Three future New York Mets land on Baseball America’s preseason Top 100 list. Is the Mets farm system on the upswing or is this a mirage?
Monday saw the release of Baseball America‘s preseason Top 100 prospects. The list features three New York Mets players: catcher Francisco Alvarez (48), shortstop Ronny Mauricio (65), and pitcher Matt Allan (98).
Francisco Alvarez leads the way for the Mets, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. No position in MLB is more valuable than the catcher. They’re not only involved in every play defensively, but they’re put in charge of handling the pitching staff and calling games. If they can hit on top of all of that then they’re a special breed.
There’s a reason that there are only really two elite catchers in MLB. Over the last 5 years, the catcher with the most fWAR is Yasmani Gradnal with 21.4, which’s 13th among position players in MLB. J.T. Realmuto’s 19th with 18.8, but after him, the next best is 60th in MLB.
So when you run across a supremely talented young catcher, they’re worth their weight in gold. Alvarez can hit, hit for power, and is solid defensively. There’s no real hole in his game. If he continues on the track he’s on then Alvarez will likely become one of the elite prospects in all of baseball by this time next year.
Ronny Mauricio follows Alvarez, staying pretty stagnant in his ranking. Going from 66th in 2020 to 65th in 2021. That’s more to do with who he is as a prospect than anything else.
Mauricio has all the raw tools to be an elite five-tool shortstop at the next level. However, he has yet to put that all together. That’s understandable as he’s just 19 years old. He still has to grow into his body, and that’ll change a ton about his profile.
Obviously, Mauricio is still yet to produce like an elite prospect. He has little plate discipline, his raw power hasn’t shown up in games, and despite his speed, he’s horrible on the base paths.
Mauricio is pure projection, and that’s why he’s barely moved in the rankings.
Lastly, Matt Allan squeaks into BA’s top-100 at 98. He was among the first five outside the top-100 last year. Allan has yet to pitch in a full season in professional baseball yet, but his stuff is outstanding.
The high school prospect was once regarded as the top high school pitcher in his draft class. After falling due to signability concerns, Allan has made a mark quickly with the Mets.
With another year under his belt, Allan is likely to break out in a major way in 2021. Look for him to continue flying up draft boards.
