Trey Snyder
Not to be confused with Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, or Trea Turner, Trey Snyder was injured for much of early 2026.
But the 20 year old, the 144th overall pick in 2024, had a strong second half. His stat line in 75 games in 2026, some of which were in Brooklyn, was .289/.348/.392.
He stole 28 of 32, and 69 of 81 in 190 games in 2025 and 2026.
He's played 2nd, 3rd, a little SS, and the outfield, displaying Super Joe versatility. He will either start out in AA Binghamton or get more seasoning in Brooklyn first.
Projection? Future utility player, most likely, unless he has a big break out in 2027 at age 21.
Not small - he is a 6’1”, 200 righty hitter. I see a big 2027 for Snyder.
18) Boston Baro
Baro, an overslot 8th rounder in 2023 out of high school, got hurt late in 2025, and it carried over for nearly all of 2026.
He hit well in his 11 games in 2026, but just 11 games is not good. This ain’t football.
The prior season, at age 20 and all in Brooklyn, the lefty-hitting 6 footer Baro hit just .224 in 103 games, stealing 28 of 30 bases.
He needs to get healthy and really strut his stuff in 120+ games in 2027.
Off to Arizona he goes, and hopefully he tears it up there during the rest of the AFL season. (Slow start, but 2 hits, including a HR and 4 RBIs, in a recent AFL game).
19) Gary Gill Hill
I am totally over the Hill in favor of Hill. Why? Control.
You see, everyone loves his control. Will Hill be a righty Zac Thornton?
Like Zac, Hill is not a flamethrower, but he is effective nonetheless.
He was acquired at the trade deadline, having been a 6th round pick by the Rays out of high school in 2022.
Just 29 walks in 140 innings, but 160 hits allowed, pitching as a 21 year old. His low pitch counts allowed him to go 9-3, in 26 starts, in an era of low win, low innings-per-start minor league starters. He had a 4.25 ERA in part because his ERA was 5.50 in his 5th, 6th, and 7th innings.
PLEASE PASS GILL HILL AN EXTRA PORTION OF STAMINA!
In 5 post-trade starts with AA Binghamton, he was 2-0, 3.76, and in a single AAA start, he allowed just one run over 5 innings.
He surrendered a high 35 home runs over 276 innings in 2025 and 2026, but again, that was at ages 20 and 21.
I can see him pitching for the Mets at some point in 2027.
Seems he is a future SP-4 or SP-5.
I probably should have switched Hill to # 16 and moved D’Andre Smith down to # 19, but, no matter:
It is what the duo achieves in 2027 that will ultimately count.
20) Garrett Stratton
Stratton quietly (to me, anyway) was an an excellent reliever in 2026.
A 20th rounder in 2025, I just had to rank him as my #20 here.
Stratton turned 23 this August. The 6’2”, 200 righty reliever went 5-5, 2.51, with 8 saves, an eye-catching 87 Ks in 65 IP, and a 1.08 WHIP.
He had a 1.52 ERA in 23 AA outings, and 4 outings and 4 runs in 5.1 IP with Syracuse.
Keep climbing.
I’d expect Stratton to see some opportunity in the NY Mets pen during 2027, which would be a very fast climb for a late round 2025 pick. An impressive final round selection indeed…good job by the draft team.
Next article up? My # 11 thru # 15. Onward and upward.
That’ it for today.
24 comments:
Interesting list. Stratton had a nice year and I really want Smith to get a chance. He is Rule 5 eligible and I’d like him to get a shot. But then again, I want Mauricio to get a shot, Morabito to get a shot, Tong to get a shot…. there’s only so many places. Love Snyder but Baro has way too much rust to just expect Arizona to knock it off. Also, Gill Hill in my top ten. He has increased velocity with the precision. I like this kid.
Stratton stands out on this list. I see him taking off in 2027
Gill Hill
There isn't going to be any slot open to him as a Mets starter
Snyder
Like Gill Hill, no slot open
Baro
Show me something before I consider you
Smith
Versatility could earn him a utility slot
Well, the guy hit 97 his last game. If you have a guy throwing in the upper 90’s with control, you’ll make a spot.
We'll see
Snyder is in A ball but has plenty of tools. He was awesome after June 1st. Plus, he has already been on the grass.
I was wrong about his stats.
Gus, I will just say it once upfront. I long for the days when they were 15 position players on a roster now they need three more pitchers on a roster, have Extended expanded the rosters by one, and thus there is a net loss of position players of two. So many guys don’t get a chance that our hitters. I am doing a later article on injuries and its impact on the top 30, or top 50 for that matter. It won’t don’t get a chance that our hitters. I am doing a later article on injuries and it’s impact on the top 30, or top 50 for that matter. It won’t be out for a while though.
I like Baro, I like Smith I like Snyder, but they are giving us too little to judge them long term. I do know Baro has used his shoulder and quad injuries to get stronger and add power. I think Snyder as well. Both need to add HR pop, and of course, PLAY lots of games.
Jeff McNeil was more advanced when he had his serious injuries in the minor leagues. But those injuries cost him more than a season and half in 2016 and 2017. He came back like a ball of fire, much stronger and seemingly almost like he didn’t skip a beat. We’ll see if either Snyder or Barrow can do the same. The competition for the spots that they ultimately are shooting for are scarce.
Do you remember THIS Stratton, A/k/a Tom Thumb?
General Tom Thumb (born Charles Sherwood Stratton) reached an adult height of about 2 feet 11 inches to 3 feet 4 inches (89 cm to 102 cm) and weighed around 30 to 70 pounds (exact adult weight varied) as an adult entertainer under P.T. Barnum
Snyder hit .264 in half his games for Brooklyn, and about .310 at lower levels. That is good for Brooklyn. It will be a shame if he has to return to that hitters’ hell hole.
Tom, I’ve been reading a solution on the Internet. Let McLean play first base when he isn’t pitching, if a lefty is starting. As soon as he gets to 20 or 22 games, I don’t remember, he qualifies as a hitter and you can then add another pitcher.
Also on injuries, as the money grows, the players are continuously pushed beyond their limits, and injuries will only increase.
Ingenious.
If McLean had remained a hitter and not a pitcher, would he by now be another Billy Amick? Numbers tend to stick in my head, and McLean‘s opposite field homer in college carried 472 feet. That’s pretty monstrous Power.
He also had an incredible talent to produce whiffs.
I am not a fan of 2-way players.
Take what God gave you the best to do and apply that 1000%
Smith had a golden opportunity to make himself the utility guy in 2027. He certainly hurt his cause though by compiling just 282 PAs in 2026. Had that been 582, we’d all have a lot more to assess and give him a more educated yay or nay.
Gill Hill needs to be added to the 40-man roster or would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Maybe not have a roster spot but probably a 40-man roster spot.
Steve, another rule I dislike. Gary Gill Hill will only be 22 all next season. They should change the rule to not have players to be added to the OD roster unless they will turn 23 during the upcoming season.
“ Rule 5 Eligibility: Because Gill Hill was drafted and signed in 2022 as an 18-year-old high schooler, MLB rules state that he must be added to his club's 40-man roster within five seasons. The 2026 season marks his fifth year of professional coverage under this rule (counting his 2022 draft year), making him Rule 5 eligible for the first time this December.”
McLean was a whiffer, for sure. Had he only been a hitter, he might have fixed his swing enough to be AAA next year. Fortunately for him, he is a tremendous pitcher.
This is a pretty solid list. I think all of them have opportunity to move up. I am not too worried about whether there is a "slot for them" because slots open up every year due to injury or performance regression. You can never have too much pitching.
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