The New York Mets have announced the 45 players who will head to spring training 2.0 also known as “summer camp” on July 1.
On Sunday night, the New York Mets announced who made their 60-man player pool. The Mets will only carry 45 players leaving plenty of room for potential acquisitions.
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Here is our 2020 Player Pool. #LGM pic.twitter.com/IKqcwW2WRW
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 29, 2020
The list features the usual suspects, with Noah Syndergaard as the big missing piece. Syndergaard will miss all of 2020 due to a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery.
There are a few interesting names that made the list. Prospects David Peterson, Kevin Smith, and Andres Gimenez are all heading to Flushing to join the 45-man player pool.
Peterson is likely going to be the team’s sixth starter. With Syndergaard already gone due to injury, Peterson offers a higher upside potential replacement if another injury comes.
Gimenez is one of the top-100 prospects in baseball. After dominating the AFL in 2019, Gimenez struggled in spring training. He was expected to play in triple-A in 2019, but he’ll likely have to skip that step due to COVID-19. His defensive prowess will undoubtedly help the Mets, and don’t discount the potential impact of his bat.
Smith is one of the players to watch in 2020. He’s been phenomenal at every step in the minors since he was drafted in 2018. Now he’s likely going to debut at some point in 2020. His plus control and his above-average slider have dominated the lower level of the minors. It’ll be interesting to see if his finesse pitching will work in the majors.
The Mets also had two huge shockers on their roster. Johneshwy Fargas was a non-roster invitee when he came to spring training. He was a 25-year-old outfielder who had never passed double-A and struggled offensively, but then Fargas dominated in spring training. He slashed .276/.300/.483 and stole six bases in 16 games.
That speed, good defense, and an impressive offensive display have put Fargas on the map. Look for the Mets to use in him in extra-inning games with the new rules. Having Fargas’ speed, 97 stolen bases in the last two years, on second base to start extra innings could win the Mets’ some games.
The other major surprise was Patrick Mazeika. The 26-year-old catcher has struggled in recent years. He’s never made it past double-A his offensive numbers have tanked, and his defense behind the plate seems to be getting worse each year. Despite all that, Mazeika landed on the Mets 45 man player pool.
Only 30 of these players will make the official Opening Day roster, but all of them could have an impact on the Mets’ season. Will this be the group that gets the Mets back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016?