21. Chris Flexen, RHP, Age 21 (St. Lucie)

The least-heralded prospect the Mets added to the 40-man this offseason. Flexen is honestly about as close to a generic assembly-line good-but-not-great right-handed pitching prospect as there is, right down to the Tommy John surgery in his recent past. 2016 was his first full season back, and he was middling in High-A, but his velocity did largely come back. The Mets have done extremely, extremely well maximizing this profile into major-league success, and Flexen will start 2017 in Double-A and on the 40-man, so this could all come together quicker than you’d think. Whether or not that future is in the rotation or bullpen remains to be seen.

22. Andrew Church, RHP, Age 21 (Columbia/St. Lucie/Las Vegas)

2013’s second-round pick emerged from years of erratic and unspectacular performance in the depths of short-season ball to put up an impressive half-season split between A-ball levels. There isn’t a lot differentiating him and Flexen, honestly—touching 95, good breaking ball (curve for Flexen, slider for Church), change that needs some work, a lot of time missed with arm injuries, unclear whether either will fit in the rotation or the bullpen. Flexen being a spot higher is more that we’ve seen him pitch more and better through the years, despite the TJS in his background, but consider these guys fairly interchangeable.

23. Phil Evans, IF, Age 23 (St. Lucie/Binghamton)

Evans opened 2016 as a High-A extra infielder and ended it as a Double-A batting champion. He was originally notable as one of the first markers that the new regime would be way more aggressive in the draft, signing as 2011’s 15th-rounder for a $650,000 bonus. Of course, draft bonus pool caps came just the year after, and nobody could be particularly aggressive after that. Evans bounced around the system until this year, emerging as a hit-tool first second base option in much the same way T.J. Rivera did at Triple-A and in the majors.

The Mets exposed Evans to Thursday’s Rule 5 draft, and he’s been widely talked about as one of the more likely players to get popped. It’d be more of a loss if the system didn’t already have Wilmer Flores, Gavin Cecchini, and Rivera as young RHH utility options that can’t really play short.

24. Anthony Kay, LHP, Age 21 (DNP)

As ESPN’s Keith Law noted at the time, Kay’s usage at UConn this past spring was suspect at best. Surprise surprise, Kay’s physical with the Mets showed significant elbow damage, costing him many hundreds of thousands of dollars of bonus money. MLB, through the bonus pools, made it up to the Mets by allowing them to sign Cameron Planck. Nobody will make it up to Anthony Kay–not UConn or the NCAA or the AAC.

This ranking is pretty much a shot in the dark; Kay would’ve made the top ten if healthy, but won’t throw a meaningful professional pitch until his age-23 season in 2018. As with Marcos Molina, we’ll probably have a much better idea how the recovery is going in a year, even if he probably won’t make it back before the end of the MILB season.

25. Cameron Planck, RHP, Age 18 (DNP)

Do you like playing the lottery? Well, here’s a pair of prospects for you. The Mets went through quite a saga to acquire Planck, originally offering to cut a pre-draft deal with him for somewhere in the mid-high six figures, to be drafted in the third or fourth round. Planck turned them down. The Mets took him in the 11th as a backup plan, and ended up having a bunch of leftover pool money when Kay took a far lower bonus than expected. Planck signed for $1,000,001.

He’s yet to pitch as a professional. He throws in the mid-90s. We’re ranking him around where we’d rank a generic third-round prep arm because, well, for the purposes of rankings, he’s sort of a generic third-round prep arm. And as you see with Church upstream, it’s not always clear for a number of years which way these things are going to go.

26. Gregory Guerrero, SS, Age 17 (DSL)

Gregory Guerrero is most notable as Vladimir’s nephew, trained by Uncle Vlad at the Guerrero Academy. He signed for $1.5 million as one of the reported best players in the 2015 international class. And that’s where it about ends for now—Guerrero was adequate in enough in the Dominican Summer League, but doesn’t get the kinds of great whisperings Andres Gimenez has, at least not yet. He’s likely to be way up this list after a summer in North America, or off it entirely.

27. Nabil Crismatt, RHP, Age 21 (Brooklyn/Columbia/Binghamton)

Crismatt put up one of the more spectacular ratios in the system in 2016, striking out 74 and walking only 7 while rising from extended spring all the way to a spot start in Double-A. He’s already being used in a swingman type role and is very likely headed to a future in the bullpen. As a fastball/change guy with a fringe breaking ball, it’s easy to think Akeel Morris. He’s a few years away from any sort of major-league role, and was subsequently left off the 40, where he should be among the lower risks among the significant prospects to be taken in the Rule 5 draft.

28. Kevin McGowan, RHP, Age 24 (St. Lucie/Binghamton)

Of the prospects the Mets exposed to the Rule 5 draft, McGowan is probably most ready to contribute to a major-league team. Jeffrey and I talk quite frequently about “95-and-a-slider” guys in the context of generic perfectly acceptable relievers, and after converting to relief in 2016, McGowan is basically already there. He could be this year’s Erik Goeddel in contributing decent innings to the major-league club from off the radar, or he could be this year’s Matt Bowman in contributing decent innings to someone else’s major-league club.

29. Jake Simon, LHP, Age 19 (Kingsport)

The Mets gave Jake Simon $400,000 in the 11th round in 2015 because he was a projectable lefty, and early signs are promising. His velocity ticked up in 2016 while pitching adequately in the Appy League, a perfectly respectable assignment for his age and advancement. These profiles can come together quickly—we’ll note that this is about the same point where we’d have had Simon’s teammate Thomas Szapucki last year, and with broadly the same profile. Simon will be headed for a higher-profile assignment in either Brooklyn or Columbia in 2017.

30. Ty Kelly, IF/OF, Age 27 (Las Vegas/New York)

Ty Kelly deserves to be higher than this, as he’s not more than a shout off of T.J. Rivera, but this is what happens when your authors end up counting service days by hand and realize he is eligible at the last second. He’s a present major-league role 4, a perfectly good utility guy, and honestly most of the players behind him are future 4s, so here he is. I guess this serves as a reminder that more guys are still “prospects” than you’d think.

THREE MORE WITH A SHOT:

• P.J. Conlon, LHP, Age 22 (Columbia/St. Lucie): A small, soft-tossing lefty from Northern Ireland who has dominated the low-minors to the tune of a 1.47 career ERA. This profile often implodes in Double-A, but he could carve out a MLB future in some role.
• Paul Sewald, RHP, Age 26 (Las Vegas): The best pitcher for the 2016 Las Vegas 51s, and overqualified for a MLB long relief type role with a chance for more. Could be selected in Rule 5.
• Jeff McNeil, IF, Age 24 (Binghamton): The former golfer missed nearly all of 2016 with lower-body injuries. If his athleticism and hit tool remain intact, he has a chance at a long career as a utility player or even fringe starter. Also exposed to Rule 5.

Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Like the Mets’ first 10 picks, the crop from draft rounds 10-20 is also pitching-focused; six out of ten are pitchers, all right-handed this time. But rounds 10 and 11 also saw a few 2016 draft Mets’ firsts— their first outfielder and first high school prospect, respectively.

In the weeks since the draft, many contracts have already been signed—including fifth-round pick shortstop Colby Woodmansee, now a Brooklyn Cyclone, and at least seven of the players below—allowing us a few months of pure, unmitigated optimism at the promise of these young Mets-to-be.

Gene Cone (310th overall)

The 20-year-old South Carolina native has been a standout even amongst a star-studded, albeit unfortunately named, team—his fellow USC Gamecock, the pitcher Braden Webb, was also chosen in the MLB draft this year by the Brewers. Cone was named first-team All-SEC this May.

As the Mets’ first outfield pick, most would expect Cone to be a big hitter. With only four home runs in 2016, Cone is not exactly a power hitter, but arguably he is something better—he’s consistent. In 59 games, the USC Columbia junior hit .363/.474/.498, including 13 doubles and 30 RBI, and led Division I baseball (and set a school record) with a 31-game hitting streak. Opposing pitchers seem to find Cone a particularly formidable opponent as well—he finished the season with an impressive 45 walks to 26 strikeouts.

Cone is said to have signed a contract with the Mets last Friday, which included a $150,000 signing bonus, but it’s unclear whether he will start at the Rookie or Low-A level.

Cameron Planck (34oth overall)

I was surprised that the Mets’ first high school pick would be a pitcher, given how unpredictable his development is from here on out. That said, the 18-year-old is six-foot-four, has a fastball that currently ranges from 90-94 MPH, and has also had success as a first baseman, so coming from a pretty strong starting point.

Recruiters have had their eye on Planck for years—the Kentucky native is said to have verbally committed to the University of Louisville in 2014; that year he went 7-3 with 84 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Matt Cleveland (370th overall)

The Mets 12th-round pick was another high school pitcher—an 18-year-old Connecticut senior who also has a lot going for him, like  6’5” and a 95 MPH fastball. He’s a self-proclaimed Yankees fan, though, so I hope he’ll submit to some kind of ceremonial juju cleansing ritual if and when he finds his way to Citi Field.

Cleveland was named Baseball America’s No. 1 prospect in New England this year, number 34 in the country. He was said to have left his high school team at the end of May with an undisclosed medical issue, but the mystery setback evidently didn’t worry Mets scouts too much. Cleveland had a 2.07 ERA for 2016 upon his departure, and was slated to attend Florida Southwestern junior college before the draft.

Dan Rizzie (400th overall)

The Mets’ first prospective catcher for 2016 is the 22-year-old senior from Cincinnati’s Xavier University. Xavier has seen 10 players drafted in the last 12 years, all under the tutelage of coach Scott Googins, and Rizzie is considered the best of the best; he is particularly lauded for his defensive skills as catcher, having made the Johnny Bench Award watch list for three straight years.

Offensively Rizzie is strong as well, hitting .317/.383/.472 in 2016 with an impressive .483 postseason average, including eight runs and eight RBI over seven games. He earned NCAA All-Region honors twice while at Xavier. Rizzie currently appears on the 2016 roster for the Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

Christian James (430th overall)

Another promising high school pitcher, James has seen success both as a starter and closer for his East Lake HS team in Florida. The 18-year-old senior went 9-2 with a save, a 1.29 ERA and 98 strikeouts across 71 innings in 2016.

James is 6’4″ and his fastball currently clocks in at about 93 MPH. Before the draft he announced plans to attend St. Petersburg College.

Jacob Zanon (460th overall)

The outfielder, who turns 21 this week, was one of four players drafted from Idaho’s Lewis-Clark State Warriors—at round 15, the Zanon was the school’s highest pick. In 2016 he hit .393/.464/.676 with 14 home runs, 56 RBI, and 27 stolen bases (in 27 attempts).

With those numbers, I’ll happily overlook this rather high-in-the-Google-search-results hothead moment for which he was suspended back in 2014.

The Warriors won the 2016 NAIA World Series, for which Zanon was named MVP. Zanon also appears on the Cyclones’ 2016 Roster.

Trent Johnson (490th overall)

The 19-year-old Florida-native was a sophomore at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, where he went 8-2 this season, with a 2.20 ERA and 89 strikeouts. In his starting career at Santa Fe he went 24-3, making him the winningest pitcher in the school’s history.

According to the Santa Fe Athletic office, Johnson has signed a contract and will report to the Rookie affiliate Kingsport Mets this week.

Jay Jabs (520th overall)

Former Franklin Pierce University third baseman Jay Jabs’ career as a minor-league Met is already off and running; he hit a two-run single for the Cyclones last week—his first professional hit and the team’s first 2016 victory.

For his 2016 season with the FPU Ravens, the junior hit .352/.466/.638 with 14 homeruns and 69 RBI (16th in the NCAA). He played third base, outfield and pitched while at Franklin Pierce, and is the third player in the school’s history to be drafted by the Mets.

Adam Atkins (550th overall)

The 22-year-old at Louisiana Tech was the first of three Bulldogs’ pitchers to be drafted this year. A closer for Louisiana, he finished out his senior season going 6-1 with 9 saves and a 1.20 ERA. His saves put him in fourth place in Conference USA, tied for second in the school’s history.

Atkins is 6’3 and right-handed. He has signed with the Mets and appears on the Brooklyn Cyclones’ roster.

Gary Cornish (580th overall)

Also a 22-year-old righty pitcher standing at 6’3, Cornish was in the starting rotation for the University of San Diego. He went 5-3 in his senior season with a 4.57 ERA but an impressive 80 strikeouts in 80.2 innings, a team high for the year.

Cornish has signed with the Mets and is also with the Cyclones.

Carlos Cortes (610th overall)

Rumored to be the best hitter in the state of Florida at the moment, Cortes was likely overlooked in earlier rounds because of his size; at 5’8 and 185lbs he’s short and stocky, which has led to some defensive shortcomings. He usually plays second base for the Lake Howell High School Silver Hawks, but has played outfield and catcher as well, with left field considered the position in which he might be most successful professionally.

Cortes played for the Rawlings Perfect Game 1st Team All-American and the Florida All-Region 1st Team in 2016, and is currently committed to the University of South Carolina.

Bonus fact: as a fun, albeit not entirely useful major-league skill, this lefty batter can throw with both hands.

Photo Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports