New York Mets prospects that will make a big league impact in 2017

Injuries and slumps are a constant in the MLB, so here’s a few New York Mets prospects that will make an impact on the club next season.

The disabled list almost single-handedly did in the New York Mets season in 2016, as they crumbled to Madison Bumgarner in the National League Wild Card game at Citi Field to close out their short lived October postseason trip.

Steven Matz, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Lucas Duda, Neil Walker, David Wright, Juan Lagares and Yoenis Cespedes all succumbed to injuries at one point or another during the year. A sophomore slump also brutally attacked Michael Conforto, as the former 10th overall selection was even dropped down to Triple-A for a few weeks to ‘figure things out.’

So if there’s any consistency in the inconsistent game of baseball, it’s that players will get hurt and fall into slumps. It’s just the way it is.

But luckily for general managers across the 30 MLB teams, baseball has a minor league system that severely rivals the NBA‘s D-League and the NFL‘s practice squad. So every season, a roster receives major contributions from guys who may have started the year in the abyss that can sometimes be the minors, but he’ll be an official major leaguer by the time October rolls around.

Follow ESNY on the journey of who’ll be the next Robert Gsellman for the Mets in 2017.

INF T.J. Rivera

A local kid from the Bronx, T.J. Rivera blew away Mets management last season after his call-up to the majors in August. In just 113 plate appearances, the righty hit .333/.345/.476 with four doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs.

During his time in Queens, Rivera played first, second and third base. But before his MLB arrival, he also played left field in Triple-A, and even shortstop the season prior in Double-A.

Put that all together and what do you have? The perfect utility man.

The Mets do have Wilmer Flores filling that role currently, leaving a question mark as to if Rivera will break camp in the majors. But as was said earlier, injuries happen, and that’ll likely give Rivera a shot in 2017 as well.

Rivera could also force the Mets’ hand with his ability to hit, as he’s more than proved himself in Triple-A to the tune of a .338/.379/.493 line during two seasons there.

Rivera also still holds a rookie status contractually, making the Mets even more inclined to give the hometown hero another chance to prove himself, as Walker’s contract at second base will be through following next year.

OF Brandon Nimmo

Prior to the 2015 season, Brandon Nimmo was ranked as the 45th best prospect in the majors by Baseball America. His path to Queens since then has been somewhat convoluted, but he’s produced in the limited time he’s been there.

In 32 games with the Mets last season, Nimmo hit .274 with a homer and six RBIs over 80 plate appearances – most of which were pinch-hitting chances. He also played 138.2 innings on the Citi Field grass and had just one error, while showing the great speed, athleticism and range necessary to play any of the three outfield spots.

Before his call-up last season, Nimmo shredded Triple-A pitching, producing a whopping .352/.423/.541 line with 25 doubles, eight triples, 11 homers, 61 RBIs and seven stolen bases in a little over half a season’s worth of at-bats.

So even though the Mets’ outfield is already crowded with Bruce, Cespedes, Conforto, Lagares and Curtis Granderson there, it’ll be hard for general manager Sandy Alderson to leave him in the minors for all of next season as he’s shown more than enough at Las Vegas.

RHP Paul Sewald

Here’s a name that casual Mets fans have almost certainly never heard of – Paul Sewald. The righty was picked by the Mets in the 10th round of the 2012 draft, and he’s done nothing but produce ever since.

Sewald owns a 2.20 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 over five minor league seasons in his career – ranging from the bottom to Triple-A. In fact, in every season besides 2016, he’s finished the year with under a 2.00 ERA, making it a bit of a surprise he hasn’t touched the majors yet at all.

The University of San Diego product spent all of last season in Las Vegas and came away with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 80 strikeouts over 65.2 innings of work.

BrooksBaseball.net describes that Sewald throws three pitches – a sinker at 90 mph, a slider at 80 mph and a changeup at 81 mph. But his sinker is drastically different than the groundball-inducing archetype that most baseball minds think of.

Sewald’s sinker doesn’t possess a lot of break arm side, making it a more flyball-creating pitch for him. His slider is his strikeout pitch, though, as it produces more swings and misses than most other pitchers’ do. His changeup is seldom used, but he clearly knows how to mix pitches, as an 11.0 K/9 rate last season would indicate.

RHP Erik Goeddel & LHPs Josh Edgin and Sean Gilmartin

Coming into last season around this time of year, the Mets were expecting Erik Goeddel, Josh Edgin and Sean Gilmartin to be some of the main contributors on the roster. And this year, they may get that opportunity.

Gilmartin was a Rule-5 pick for the Mets before 2015, and the southpaw quieted doubters with a 2.67 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 57.1 innings pitched during the following season. He even spot-started a game that year, throwing five shutout innings against the Phillies.

Even though Edgin has produced a 3.42 ERA over parts of four seasons in the majors, he got hit hard in 2016 to the tune of a 5.23 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Edgin did, however, manage a 3.11 ERA over 37.2 innings between High-A and Triple-A last season.

In 2015, Goeddel defied the odds, pitching to a 2.43 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP over 33.1 innings in Queens. But during his time in High-A and Double-A before his major league arrival, he had a rough 5.06 ERA and 1.78 WHIP.

This trio is first in line for a call-up should any injuries or significant struggles attack the Mets’ bullpen. And with the impending suspension of closer Jeurys Familia due to come before Opening Day, the team in Queens may need help sooner rather than later.

INF Gavin Cecchini

While Gavin Cecchini has always had a great bat from the middle infield spots, his fielding has left a bit to be desired. In 105 games at shortstop in Las Vegas, he had 33 errors, showing Mets’ brass that he likely doesn’t have the ability to be full-time at the position.

Cecchini did get seven major league plate appearances last September, striking two doubles with two RBIs during his short stint in Queens. But in Triple-A, he hit minor league pitching hard, producing a .325/.390/.667 line with 27 doubles, eight home runs, 55 RBIs and four steals.

T.J. Rivera is ahead of Cecchini in the pecking order of middle infielders for the Mets, but he’ll absolutely get a significant shot should Cabrera, Walker or Wright get injured.

Most scouts feel that because of a lack of deep arm strength, Cecchini will likely spend most of his career at the keystone or as a utility man. But if he keeps beating up on Pacific Coast League pitching, expect to see the former #87 MLB prospect in Queens.