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Previously: 25-21, 20-16, 15-11, 10, 9, 8, 7
6. Luis Carpio, SS
Height: 6'0", Weight: 165 lbs
DOB: 7/11/97
Acquired: IFA, 2013
2015: Kingsport: 207 PA, .304/.372/.359, 8.2% walk rate; 16.4% strikeout rate
It's safe to say that Luis Carpio exploded onto the scene last year. Signed for $300,000 during the 2013 international free agent window, Carpio began the 2015 season as a 17-year-old. In fact, he was 17 for his first couple weeks playing in Kingsport. Now, Kingsport is a level that is way down there, but it's typically filled with recent college draftees and older international signees who have been stateside before. So it's safe to say that it was an aggressive assignment for Carpio, especially when you double-check and notice he was the youngest player in the league. And all he did was go out and hit .304/.372/.359, all while playing a solid shortstop, enough so that it's not out of the question he could stick there. Most importantly, it's not just his athleticism that allowed him to excel, his approach is advanced for his age, perhaps something that couldn't be said of a couple of other young Mets shortstops who passed through Kingsport recently and set off the prospect detectors.
Carpio is a better prospect than Amed Rosario was coming out of Kingsport. Granted, Rosario was four months younger at the time, but here's what he put up in Kingsport as a 17-year-old: .241/.279/.358, 4.9% walk rate, 19% strikeout rate. And it wasn't until after he left there that the reports on his defense started developing into what they are today (he's good there). So we're talking about 100 points of on-base, less pop, but a much better strikeout and walk profile.
Carpio is the rare prospect who doesn't get plaudits just for being young for the level but for actually performing well at the level he is too young for. And when you can back up that stellar statistical performance with a glowing scouting report, well, that's how you get bumped up to the sixth prospect in the system. For 2016, I would not be surprised to see Carpio assigned to full season ball in Columbia where he will continue to be young for the level but will continue to be up to the challenge.