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The Mets have enjoyed heightened success by bolstering their farm system over the years. After reaping the rewards in 2015, their current crop of minor leagues slid to sixteenth in Keith Law's annual system rankings.
That's not bad considering Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto graduated to the big leagues last year. The Mets also forfeited their first-round pick in 2015 to sign Michael Cuddyer, who retired following the season. They also utilized their deep field of prospects to make trades for a playoff push, most notably Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa to the Detroit Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes.
Although they fell from fourth on last year's list, Law gave them a respectable rank due to the organization's promising position players. The ultimate purpose of a farm system is to build an MLB contender. By building a young nucleus around Syndergaard, Matz, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Conforto, and Travis d'Arnaud, the Mets have done just that.
As for some of the Mets' rivals, the rebuilding Atlanta Braves top Law's list, while the Philadelphia Phillies jumped nineteen spots to sixth.