Top 25 Mets Prospects for 2016, #8: Desmond Lindsay

Previously: 25-21, 20-16, 15-11, 10, 9

8. Desmond Lindsay OF

Bats/Throws: R/R
Height: 6'0", Weight: 200 lbs
DOB: 1/15/97
Acquired: 2nd round, 2015 draft
2015: GCL Mets: 81 PA, .304/.400/.464, 13.6% walk rate, 25.9% strikeout rate; Brooklyn: 53 PA, .200/.308/.267, 13.2% walk rate, 35.8% strikeout rate

The Mets thought they were getting a first-round talent when they drafted Lindsay in the second round of last year's draft, and they may have been right. Lindsay spent the bulk of his high school time playing first and third, which is a bit confusing because he is a plus runner and is extremely athletic. The Mets used him exclusively in center field, where his reads and routes were raw—not surprising given his lack of experience there—but his speed was able to make up for that rawness. Offensively, Lindsay features a short, level swing that should lend itself to making contact, although that's not what we saw in 2015. He also has very good bat speed that when coupled with his athleticism and build should lead to decent power down the road. It's difficult to overstate just how exciting Lindsay is right now. Al Skorupa, formerly of Baseball Prospectus and currently a scout for the Oakland Athletics, saw Lindsay in Brooklyn before leaving for the A's and wrote, "the potential is here for a five-tool first-division centerfielder."

Looking ahead to this season, I would expect Lindsay to be on the Brandon Nimmo/Gavin Cecchini path of staying in extended spring training followed by an assignment to Brooklyn, where he spent some time in 2015. He doesn't appear to be as polished as Dominic Smith was when he was drafted, and Lindsay did miss a lot of time in 2015 due to a hamstring injury. But it wouldn't shock me to see him assigned to Low-A Columbia given how well he performed in a limited sample in the Gulf Coast League and how professionally he carried himself while in Brooklyn.