COMING TO A CONCLUSION ON MY TOP 50 SERIES
HERE ARE THOSE A TAD FURTHER DOWN THE LIST, AT 41-50
AND THOUGHTS ON A FEW WHO MISSED THE TOP 50
I’ve already studiously and impeccably covered my top 40.
Who, then, are the final 10 to bring it up to 50?
Hey, first, let me say, even being in the top 50 at all is an accomplishment. Those 50 still represent a small minority of all Mets minor leaguers. Kudos.
OK. Let’s go…
41) John Bay
He is 25 now, but the undrafted Bay strikes me as tough and determined.
He seems to have played college ball until he was 24, and swatted 55 HRs in 550 at bats, with a K per game. So, as a pro, he was a late starter.
In 2025, the 6’1, 220 righty bat had just 85 pro debut at bats.
In 2026 in High A and AA, the undrafted righty hitter put up a solid .239/.361/.428 split with 29 steals in 116 games, along with 16 HRs, an impressive 85 runs scored, and 61 RBIs. 29 steals, too.
The 136 Ks in 482 PAs is what pushed him down on my list to # 41. My impression is that he is a fighter, who will not leave anything on the table. I expect 110% out of him in 2027.
Here is a fascinating article on Bay, who was a childhood friend in the small town of Shattuck, OK with Mets prospect Brendan Girton and a college friend of Mets ace Nolan McLean. I’d like to interview Bay. Seems like a great young man.
https://www.rockawave.com/articles/the-brooklyn-cyclones-report-95/
42) Eli Serrano
He had a brutal 2026 season. .185? Really?
To me, that is more SUSPECT than prospect.
And just 163 games in two years. I was tempted to drop him out of the top 50 altogether. Everybody sees potential; I just see .185.
But let’s assume the 6’5” Eli is healthier in 2027, and then let’s see. I am far less hopeful here than many seem to be.
43) Bryan Metoyer
If he was not turning 30, and was instead just turning 25, he’d be in my top 25. But, he had a fine relief year in the upper minors, after a shaky early few games, ending up with a truly high 87 Ks in 56 games.
7-3, 4.37, 1.28 WHIP.
The last of the 40th round prospects standing. Good stuff.
Most likely he will be a major leaguer in 2027.
May he turn out to be the next Huascar Brazoban.
How do I have him BEHIND Eli Serrano, my shrink just asked me. I dunno.
44) Nick Lorusso
Had him higher until he struggled a bit in AAA, but he ended up hitting .238 with 22 homers and 65 RBIs. 1B/LF righty bat. He has a chance, but MLB roster spots are so few in number for hitters.
I like Corey Collins better than Nick, due to his superior ability to get on base.
45) Ryan Tayman
Catcher who was picked in the 9th round, Tayman hit well in his 2026 pro debut (.316 in 21 games in A ball).
But…remember that 8th rounder in 2015 Patrick Mazeika hit a scintillating .354 in 62 games in Rookie Ball in his pro debut season…I was excited…but Pat was not great in the long run.
Tayman has to be better than Mazeika in the long run to be successful. 2027 is a big year for the 21 y/o righty catcher. Show us you got the goods.
46) Zach Franklin
Probably ranked too low for a righty who pitched well in 2026, but he is already 27, with no MLB breakthrough yet. That could well come in 2027.
Acquired in the Brazoban trade with CWS, Zach went 2-2, 3.69, 7 saves, 61 IP, 75 K, and a very commendable 1.10 WHIP in AAA.
47) Saul Garcia
I likely have him too low. 2-2, 3.56, 74 Ks, 61 IP, 1.14 WHIP. His 10 HRs allowed in 61 mostly AA innings makes me a bit nervous.
He and Zach Franklin have virtually identical stats. Another reliever likely to see some major league innings in 2027. May he become the next Dedniel Nunez.
To Garcia’s credit, he succeeded when he finally got some AAA action:
11 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 8 Ks. Small sample, but successful.
He spent most of his season in AA and posted a 3.99 ERA and 1.25 WHIP there.
48) Bruin Agbayani
18 regular season pro games in 2 seasons (prior to his AFL assignment this fall) - that would be light for a starting pitcher.
He is however a hitter…or so they say.
The trade-acquired Bruin needs to get healthy and play 120 games next year. If so, he could vault up in the ranks next year.
He was assigned to Arizona Fall ball, a very challenging assignment for essentially a teenage newbie. Has hit poorly. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he does in 2027.
49) Chase Meggers, or Ronald Hernandez
Yes, two catchers for one slot. Take your pick. I’d probably go with Hernandez due to his speed. But he did not hit well in 2026, despite a surprising 10 homers. He can also play elsewhere other than catcher. Still young.
Meggers is newer to the organization, hit reasonably well, and will be much more clearly identifiable on the radar screen next year, with more playing time.
50) Ryan Clifford
I dropped him like a rock after a brutal season, hitting .180 with oodles of strikeouts (174 in 115 games). Well, actually, he dropped himself.
Hit extremely poorly after late May. He was hitting .229 thru May. Then:
June - 23 games - .099.
July - 19 games - .157
Aug. - 7 games - .038
Sept. - 11 games -.250.
June thru August? The worst 3 months of any Mets minor leaguer that I can ever remember.
He needs to go to Lee Myles for a new transmission, one that transmits more contact to pitched baseballs.
I was tempted to drop him out of the top 50 altogether. But perhaps he finds the cure to his ills and bounces back. I am not holding my breath.
The recently updated Mets Top 30 prospects on Mets.com still has Clifford at # 14. Count me as befuddled. Meanwhile, Billy Amick, who had a far superior year, they have outside the Mets’ top 30 altogether. Doubly befuddled. 2027 will show who is a knucklehead, I suppose.
I still left out a few notable names.
Colin Houck whiffs at insanely high rates, 154 times in 99 games, Noah Hall (drafted in 2023) had a lousy 2026, Channing Austin (pitched well but on 60 day IL), and Cris Gomez, among others.
Calvin Ziegler, too. He is Ziggy Stardust sprinkling bases on balls in Arizona.
But they didn’t make it, so what?
That is why there is also a 51-100. I won’t go there.
You can do the second 50 of a Mets top 100 if you’d like, though.
Be my guest.
Of course, also feel free to tell me who you think I totally overlooked.
I wanted Bohan Adderley in here, in part because I love the Bahamas, but he needs to play a full season to demonstrate who he is. Vladi Gomez being an example of what can happen after promotion from the FCL to low A ball: at midseason, I thought he’d be top 30, but his .328 early on in the FCL fell to just .211 in St Lucie A ball. Reality check.
Low league guys are hard to predict/project.
Simon Juan didn’t survive.
He took his $1.9 million in 2022 bonus money and headed home. He had a .258 OBP in 2026 when released. Otherwise, had he stayed, he’d still be in my Top 200. He was hoping to hit like Colin Houck.
I did, lastly, sadly exclude a 21 year old prospect who hit .285, with 41 HRs and 120 RBIs in 118 games…because the youngster in question, Jesus Baez, was traded away for Ryan Helsley in 2025.
I also left out swift Alex Ramirez, still just 23, who departed the organization in total multi-season regression, then rebounded in 517 at bats in St Louis’ AA, where he hit .277 with 15 HRs, 87 RBIs, 46 steals, with a low K rate in 126 games. He also hit a terrific .356 with RISP.
Easy come, easy go, I always say.
Be generous and donate to organizations in need.
ROY BLUES
Sal Stewart wins ROY over Carson Benge.
Gaudy stats from Sal, but just 2.0 WAR for Stewart.
Carson Benge? Put up 4.3 WAR. More than double.
WHAT DO I THINK? I THINK THAT THE VOTE WAS RIGGED.
Not a big deal though. It’s not like Benge winning would have gotten the Mets an extra high draft pick or anything, right?
Wait, my bad. That is exactly what the Mets won’t get. RIGGED.
And…What a difference a draft year makes.
Stewart was the 32nd pick in 2022. Huge win.
Colin Houck? The 32nd pick in 2023.
WHAT DO I THINK?
Can’t shine Stewart’s shoes. Even one of Stewart’s shoes, to be more precise.
1 comment:
WE WUZ ROBBED!
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