Keith Law: Mets have fourth-best farm system in baseball

You don't have to talk to a Sandy Alderson supporter for very long to learn that the general manager has turned the Mets farm system, a perpetual mess for years, into one of the best in baseball. With bats like Brandon Nimmo and Dilson Herrera, not to mention arms galore, the organization has a chance to give the Mets a real shot at winning, even if the club's payroll does not increase in the near future.

It's always good to hear from someone who is not a Mets fan that the system is just as good as fans think it is. Today, in a revision to his top five farm systems rankings, prospect expert Keith Law ranked the Mets' system as the fourth-best in baseball (subscription required).

The Mets have graduated a few prospects to the majors -- Travis d'Arnaud (No. 2 in the system coming into the year) and Jacob deGrom (No. 13) in particular -- but the guys still in the system have nearly all taken steps forward. Noah Syndergaard (No. 1) has had an excellent year in the pitchers' hell of Las Vegas.Brandon Nimmo (No. 5) is hitting for power now that he's out of Savannah, a terrible park for left-handed power hitters. Catcher Kevin Plawecki (No. 6) continues to receive well, as expected, but he also has hit well enough to push himself up to Triple-A in his second full season.

Eighteen-year-old shortstop Amed Rosario doesn't look out of place among older players in the New York-Penn League, and he has the instincts and reactions to stay at short if he can find some consistency in the field. And they added the most polished hitter in this year's draft class, Michael Conforto, who led Division I in OBP. They still have a ton of arms but are heavier on bats at the corners than in the middle infield or center, although Rosario might eventually make up for Gavin Cecchini's .194/.269/.247 line in high Class A.

Solid performances by players already in the system as well as the drafting of the fast-track bat of Conforto have lifted the Mets above Law's preseason rank of sixth. Depending on whether or not anymore prospects "graduate" between now and September, the Mets could see their farm rank rise even higher over the next few months.

Obviously wins in the majors are the most important thing, but it is very encouraging to see the Mets' prospects held in such high regard. Every day, fans hope for a change in ownership that would presumably lead to an increase in payroll, but that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. The Mets can still be successful as a small-market club, but that is very hard to do without a solid pipeline.

Alderson has developed a pretty darn good pipeline that is already beginning to pay dividends in the big leagues. For that, at least, he should be applauded.