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We’ve officially wrapped up our countdown of our list of the Mets’ top twenty-five prospects going into the 2017 season. I hope you enjoyed it,and that it was as educational to everyone reading as it was enjoyable for us putting it together. I encourage everyone to use the comment section to submit questions about the state of the Mets’ farm system, our 2017 list, or our individual lists. We’ll do our best to answer everyone.
Here, then, is the full list, complete with links to each player’s write-up.
1. Amed Rosario
8. Justin Dunn
9. Thomas Nido
10. Wuilmer Becerra
11. Ali Sanchez
12. Luis Carpio
13. Andres Gimenez
14. Gabriel Ynoa
15. Marcos Molina
16. Peter Alonso
17. Phil Evans
18. Ricky Knapp
19. Merandy Gonzalez
20. Andrew Church
21. Chris Flexen
22. Jeff McNeil
23. Harol Gonzalez
24. Ricardo Cespedes
25. Cameron Planck
As always, a special thanks goes out to Greg Karam and Lukas Vlahos, the Amazin’ Avenue minor league team, for their support in making this year’s list. Another special thanks goes out to our friends at Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, Minor League Ball, Fangraphs, and the countless others who have contributed to our collective knowledge of the Mets’ farm system through first-hand information or secondary sources. Finally, one more thanks to the various photographers who have graciously allowed Amazin’ Avenue to use their shots over the years, including Chris McShane, Jessica Rudman, Gordon Donovan, and so many others.
Last but certainly not least, the Amazin’ Avenue minor league team thanks our amazing community for their continued passion and enthusiasm. None of this would be possible—or needed—without your continued support.
| Greg | Steve | Lukas |
|---|---|---|
| Amed Rosario | Amed Rosario | Amed Rosario |
| Robert Gsellman | Brandon Nimmo | Robert Gsellman |
| Thomas Szapucki | Robert Gsellman | Thomas Szapucki |
| Desmond Lindsay | Thomas Szapucki | Desmond Lindsay |
| Dominic Smith | Dominic Smith | Gavin Cecchini |
| Justin Dunn | Gavin Cecchini | Dominic Smith |
| Brandon Nimmo | Justin Dunn | Brandon Nimmo |
| Andres Gimenez | Desmond Lindsay | Thomas Nido |
| Luis Carpio | Tomas Nido | Ali Sanchez |
| Gavin Cecchini | Wuilmer Becerra | Gabriel ynoa |
| Tomas Nido | Ali Sanchez | Wuilmer Becerra |
| Phil Evans | Luis Carpio | Justin Dunn |
| Wilmer Becerra | Peter Alonso | Andres Gimenez |
| Ali Sanchez | Gabriel Ynoa | Luis Carpio |
| Gabriel Ynoa | Marcos Molina | Phil Evans |
| Marcos Molina | Andres Gimenez | Peter Alonso |
| TJ Rivera | Ricardo Cespedes | Jeff McNeil |
| Chris Flexen | Merandy Gonzalez | Ricky Knapp |
| Ricky Knapp | David Thompson | Andrew Church |
| Andrew Church | Chris Flexen | Marcos Molina |
| Merandy Gonzalez | Eudor Garcia | Cameron Planck |
| Jeff McNeil | Harol Gonzalez | Matt Cleveland |
| Peter Alonso | Ricky Knapp | Merandy Gonzalez |
| Nabil Crismatt | Milton Ramos | Luis Guillorme |
| Harol Gonzalez | Andrew Church | Harol Gonzalez |
Greg’s Bonus 2017 Sleeper Pick: Luis Silva
I hadn’t heard of Silva until the season was already over, and I was given a tip to check him out. It turns out he probably should have been on my radar, given he had received the largest international signing bonus the Mets have given to a pitcher when he signed for $275,000 a few years back. He spent most of the season in the GCL with just ‘okay’ results, but he did pop up in Columbia for a late season start that was televised on MiLB.tv. Silva sits in the low-90s with the fastball, regularly touching 94. He also has the makings of a very good slider. He will need to work on developing a usable third pitch if he’s going to make it as a starter, but as it stands now he’s an interesting prospect who will likely be starting at the full-season level 2017, which is exciting for a guy who was barely on our radar for the last several years.
Lukas’s Bonus 2017 Sleeper Pick: Colby Woodmansee
My opinion is slightly biased because Woodmansee is one of the only bats in the Mets’ system that I’ve seen myself. However, the few times I watched him, I came away impressed with his plate discipline and bat speed. Steve Sypa pointed out that he hasn’t really used his lower half in college, but I think that’s something professional coaching can improve. He’s definitely not a shortstop, but I could see him being potent enough with the bat to be a solid second baseman or a bat-first utility player who can fake it at short once in a while.
Steve’s Bonus 2017 Sleeper Pick: P.J. Conlon
The biggest hurdle Conlon has to face is his size. At 5’11”, 190 pounds, the Irish (father)/Scott (mother) lefty wouldn’t be the smallest pitcher to ever play professional baseball, but it puts him at a significant disadvantage. His fastball is fringe-average even for a lefty, sitting 87-90, topping out at 91 MPH. He throws a wide assortment of other pitches, including a two-seam fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup, with the latter grading average-to-above-average and the others fringe-to-average. His long, slingy delivery from a high-3/4 arm slot has helped give his pitches downward sink, giving Conlon roughly a 2:1 groundball-to-flyball ratio for the season. The southpaw is keenly aware of his physical limitations and does everything he can to not have them be a detriment to his ability to succeed. He throws strikes, studies hitters and trends on his off-days in preparation his outings, and pitches backwards to keep hitters guessing.