THE SECOND LOWEST FIVE IN MY TOP 30! THE 21-25 FIVE!
Five pitchers in my rankings for today. Two are even lefties like me.
We three southpaws all got clocked in the high 90s, except in my case it was 99 kilometers, not miles, per hour.
Meters, miles, whatever…Read and enjoy.
21) Gabe Davis
Davis came to the Mets in one of the trade deadline deals. For Brazoban, to be precise.
The Mets also got righty Zach Franklin in the deal. (Zach actually pitched very well in AAA at age 27 post-trade for the Mets, and barely eluded my top 30, but may well belong in it. I hesitated in including Franklin and Brian Metoyer in the top 30 due to age, despite doing well).)
Davis is a big pitching dude (6’9”, 235, age 22) with upside potential. A White Sox 5th rounder recently, in 2025, he debuted this year and went 1-6, 4.97, with 94 Ks in 83 IP and a 1.45 WHIP.
The win-loss record is utterly irrelevant for reasons I’ve stated generally many times. The ERA is actually impressive in that he threw 56 of his 83 innings in his debut season in lofty AA.
He pitched very well with AA Binghamton, tossing 21.1 innings (1-1) with a nifty 2.53 ERA. I’d say it is not inconceivable to think that he could pitch for the NY Mets out of the pen by late 2027.
Savant noted that Gabe Davis's fastball sits at 94 to 97 mph and has touched 100 mph.
BB America added that he relies on that huge frame for extra extension, and has a powerful slider and cutter.
He should quickly move up the prospect ranks.a towering 6'9", 235 frame to generate elite velocity and extension on his pitches, complementing his mid-90s heater with a powerful upper-80s slider and cutter
22) Jefry Yan
Obi Yan Kenobe is still a rookie. I asked my AI buddies and they said this:
“Yan made his Major League debut on August 5, 2026, and pitched 20.1 innings across 18 appearances during his first big-league stint. Because he did not exceed the service time or at-bat/innings limits required to graduate (specifically 50 innings pitched in the majors), his rookie eligibility remains preserved for the upcoming year.”
So, despite 10 years of dance movies and gyrations, he’s still a rookie.
Imagine Bartolo Colon doing those moves? Nah, me neither.
He, this Mr. Yan fella, is an older prospect, but unlike Franklin and Metoyer, I included him in the Big 3-0, because Yan actually reached the bigs in 2026.
Love him, or hate him. Your choice. Mine? I love Yan. He is…
The dancing strikeout machine who, between the upper minors and the big leagues, fanned a bountiful 107 in 60 innings in 2026. SIT DOWN, SUCKA!
Don’t be a purist here, c’mon, who hates a guy who, at AA, AAA, and the majors in 2026 fans 16 per 9 innings? Not me. Me likes it a lot.
Throws 99+, sometimes reaching the century mark, has a nifty slider, but that control needs work.
In fact, AI reminded me of this:
“During his MLB for the Mets on August 5, 2026, Jefry Yan threw 5 pitches at 100 miles per hour or faster, topping out at 101.1 mph.”
101.1 sounds like an FM station.
101.1? Sizzling. Makes me want to eat at Sizzler. OK, Texas Roadhouse.
He walks a lot of guys when he is not throwing dead red strikes, so maybe another nickname for him can be Yanny Walker Red.
I think he’ll soon reduce his flaws, if for no other reason than that major league cash, at $5,000 per game, is so enriching, it will force him to focus on what it takes to become a successful MLB reliever, and not a side show oddity.
23) Dylan Ross
A guy I was sure was going to have a major bullpen impact in 2026 for the NY Mets, but even with them dealing off 4 key relievers (Weaver, Raley, Minter, and Brazoban), he only got to pitch one scoreless frame for the Mets….his pitches were mostly splitters at 88, and three fastballs at 99.
The 6’5, 250 Ross had an awful and disappointing AAA 1st half, but a much better 2nd half, as a future 2027 100 MPH (on occasion) fireball reliever. Overall, a 5.81 ERA and 1,75 WHIP in AAA.
How good will he be?
Hopefully as good or better than fellow fireballer Jefry Yan.
Perhaps as good as quick-rising Gabe Davis. Perhaps better. We can speculate, until they actually give us cause to celebrate in Queens.
24) Ryan Dollar
Dollar is an undrafted reliever who went to college in Houston and had a fine pro debut in 2026.
4-3, 3.40, 43 games pitched, 53 IP, 71 Ks. Nice.
Got 2 late solid innings in AA as a reward.
Many drafted guys stink up the joint, so I am a big fan of the undrafted Dollar. So is Penny Hardaway.
I read that “scouting reports from his amateur showcase days note that his fastball typically sat in the 88–92 mph range during standard game action before topping out at 94 mph. His delivery generates heavy life in the strike zone, which he pairs with a sharp slider and a slower curveball.”
May he win 20. Dollars or games, that’s up to him.
Maybe I should have had the fine elder statesman, Brian Metoyer, here instead.
25) Shane Sdao
Sdao is a highly considered 6’3”, 185 lefty drafted in the 4th round (120th overall). I have him at #25, in part, due to the organization seemingly having so few prospect pitchers who weren’t drafted in 2026. I like to rank guys higher with an ample pro track record, which will come for Sdao in 2027.
Hopefully, he will dazzle us all in 2027, during which he will be 23 for the entire season. He had TJS in college, but is back ready and raring.
Rated with a 50 FB and curve, and 55 control, maybe he will be another Steve Matz.
He had one action-packed inning in 2026, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs while fanning 3. I am OK with all his career outs being strikeouts as long as he lowers his hits per inning 😁
Next article up? My 16-20 dynamic dudes.
Before I go:
HEALTHY PLAYERS ARE PREFERRED:
THOSE WHO’VE BEEN INJURED A LOT KEEP GETTING INJURED A LOT
Pete Alonso is a BB rarity, a guy who never gets hurt and always plays.
I love “HEALTHY”, don’t you?
Saw this NBA note about a player who has missed massive amounts of time, and will now miss massive amounts more.
My advice? Avoid such players. This guy is the poster child of injuries.
“Any chance of Ben Simmons making a comeback this season will have to wait until next season.
The Sacramento Kings announced that an MRI confirmed Simmons suffered a torn right Achilles injury during pre-season practice.
“Kings guard Simmons was injured during a live drill in practice on Sunday, Oct. 18. An MRI revealed a torn right Achilles tendon. Simmons will undergo surgery.”
7 comments:
Things are getting a little lean.
Ya think?
I like Davis - he seems to have something the Mets can work with. Also was part of that Oklahoma State juggernaut that produced Benge and McLean.
Good points, Paul.
I may end up adding an 2026 injury status to my prospects lists, at the conclusion of my propects series in about 3 weeks.. How many of my top 50 missed significant time (say, 25% or more) of 2026 due to injury. I think that list is not small.
Love prospect ranking stuff... But when mack says we are getting lean, when is stern's development/ drafting/ international signing really taking affect.
I wish we would trade more like he did with Milwaukee... trade too soon than too late... I am more upset we didnt trade Pete when we could have than losing him, Same with a ton other over the years...
Good point on early trade, Eddie. I think a lot of the problem with prospect success has been the litany of prospect injuries. Time will tell if international signings are more successful.
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