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It’s not the strongest one out there, but the bright spots in the Mets’ farm system are shining. Amed Rosario, Dominic Smith, and Andres Gimenez all found a spot on Baseball America’s updated top 100 prospects list. And they all saw their rankings go up.
Rosario, the organization’s crown jewel, made his way into the top five for the first time. He’s been universally praised, even earning the top spot from some other well-respected evaluators. And based on his .371/.413/.508 batting line so far in Las Vegas, the 21-year-old Dominican seems ready for a shot at the big leagues.
Offensively, Rosario and his teammate Smith aren’t that far off. The big lefty gets the 65th spot on the list, and is raking through the Pacific Coast League, too. That Rosario is doing this at shortstop while Smith mans first base is probably the main reason they’re so far apart. But Smith has graded out as a very good defender for his position. The PCL is known for inflating offensive numbers, but the Mets couldn’t really have expected much more out of these two during their tenures with the 51s.
The new entry to the list at #97 is Gimenez, a young shortstop from Venezuela. And when I say young, I mean he was born four days before Mark McGwire hit his 62nd home run. Other than making us all feel old, it says a lot that he’s made this list as a teenager. He still has a long way to go, but is showing a lot of promise, currently posting a 135 wRC+ with the Columbia Fireflies. And yes, in case you were wondering, Gimenez is more than a decade younger than his teammate Tim Tebow.
It will be interesting to see where all three land in Baseball America’s midseason rankings. But if they keep performing like they have so far, there’s so reason to believe they won’t keep climbing.