Tyler Oringer: Well, this one is obvious. If you’ve been following any of my coverage throughout the season, you know how much I love the future first baseman for the Mets. The fact that the 23-year old was not called up this season in order to manipulate service time for his age 31 season is beyond belief – but hey, let’s stick to the good part.  Alonso finished his 2019 minor league campaign (65 games at Double-A, 67 in Triple-A) with 36 home runs, 119 RBIs and a triple slash of .285/.395/.579. The changes to his swing from 2017 were real, and allowed him to drive the ball to more fields with major league power, while also advancing his plate discipline to another level. The former Gator saw his OBP jump from .355 to the aforementioned .395.  Alonso finished a full minor league season between Double-A and Triple-A at 23 years old with an OPS of .975. Yes, his defense is not good, but the bat makes him the clear MVP of the Mets’ system in 2018.

Breakout prospect of the year: Jeff McNeil

Alex Rosen: Jeffrey, Jarrett and I were all on McNeil as a future major league contributor before July (and as early as 2014 in Jeffrey’s case) but we’d all be lying if we said we saw this coming. Injuries limited him to just 21 games above A-ball in 2016 and 2017 but McNeil rode a vastly improved frame and a new stomp and pull approach all the way to Queens before the end of July. He’s been the Mets’ best position player since the day he arrived in Flushing – not to mention one of the best players across all of baseball – and gives the organization another cost-controlled above-average regular to build around.

“Cy Young”: Um… Justin Dunn and David Peterson… I guess

TO: DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel comfortable giving either of these guys a Cy Young vote here, but the Mets didn’t really have any impressive season showings from any of their developing starting arms. Dunn, a 2016 first round pick out of Boston College, was okay this season but did improve greatly from 2017. He did struggle a bit in Double-A but flashed some of the potential the Mets have seen, striking out 156 batters in 135.1 innings. Control has continued to be an issue for the 22-year-old, but next season should be a massive stepping stone in his development. I’ve always felt his relief potential was immense and he could be extremely valuable there, but it would be quite the stretch to move him to the bullpen any time soon. Like Dunn, Peterson was good, not great. The 2017 first rounder dominated full-season A-ball, but was knocked around by Advanced-A hitting, surrendering 74 hits in 68.2 innings pitched. The southpaw already has the control and movement to be a legitimate prospect, he just needs to serve up fewer hittable pitches as he goes on.

Platinum Glove: Luis Guillorme

TO: A favorite of mine who was handled as poorly as he could have been in 2018.  Regardless, Guillorme is already an elite defender. If given the chance to start at shortstop or second base in a full major league season, the 23-year-old would challenge for a Gold Glove.  Guillorme flashes some of the smoothest actions and fluidness that any middle infielder in the minors has shown over the past few years. There is a lot to love about Guillorme, if the Mets could just figure out a way to best utilize his talents.

Comeback prospect of the year: Justin Dunn

AR: Dunn’s full-season debut couldn’t have gone much worse, but he rebounded nicely and took care of business in 2018, tossing about 90 innings in Binghamton en route to winning the organizations minor league pitcher of the year award. It was more of “meh” season by top pitching prospect standards, but even that was markedly better than Dunn’s 2017 in the Florida State League. There’s still a ton of room for improvement, especially with the change-up, but 2018 was without a doubt a step in the right direction. The stuff came back, the command improved and Dunn’s now one step closer to the big leagues.

Most likely to have their service time manipulated: Peter Alonso Andres Gimenez

AR: Oh, this is for the future? (looks at personal pref list…) Andres Gimenez it is! Until the rules change in the next CBA, teams are going to hold down top prospects to gain that extra year of control. It’s going to happen to Gimenez too, unless the Mets find themselves in a pennant race in 2019 with a hole to fill. Nevertheless, Gimenez had a tremendous 2018 season across Port St. Lucie and Binghamton, solidifying himself as one of the best prospects in the game.

The Ty Kelly Memorial Roster Spot: Gavin Cecchini

AR: Cecchini was off to a solid start in Las Vegas before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He’s seemingly been around for forever, though he somehow won’t turn 25 ‘till December, but his spot on the 40-man is hanging by a thread. The former first rounder has never really received an extended stay with the big league club, but seems like a prime candidate to hang around as organizational depth for a number of years.

Best early return from the 2018 draft: Ross Adolph

TO: Adolph was drafted in the 12th round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft, but has already shown his value in his first year in Brooklyn. In my live look at Adolph, he did not get any hits or even take good routes to the ball in the field, but the athletically built outfielder owned a noticeably advanced approach at the plate and looked the part. The Toledo alum put up some nice number with the Cyclones, OPSing .857 with 14 stolen bases and an affinity for chasing down balls in the outfield.

Most likely to receive the Dominic Smith treatment: Mark Vientos

AR: Vientos still has a long ways to go before he’s a viable major league contributor, but he’s an early round pick who might find playing time hard to come by at the big league level. Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez look to be franchise cornerstones in the infield and Jeff McNeil’s not going anywhere anytime soon, leaving Vientos without a future home on the dirt as of now. Of course, these things tend to sort themselves out, but it hasn’t with Smith at the big league level for one reason or another. A similar fate could be awaiting Vientos, though we’re at least a couple of years away from having to even entertain the possibility.

Most likely to pitch too many high leverage innings: Kevin Smith

AR: The Mets went reliever heavy on Day Two of the 2018 MLB Draft, using a seventh rounder to grab Smith, a crafty SEC lefty with starting experience. There’s likely some internal hope that Smith can start, but having seen him this summer, I can tell you with confidence that that ain’t happening. He’s a future LOOGY in the Jerry Blevins/Daniel Zamora mold who’ll probably be overused like Blevins was in 2017. To be clear, a major league LOOGY is a fine outcome here, but the Mets have an affinity for Smith that I just personally don’t see.

The Reliever of the Carousel of Relievers Who Is Legit:  Drew Smith

TO: Bad timing – I know.  Anyway, Smith possesses true back-end relief talent which has come through in his every stop in the minors and more recently, the majors. I wrote about Smith back in Week 7 of the Prospect Watch, and stand by those previous comments.  Smith’s fastball and slider combination poses the potential for some elite late-inning stuff which has already come to fruition in 2018. When Sandy Alderson traded a fading Lucas Duda for a relief arm, people were concerned, but it would not be crazy to me if Smith is closing with success for New York in the near future.

Biggest Disappointment: Desmond Lindsay

TO: When Lindsay was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft, big things were expected. The centerfielder looked to have the tools, body, and pedigree to turn into a major league regular, but things have just not transpired that way. Lindsay is still stuck in Advanced-A ball, and has not shown any reason to get out of it. The right-handed hitting high school pick has OPSed .715 and .640 in consecutive seasons – and unless he makes the necessary adjustments to his approach, his athleticism may end up going to waste. Injuries have hampered the 21-year old throughout his short career, so there is still a bit of hope – but change must come fast.

Happiest Met to head to Syracuse: Nabil Crismatt

AR: If Crismatt pitched the entire season in Binghamton, he’d have been my choice for the Cy Young award. Unfortunately, we can’t erase those nine starts in Las Vegas and Crismatt will instead have to settle for the “Happiest Met to head to Syracuse” designation. His strong season in Double-A proved there’s a future major league contributor here, but the disaster in the desert muddied things. The Mets will need to protect Crismatt from the Rule-5 draft this offseason by adding him to the 40-man roster, which currently seems like a toss-up at best. He should absolutely be protected, but this is the Mets and they’ll let him go to Oakland, where he’ll suddenly become a No.3 starter.

Best trade deadline acquisition: Franklyn Kilome

TO: This is quite obvious, but not because the other acquisitions were bad – it’s because Kilome, the only player from the Asdrubal Cabrera deal with the Phillies, is that good. The 6’6,” 175-pound 23-year old, has shown to have an advanced upper-90s fastball along with an impressive curveball which has a swing-and-miss movement. In Double-A, Kilome struck out 125 batters in 140 innings, but did walk 61.  Kilome needs to work on his control, but the young right-hander does flash the stuff to succeed as a major league starter – and should see time on the big league club at some point next year.

Most excited to see in 2019: Thomas Szapucki

AR: Szapucki missed the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but is set to return to the mound in 2019. He’s only thrown a total of 83.1 innings in his brief career and will turn 23 next June, but Szapucki has undeniable upside that enticed virtually everyone who saw him. He flashed three potential plus offerings from a tough slot prior to the injury, giving him top of the rotation upside if he could simply stay healthy. There’s no question he’s behind the developmental curve, but 2019 could be a make or break season for the left-hander.

Tim Tebow Award: Tim Tebow

TO: Sorry, I just had to.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

Hitter: Peter Alonso

When I last wrote about Peter Alonso, he was running a .475 OBP and crushing everything in Binghamton. He, along with Jeff McNeil, looked big league ready and primed to skip Triple-A and the Pacific Coast League.

Fast forward three months and Alonso has taken his talents to Las Vegas, posting similarly gaudy numbers in a league he’s too good for while he awaits an opportunity in the majors.

A similar situation occurred down the stretch in 2017 as well with Dom Smith only playing in 49 games in what was a completely lost season for the Mets. That wasn’t enough of a sample size for New York to hand him the starting job in 2018, so they went bargain shopping and questionably signed Adrian Gonzalez. The rest is history as they say, but more importantly, the Mets seem to be making this costly mistake again.

They selected Alonso as a 22-year-old 1B/DH in the second round of the 2016 draft, a curious choice if they weren’t intent on fast-tracking him to the majors. He’s hit his way through every level of the minors and looks like a future regular at worst, but the Mets have – through unnamed sources – stated they won’t call him up in September as to avoid a 40-man roster crunch.

There’s really no other way to put it: this is an incredibly bad baseball decision, likely influenced by service time.

By keeping Alonso down and off the 40-man roster, the Mets can gain an extra year of control by waiting until the Super Two deadline passes in 2019. No one other than the people signing the paychecks likes this sort of roster manipulation, but it doesn’t even make much sense in this case. If the Mets follow through with this, Alonso won’t hit free agency until his age-31 season. Who is paying any significant amount of money to a 1B/DH on the wrong side of 30 anyway? (Angels fans if you’re reading this – it’s too late).

Due to the current situation, the Mets are likely going to bring in a veteran first baseman and trade one of Smith or Alonso. It’s a ridiculous conclusion to a problem that can so easily be solved, but being bearish on Smith’s future – here’s hoping Peter Alonso is manning first base in Flushing next season.

Pitcher: Nabil Crismatt

Crismatt had a rough go of it in his first stop at Vegas, allowing 38 earned runs in 38.2 innings of work. He made it to the fifth inning only twice in nine starts and allowed two or more earned runs in eight of nine. This was always likely to happen and anything but an unexpected outcome considering his stuff, but he’s now one step further from a September call-up. He was still striking hitters out in Vegas, but his walk numbers ballooned and his WHIP went over 2.00.

I mentioned this wasn’t an unexpected outcome because this is what happens to guys that throw 88 in the hitter’s paradise that is the PCL. The results were, uh, not good, but they don’t change the future expectation here. Crismatt still projects as a backend starter, and even though he’s not going to be Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard, he’s not going to be Jason Vargas either.

Port St. Lucie Mets (Single-A)

Hitter: Blake Tiberi

The University of Louisville has a nice track record of developing hitters that succeed at the next level (and they have another one coming in 2019 in Logan Wyatt), but that hasn’t been the case for Tiberi thus far. A third-rounder two years ago, time is already running thin for Tiberi to prove he can develop into a major league contributor.

The 23-year-old battled injuries in 2017 that limited him to just five games, and his .735 OPS with Columbia wasn’t exactly inspiring this season. Regardless, the Mets moved him up a level to St. Lucie, where he figures to begin the 2019 season. He’s off to a .145/.193/.229 start in his first 22 games – and if the early returns are any indications, he’s going to struggle next year too.

Columbia Fireflies (Low-A)

Hitter: Hansel Moreno

Moreno is a long and lean 6’4,” 180-pound utility infielder who’s held his own in his first taste of full-season ball. His numbers won’t jump off the page, but the Sally is a historically pitcher-friendly league and Moreno hit in 2016 and 2017. He’s very athletic and already has a nice mix of defensive versatility, as he’s seen time at four different positions this year alone. He won’t be on any top prospect lists and shouldn’t be treated as one, but he’s a nice piece in an improving farm system.

Hitter: Zach Rheams

Rheams was a 27th round senior sign this year and the first 2018 draft pick to reach full-season ball. The 22-year-old is holding his own despite a .221 batting average as he’s avoiding strikeouts while still hitting for power. Rheams broke out in a big way for Texas Tech this past spring, hitting .341/.461/.713 with 17 long balls and as a Day Three senior sign, anything he gives the Mets is a bonus. So far, so good.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Short Season-A)

Hitter: Ross Adolph

Adolph, the Mets 12th round selection this year, won the MVP award in the NYPL All-Star Game after a 2-for-3 night that included a homer and triple. Despite being a Day Three pick, Adolph has major league tools and projects as a fourth outfielder. He’s shown well in Brooklyn and looks primed to begin 2019 with a full season affiliate (likely Columbia in the Sally). The Mets are always in need of outfield depth and Adolph will give them that as he climbs the minor league ladder. Like Hansel Moreno, Adolph isn’t a top prospect and you won’t hear his name often, but he does have major league potential.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

Pitcher: Nabil Crismatt

Crismatt’s turned in an impressive season thus far and was rightfully rewarded with a promotion to Las Vegas, one step closer to the big leagues. The timing’s a little curious considering he’s been getting hit around for the better part of the month, but this is another positive development for a Mets system seemingly full of them this year.

Working with a fastball that sits in the 86-89 mph range, there’s little room for error when Crismatt takes the mound every fifth day. Crismatt gets natural arm side run on the pitch and gets good results due to his ability to keep the ball low in the zone. His best pitch is a plus change that sits 78-80 mph and generates a ton of swings and misses; it gets above-average drop for a change and it’s his go-to-two-strike pitch. He also throws a get-me-over curve that sits in the low-70s, and a seldom-used slider that has potential.

I don’t think the results are going to be pretty for Crismatt in Las Vegas. I also don’t care, because his performance in the desert won’t impact his future outlook drastically. This is still a likely back-end starter that can fill a couple of different roles for your ball club, a la Seth Lugo. That’s an incredibly valuable player, and the likelihood here is Crismatt should be ready for his major league debut in September.

Pitcher: Joshua Torres

Torres made his Prospect Watch debut in Week Three on the heels of an 0.84 ERA and a 16:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and I said at the time we’d come back and revisit his performance in a couple of weeks. Well, almost two months later, Torres still had a 1.20 ERA at Binghamton and was promoted to Vegas.

In 30 innings for the Rumble Ponies, Torres didn’t allow a single home run, and struck out 38 while walking 12. There are a ton of underlying numbers that paint a different picture here. First, his strand rate of 85.7% was a career high by over 10 percentage points. That would tie him for the 24th best mark in the majors with…Chris Beck? It’s true, but that just goes to show you that even a high strand rate can’t make you an effective reliever, mainly because there’s a lot of luck involved with leaving runners on base. Next, Torres is a fly ball pitcher who doesn’t allow home runs, running a 50% fly ball rate but no homers. Have you ever seen someone who can sustain that for multiple seasons?

It’s not like Torres is overpowering hitters, as he works with an average fastball for a reliever, topping out around 94 mph. He’s been roughed up in Vegas already, to the tune of a 17.05 ERA, and the regression is here to stay. I think Torres tops out as organizational depth at Triple-A, but if he keeps putting up impressive numbers, he’ll likely get a look in the bullpen at some point in the next two years. 

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Pitcher: Joe Cavallaro

Cavallaro was in the midst of a breakout season in Columbia before the Mets jumped him over Port St. Lucie and straight to Binghamton. He carved up hitters in the Sally League to the tune of a 2.09 ERA with an 83:26 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 77.1 innings. A former 24th-round pick in 2017, the early returns are promising, but Cavallaro is going to start running into trouble as he climbs the minor league ladder.

As a low-slot righty who sits in the mid-to-high 80s, Cavallaro should carve up young and inexperienced hitters in the low minors. He also throws a slider that sits 80-83, and a changeup in the same exact range. Those three pitches are enough for a collegiate arm to put up these kinds of numbers against inferior competition.

Cavallaro’s best chance at a future call-up is as a situational righty where he can just air it out for an inning or two. Is he likely a major leaguer? I’d say no, as these guys aren’t too hard to find and aren’t incredibly valuable but look, if you’re getting a major league contributor in the 24th round, you’re doing something right. Still, if Cavallaro turns out to be organizational depth and reaches Triple-A, that’s a win.

Pitcher: Matt Blackham

Welcome Matt Blackham to the Prospect Watch! A 29th rounder out of Middle Tennessee State in 2014, Blackham has performed like a future major league bullpen piece throughout the entirety of his minor league career. He throws a low-90s fastball that does feature some natural arm side run, as well as a curve, slider and change.

Blackham’s small (5’10”), slight (150 lbs) and is playing the entire season as a 25-year-old, but he’s an interesting bullpen arm to follow. He should finish the season with Binghamton and could possibly debut as early as next season.

Port St. Lucie Mets (Single-A)

Pitcher: Anthony Kay

David Lee, a member of the Baseball Prospectus prospect team, caught Kay for a start on June 20. While the fastball velocity was good and Lee projects heavily on it, the secondary offerings aren’t yet back to where they were at UConn. Kay simply doesn’t have his pre-surgery feel for his curve and change. While there’s a lot of risk here because of the unknown, Kay still figures to be a major league contributor, but because of the injuries and the potential of the fastball to play up in the bullpen, the allure of fast-tracking him as a reliever may prove too hard to pass up for the Mets.

You don’t typically get disappointing reports on left-handed pitchers who sit in the low-to-mid-90s and have a chance to start, but Kay’s a former first rounder who showed a ton of promise in college. Some questionable usage from his college coach likely didn’t help, but he’s back pitching and healthy now and just needs reps. This still looks like a major league quality arm, and that’s a win in the back of the first round.

Hitter: Andres Gimenez

It’s right about that time we check back in with the Mets top prospect, who’s more than holding his own as a soon to be 20-year-old in the Florida State League. His strikeout-to-walk ratio has been pretty impressive (62:22) as has his surprising pop (five homers) in a league that historically suppresses power. He’s looked better at shortstop, increasing his odds of staying there once he reaches the majors, and projects as an above-average hitter that plays up the middle. That’s a really good prospect.

That’s why you’ll find Gimenez atop our midseason update, as he was the unanimous choice for the top spot despite the emergence of Peter Alonso. You don’t typically find advanced hitters that can stick in the middle of the field, but that’s what the Mets have here. There’s still some room to add to the frame, which could increase the power output but decrease his range out at short. Nevertheless, Gimenez may end up at second base in the majors anyway because of Amed Rosario. We’ll have more on Gimenez when we release the midseason update, but the performance has been much better than the slash line shows.

Photo credit: Gregory J. Fisher – USA Today Sports

AAA Las Vegas 51s

1B Dominic Smith

Smith is a great example of just how quickly the public perception of a prospect can change. At this time last year, Mets fans were clamoring for the highly regarded Smith to get a call-up to the big leagues. Now? They want to trade him after only 170 at-bats to clear the way for Peter Alonso. A first-round pick in 2013, Smith hit at every level in the minors but really struggled last year with the Mets, slashing .198/.262/.395. A rare hit-before-power first baseman prospect, Smith is going to really need to get on base in order to be anything more than league average.

One of the biggest criticisms of Smith has been his weight, but he looked a lot lighter this spring and I was floored when I saw him in person. He looked at least 20 pounds lighter and his athleticism is more evident now. Smith has always been considered a plus defender at first due to his soft hands and ability to scoop bad throws, and I saw much of the same in my look. Unfortunately, Smith didn’t see a single good pitch to hit on the evening; Fresno chose to pitch him cautiously, and it ultimately resulted in four walks for Smith. Smith has an old-school approach at the plate, which explains his high walk-to-strikeout ratio as well as his low home run output. I was impressed with his pitch recognition and approach, which need to be plus, and they are, if this profile is going to work in the big leagues. He’s the sort of player that really divides scout’s opinions: they either like him and think he’ll get on base enough, or they don’t think he profiles as a regular at first. I fall into the first camp and think Smith is going to be a major league contributor at first for some organization. With Peter Alonso doing his best Rhys Hoskins impression though, it’s become a real question whether Smith will get the chance to be that for the Mets. I don’t think it’s in the Mets best interests to sell him for pennies on the dollar based on his short major league stint last season, but I also think Alonso has passed him at this point and there may not be a spot on the major league team. It’s a good problem to have and if Adrian Gonzalez continues to struggle, one of them will get the call. Just who that is remains to be seen, although Alonso has to be the favorite at this point.

SS Luis Guillorme

Upon first glance, Guillorme looks extremely out of place on the diamond, much less at shortstop. Then you see him play defense and wonder why he’s in Triple-A and Jose Reyes is in the big leagues. I wrote about Guillorme in our first Prospect Watch of the season and think he’s going to be a valuable contributor for a long time. He has fantastic range at short despite his below average wheels and makes plays Reyes dreams of. I saw him make a diving stop on a ball up the middle and throw the runner out from his knees, just to give you an idea of the impact he could have at short. At the dish, Guillorme likes to go the opposite way and has an advanced two-strike approach; he walked 17 more times than he struck out last season at Double-A Binghamton. He’s never going to hit for much power and it’s likely his OBP is higher than his SLG, but couple that with his defense and we’re talking about an extremely valuable player. I think there’s utility man risk here, especially with the Mets, but Guillorme can get a starting role with a different organization at short. There’s no doubt in my mind he can be an asset for the Mets right now but the team’s in more immediate need of guys who can hit, which Guillorme can, but he still has some things to work on and can use the everyday at-bats he’s getting in Vegas.

3B David Thompson

Thompson, a 2013 fourth-round pick, hit .263/.325/.429 for Binghamton last season and showed enough promise to earn a promotion to Triple-A to begin the year. He’s a pretty “boring” prospect in the sense that he doesn’t do anything particularly well; instead, he does everything good enough. Thompson is intriguing as a hitter because he doesn’t strike out at an egregious rate and has some pop — he hit 16 home runs in Double-A last season — but it remains to be seen if that’s enough to outweigh his below-average on-base production. He’s never OBP’d higher than .344 in the minors and was at just .325 last season. Thompson went 1-3 in my look, with a single, a walk and a strikeout. I thought his defense was good enough to stick at third but I don’t think the bat profiles there. Thompson is currently a 35 with a chance for a 40, a below average regular, because he could be a guy who sees his home run rate spike in the big leagues.

UTIL Phillip Evans

Evans is the definition of a utility player and his defensive flexibility can be valuable for a National League team. Like other position player prospects at Vegas, he doesn’t strike out often and walks a healthy amount. Evans broke out in 2016 with a .321 average across two levels, but it’s an outlier among some subpar minor league seasons. Capable of playing “passible” defense at every infield position, Evans earned a spot on the Mets Opening Day roster but only made three appearances as a pinch hitter before being sent back down. Evans went 0-4 with two strikeouts in my look and was disappointing at the plate overall. The Mets have a lot of guys in the upper-level minors who can play multiple positions but project as utility players, which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask. Evans value will come from his defensive versatility, but I’m not sure he ever gets a long enough look with a major league club.

AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies

1B Peter Alonso

Alonso is all the rage these days and rightfully so: the dude is smashing the cover off the ball at Binghamton, hitting .393/.490/.762 with eight home runs to start the season. He’s struck out 18 times against 16 walks and has debuted a new approach at the plate to go along with the swing change he made at the end of last season. Safe to say it’s worked, as Alonso’s hit tool has caught up to his game power, resulting in the incredible output we’ve seen thus far. I’ve seen Alonso three times this season and he’s been impressive, to say the least: he homered in two of the three games and was 2-4 with a walk in the other. Alonso has always had 70 raw power, but he’s now got a 60 hit tool to go along with it. I do think he needs to work on his off-speed recognition, I saw him hit two soft lineouts on offspeed pitches to second in my most recent look, but it’s a minor qualm with an otherwise polished hitter. On the defensive side of things, he’s still a 40 for me at first, as I’ve seen him make great plays along with some really bad ones. Alonso takes bad routes to fly balls and completely whiffed on an easy popup in front of the dugout in my most recent look. He still pulls his head out on scoops and has dropped a couple balls because of it. That being said, I saw him snag a sharp line drive from Cavan Biggio to double up Vlad Jr. and it was a thing of beauty. The defense is better than last year but I don’t know if there’s much more room for improvement, he may just be what he is, which isn’t a problem when you can hit like Alonso. I think that some sort of transaction is going to be made before June 1, but I’m not entirely sure what it’s going to be. Dom Smith could get the call to the bigs while Alonso heads to Triple-A, or Alonso can follow the Michael Conforto route, jumping straight from Double-A to the majors. I think the latter is more likely and there’s no question the Mets are going to be aggressive in upgrading the position if Gonzalez proves he’s just not a good baseball player anymore.

RHP Nabil Crismatt

Crismatt’s gotten off to an incredible start to the season and he’s doing it with some pretty average stuff for a starting pitcher. He’s got a 2.28 ERA to go along with 32 strikeouts against only five walks in 27.2 innings for Binghamton. I saw Crismatt against the best team in the Eastern League, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate) and I came away extremely impressed. Crismatt was efficient and finished with 92 pitches, allowing only one earned run while striking out six and only walking one. He was working with a fastball sitting 86-87 mph and touching 88 in the early innings, but it dropped to around 85-86 as we entered the fourth. The fastball has natural two-seam run and Crismatt keeps it low in the zone, which leads to a lot of groundball outs. Although it doesn’t have great velo, the fastball plays up due to Crismatt’s above average command, and he’s not afraid to attack hitters with it in two-strike counts. His best offering is a plus changeup that sits 78-80 mph and generates a ton of swings and misses. It has good drop and is his go-to two-strike pitch, and it wasn’t squared up once on the evening. He also throws a curveball which was 66-70 mph for me with 12-6 movement, but it can get loopy and advanced hitters are going to tee off on it. Crismatt hung a curveball to Vlad Jr. (note to MLB pitchers, this is a REALLY bad idea) and he smashed it to left center for an RBI single. Crismatt also has a slider but he only threw six for me; it was 76-77 mph with late break and flashes above average. I think it’s useful against right-handed hitters but it’s probably too slow to get outs against lefties consistently. Overall, I thought he had great pitch mix, limits hard contact, and wasn’t afraid to go after guys despite his average (besides the change) stuff. I think he’s a future No. 4/5 who should be ready to debut sometime next season.

RHP Andrew Church

Church was just placed on the 7-day disabled list, but I saw him in a start against New Hampshire and the results weren’t pretty. Church was in trouble all night and the Fisher Cats got to him early, as he allowed two runs in the first: a leadoff home run to Jonathan Davis and an RBI groundout to Vlad Jr. Church was sitting 88-90 mph with his fastball, which is consistent with what I had him at when I saw him earlier in the season, but it got him into trouble early and he went away from it after the first inning. Instead, he was working with his slider, which was 82-84 mph, and his curve, which was 70-74 mph and generated groundball outs. He was starting at-bats out with his slider, which has significant right to left movement, and it’s a real weapon against left-handed hitters. Church was reluctant to use his below-average curveball, but development of a useful third pitch is necessary for him to move up the minor league ladder. He works quickly and pitches to contact but based on my two looks, I think he’s a 30 who still has many things he needs to work on.

RHP Tyler Bashlor

Bashlor is one of many hard throwing right-handed relievers in Binghamton, but he wasn’t great in my most recent look. Bashlor was brought in with one out and a man on first, and he proceeded to walk the bases loaded on only eight pitches. He was able to escape trouble though, with a strikeout and a fly ball to end the inning. Bashlor was missing up and out of the zone with his fastball consistently, and pitching coach Frank Viola went out twice during the inning to try and calm him down. Overall, Bashlor has been terrific this season with a 0.96 ERA and 12 strikeouts against five walks in 9.1 innings. Fastball command is going to be a big key for Bashlor, who’s already on the 40-man and looks likely to take a ride on the Mets bullpen shuttle at some point this season.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

Triple-A Las Vegas 51s

Pitcher: RHP Chris Flexen

Flexen is a borderline top 10 prospect in the system because of his proximity to the majors and his relatively safe floor, not because he possesses ace-like upside. Although he made his major league debut for the Mets last season and already has nine big league starts under his belt, he was able to retain his rookie eligibility by virtue of coming up two innings shy of 50, which technically makes him still a prospect. The 6’3,” 250-pound right-hander sits 90-95 mph with his fastball and mixes in a knuckle curve and a changeup that are both slightly above average, as well as a slider that’s comfortably behind the rest of his offerings. Flexen’s major league debut wasn’t pretty, as his 7.88 ERA and 6.56 BB/9 were, how do I say this nicely, absolutely terrible. His biggest weakness is his command, which seems to come and go in spurts, but it’s definitively more bad than good. The Mets sent Flexen to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the season, and the early numbers are conflicting to say the least. On one hand, Flexen holds a 3.60 ERA and has struck out 11 in 15 innings of work. On the other, he’s walked seven batters already and holds an ugly 1.73 WHIP. Now, there are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Jose Reyes not getting a h… oh different article sorry, Hansel Robles pointing at every fly b…my apologies again, I meant to say runs being scored in the Pacific Coast League. The ERA is very promising, but the seven walks in just 15 innings is a big concern for a pitcher who’s projected as a back-end starter. I prefer my No. 5 guys to be innings eaters with good command, not hit or miss guys with strikeout stuff and command issues. Flexen probably is what he is at this point, a No. 4/5 starter who has good stuff but lacks command, and all things considered, that isn’t a bad thing at all. In all likelihood, Flexen will make some major league starts this season; let’s just hope they come in September with the Mets up comfortably in the division.

Hitter: SS Luis Guillorme

I had the chance to see Guillorme live last week and let me tell you, it’s an absolute joy to watch him play baseball. In possession in some of the best hands in all of professional baseball, Guillorme makes highlight reel plays left and right and is nothing short of a wizard out at shortstop. He’s only about 5’9” and is a below average runner, but his instincts and hand-eye coordination make him one of the best defensive prospects in the minor leagues right now. Tyler Oringer took a more in-depth look at Guillorme earlier this month and is of the belief that he could eventually win a Gold Glove at shortstop. It’s unlikely that happens with the Mets though, as the team seems to have found its shortstop of the future in Amed Rosario, which means Guillorme’s long-term fit with the Mets may be at second. With less ground to cover, it’s not much of a stretch to say that Guillorme could be one of, if not the, best defensive second baseman in the majors right now. In his first taste of Triple-A, Guillorme has struggled to begin the season, as he’s currently slashing .224/.333/.306 with a 20.7% K-rate. Don’t expect it to continue though, as Guillorme has shown a knack for getting on base at every level of his professional career thus far. While he won’t ever hit for power or steal more than 10 bases, Guillorme’s all-world defensive abilities coupled with his ability to get on base will allow him to have a long and successful career in the majors.

Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Pitcher: RHP Nabil Crismatt

This was the hardest selection to make on the entire list, as Binghamton’s whole pitching staff has been outstanding thus far. There were many worthy candidates, such as RHP Tyler Bashlor, RHP Eric Hanhold and RHP Gerson Bautista, but for this week’s Prospect Watch we’ll focus on Nabil Crismatt and his unbelievable start to the season. In three starts for Binghamton, Crismatt has thrown 16.1 IP, holding a pristine 1.10 ERA while striking out 21 and walking only three. The 23-year-old spent the entirety of 2017 with Single-A Port St. Lucie, striking out 142 batters over 145 innings with a respectable 3.95 ERA. Crismatt’s best offering is his changeup and it’s his only above-average pitch, leading to most of us to believe the high strikeout totals won’t continue in the majors. Still, the minor league strikeout numbers thus far are fantastic and give him a relatively high floor as a starter. Add to that command that’s comfortably plus and it’s easy to see him as a big league starter. Crismatt projects as a No. 4/5 starter just like the previously mentioned Flexen, but they are completely different and win in different ways. I prefer Crismatt due to the plus command and high strikeout totals though, and I’m looking forward to seeing if he can keep this pace up.

Hitter: 1B Peter Alonso

I wrote up Alonso in my Double-A scouting notes piece here so I won’t go too in-depth, but I’d be remiss to leave him off this list. Alonso’s undoubtedly been the best hitter in the system thus far, slashing .340/.414/.620 with three home runs already for Binghamton. The former Florida Gator has done nothing but rake since his 2016 New York Penn-League debut and is quickly challenging Dominic Smith’s place as the Mets first baseman of the future. I don’t think it’s crazy to prefer Alonso to Smith at this point, but don’t interpret that as a shot at Smith, who still deserves a chance. If Alonso keeps this pace up, it’s going to be hard for the Mets to justify keeping him down at Double-A, especially if Adrian Gonzalez starts slumping. Alonso profiles as a future regular at first, but it remains to be seen if he’s going to get the opportunity to prove it with the Mets.

Single-A: Port St. Lucie and Columbia

Pitcher: RHP Justin Dunn (Port St. Lucie)

The Mets’ first round pick in the 2016 draft struggled last year in his first taste of High-A Port St. Lucie, but he’s been nothing short of terrific in his second go around. Dunn’s started three games for Port St. Lucie thus far and owns a dominant 1.26 ERA with 19 strikeouts across his 14.1 innings. He struggled with command issues in 2017, walking 48 against only 75 strikeouts, but his 19 strikeouts more than make up for the six free passes he’s issued so far. Dunn is the owner of absolutely electric stuff, but it remains to be seen if he can hold it throughout a full season. Dunn was in the bullpen at Boston College, but a move to the rotation in his draft eligible season proved to be a good one, as he proved he could hold his stuff while starting. The 22-year-old is one of the best pitching prospects in the system, but he has a long way to go before he receives the call. The first step in that process is continuing to dominate at High-A, and Dunn looks to be back on the straight path toward the big leagues. Dunn projects as a No. 2/3 starter on stuff alone, but his inconsistent performance impact that, and he’s more likely a No. 3/4 starter with reliever risk.

Hitter: OF Desmond Lindsay

Lindsay was a second-round pick of the Mets in the 2015 draft due to his five-tool potential, but injuries and inconsistent performance have impacted his ascendance in the minors. Scouts see Lindsay and dream of an athletic center fielder with plus hit and plus power, but it’s fair to say he hasn’t come close to realizing his full potential. In an injury-riddled 2017 with Low-A Columbia, Lindsay hit a paltry .220/.327/.388 while only swiping four bases. The Mets chose to promote Lindsay to begin 2018, and the results have been more of the same, as he’s slashing .237/.356/.289 in 38 at-bats thus far. Lindsay’s unsurprisingly dealt with a minor injury already, and his complete lack of doubles and home runs are extremely concerning. At some point in the near future, Lindsay is going to need to turn the potential he possesses into results. That being said, he’s still a 21-year-old that flashes five-tool potential, and you simply don’t give up on prospects like that. Lindsay is going to get plenty of chances, and if he can stay healthy for a reasonable amount of time, he’s got a chance to put it all together and become a major leaguer.

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports

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

Amed Rosario, SS

When you show up to see a consensus top-20 global prospect–or is it top-10?–you expected to be wowed by at least something. Your expectations are set quite high and a merely decent toolset will leave you a bit disappointed. Well, there is no such disappointment when going to see Amed Rosario play.

The first pitch I saw Rosario swing at this season, which came in an early August game against the Reading Fighting Phils, landed mere inches short of being a home run to dead center field. (It ended up going for a double.) He absolutely crushed that ball. And the hits didn’t stop there. He had two more that game and, throughout my looks, showed an ability to fight off pitches and utilize right-center field. His wrist/bat speed is off the charts and gives him a good chance to be successful regardless of swing path. His bat is impressive for anyone, let alone for a slick-fielding shortstop, and Rosario certainly qualifies as one.   

Putting a plus grade on Rosario’s arm at SS might be conservative. He has no trouble throwing quickly or across his body. Even in those situations, he  makes strong and accurate throws to first base. This sort of arm affords him extra time to hesitate on balls or play back, but that is a luxury he does not need. His instincts and reactions at shortstop are phenomenal, which allow him to get to balls and into his throwing motion very quickly. His hands at shortstop are merely good at this point, but it would hard to grade his overall glove at anything less than a 60 given the rest of the defensive profile.

On the negative side, Rosario did strike out a fair amount in the times I saw him, which might be something to keep an eye on. All of my looks at him this year came in the month of August after he had already surpassed his previous career high for games played in a season, so it might be understandable to chalk some of this up to  fatigue. However, it is worth noting that a good number of Rosario’s strikeouts seem to have come on changeups down in the zone from both lefties and righties. In one look, he struggled to identify and make contact with the changeup of Tigers LHP prospect Tyler Alexander, an advanced college arm with an impressive change. While such struggles are not uncommon for a prospect, let alone a 20-year-old in Double-A, it is something Rosario will need to work on going forward. Overall, Rosario projects as an All-Star-caliber shortstop. 


Phil Evans, IF

After receiving a $650,000 signing bonus from the Mets as a 15th-round pick out of high school in 2011, Evans had struggled prior to this season to prove himself worth second-round money. He hit .234/.300/.313 while repeating the Florida State League in 2015 and failed to hit a single home run in 280 plate appearances. The former highly touted high school shortstop prospect had become a minor league utility infielder without much utility.

In 2016, five years after being drafted, Evans finally began to show why he was worthy of such a high signing bonus and started to regain his former prospect status. The body is still less than ideal, with a bit too much bulk packed into a shorter frame. Evans played both second base and third base in my looks at him and showed decent enough hands and lateral movement, although I didn’t get a chance to see him have to make any tough throws from across the diamond at third. The bat, however, is the tool that is helping to put him back on the map.

Though a bit overly aggressive at the plate, as would be suggested by his below-average walk rate this season, Evans has a shot to hit due to a short, compact swing that allows him to make frequent hard contact. It’s a line drive swing that allows him to spray balls to all fields. It remains to be seen if he will be exposed as a hacker in Triple-A (probably not, because Vegas) or in the majors, but ultimately, the swing changes give him a shot to stick as a fifth infielder, albeit one that will be stretched to play shortstop. The potential major league profile isn’t too different from Justin Turner’s prior to his days with the Dodgers.

Paul Paez, LHP

I went to four Binghamton Mets games this August. In them, I somehow managed to watch Paul Paez–a pure middle reliever who has never started a professional baseball game–pitch for a total of 6.7 innings. He is a 5’7”, former 38th round pick with a sizable midsection who tops out at 90 mph and pitches at nearly the same pace as Antonio Bastardo; in other words, this guy should not be exciting. Yet, in some weird ways, Paez is actually quite an interesting guy to watch and perhaps a bit more than just an organizational arm.

While Paez’s 89-90 mph fastball comes from more of a low three-quarters release point, he is almost exclusively a sidearmer at this point. From that angle, his best pitch, without a doubt, is his curveball, which sits in the 71-74 mph range. That curveball comes with beautiful, late movement that makes it a potential plus pitch and a weapon against both lefties and righties. If Paez ever sticks in a major league bullpen as a lefty arm, it will be because of that curveball. And the key towards him progressing from a struggling 24-year-old in Double-A to a major league relief pitcher will be finding the ability to pitch off of that curveball. He had some level of success pitching backwards and using his curve to set up his fastball, which can come in at 89-90 from a three-quarters release and a few ticks below that as a sidearmer. He also threw a pitch at 76-79 mph (changeup?) that need some development before it can become a weapon. I also once clocked him throwing a 65 mph eephus, which just about sums up the Paul Paez Experience.

Kevin McGowan, RHP

Kevin McGowan, a 13th round pick out of Franklin Pierce University, a small Division II school in New Hampshire, has never been a major presence on prospect radars. However, McGowan has a case as the best right-handed relief prospect in the system. McGowan, who is listed at 6’5” and 235 lbs, is an intimidating presence on the mound and has the stuff to match. His fastball sits at 92-94 and touches 95, with the potential to add a tick or two as he gets moved full-time to a one-inning reliever role. He has plus movement on the fastball that allows him to induce swings and misses and allows him to throw the pitch in and out of the strike zone in any count. On the back of this plus fastball and impressive numbers, McGowan should be added to the 40-man roster to this winter and get the call up to Queens at some point in 2017. If he is left unprotected, he would be a strong candidate to stick in someone’s bullpen for an entire season as a Rule 5 pick and possibly make a positive impact in such a role.

Nabil Crismatt, RHP

It feels a bit wrong to provide a write-up here on a pitcher who had made exactly one start above the South Atlantic League based on a cameo in Binghamton. But in this case, grading on a curve or not, Nabil Crismatt didn’t embarrass himself after making a two-level jump for this spot start. He is not an overpowering pitcher, with a fastball that sits at 90-91 and touched 92. His best offering is a plus changeup that will be his carrying pitch if he is ever going to make it to the majors. The pitch had good velocity separation at 80-83 and helped him to strike out the side in his second Double-A inning. Given his funky and deceptive delivery and his shorter, maxed out frame, Crismatt’s most likely path to the majors most will come as a reliever. An eventual move to the pen would allow him to ditch his loopy and mostly ineffective curveball for a straight two-pitch repertoire. It is possible to stick as an effective major league reliever with a low-90s fastball and a good changeup, as Tyler Clippard has shown us over the past decade. But Clippard is essentially a 90th percentile outcome for any FB-CH prospect with a low 90s fastball.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez- USA Today Sports

Desmond Lindsay, OF (Brooklyn Cyclones)

Lindsay has been battling leg injuries this year that limited him during Spring Training proper and kept him on the shelf even after short-season started. You might recall that he also missed most of his Senior season of high school due to a hamstring issue, which is one of the reasons he was still on the board for the Mets first pick in the second round. Multiple lower body issues for a player whose profile is a bit speed-dependent is concerning (Mets fans will no doubt remember a young Jose Reyes’s balky hamstrings), and even now Lindsay appears to be playing a bit compromised. He was moving at about 75 percent, and ran upright and stiffly. He was 4.7 down the line on a groundball you’d expect to get a good dig off of, and looked uncomfortable chasing down flyballs in the outfield. Unsurprisingly, he DH’d on the second of back-to-back looks.

The good news is the underlying profile here hasn’t changed. Lindsay still looks good at the plate. The bat speed grades out as plus, and he dropped the barrel on a low-inside pitch and parked major league fastball velocity. That’s power potential he didn’t really show last year. The approach is still more advanced than you’d expect given the swing-and-miss issues. And while more lost game reps in centerfield (a new position for him) are concerning, he still looks like a potential good regular, albeit one whose risk profile has gotten even murkier.

Peter Alonso, 1B (Brooklyn Cyclones)

Alonso, the Mets second-round pick out of Florida, is the guy that is going to get over-ranked on team lists this offseason. That’s not to say he is a non-prospect or anything, but people will get seduced by his stat line in a league that isn’t appreciably better than the SEC. The Mets like to load up their Brooklyn roster, and Alonso, among others there, could easily be at a full-season level right now. Would he have as much success there? Alonso’s stance is wide open and he stands well off the plate. He uses a medium leg lift to close, but he starts the whole process early and lets the leg hang a bit before getting it down. The timing here is inconsistent and often leaves his upper half trying to catch up. The swing itself has some length to the ball, the bat speed doesn’t jump out at you, and Alonso struggles with balls below his waist and spin generally. It’s a long-and-strong power profile, and those tend to struggle the first time they see higher-quality stuff. Even short-season arms have occasionally been able to exploit the holes (though they have many more times given him balls up in the zone he can both catch up to and get extended on).  

Those concerns aside, dude is strong. I wouldn’t blanch at the suggestion that there is 70 raw power here.  Alonso launched an F6 with almost seven seconds of hang time, and the next day casually poked a change-up into the right field bleachers. I thought it was a medium-depth pop-up off the bat. Here I will drop in the usual caveats about the pressure on the offensive tools for first-base-only college guys, though Alonso’s a better athlete than you’d expect, given that he is a very large man, and projects as at least an average defender at first. I half-suspect he shows up next April in full-season ball with a markedly different swing after a full spring of pro instruction, so perhaps I will be the one who “under-ranks” him.

Merandy Gonzalez, RHP (Brooklyn Cyclones)

It’s always nice to get a second in-season look at a pitcher. One start can show you what is possible, but subsequent ones help shade in some of the sparser outlines. When I saw Merandy in late June, I saw a shorter righty with a big arm, some command, and an advanced, if inconsistent, curve for the level. I liked Gonzalez as a prospect, but he wasn’t a hard scout. He reminded me a bit of 2012 Hansel Robles. Gonzalez is younger at the same level, and the raw stuff is a couple ticks better, but he is also rawer generally and lacks Robles’ feel for pitching.

In my second look Gonzalez struggled a bit. He lacked command of both the fastball and the curve in this outing and the issues got worse when he gassed in the fifth and sixth innings. However the change-up, which had been a total non-entity in the first start, at least flashed below-average a couple times. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but given what I saw in June (and the general state of offspeed in the Penn League), there is at least a bit of developmental potential peaking through. Early in this start, there were a lot more 95s on my gun than my previous look, and overall the four-seamer had a bit more life. The overall profile and projection hasn’t really changed, but the developmental path and potential pitfalls for Gonzalez are a bit clearer now.

Jordan Humphreys, RHP (Kingsport Mets)

The elevator pitch for Humphreys, the Mets 18th round pick in 2015, is something along the lines of: “He’s the version of Merandy Gonzalez you send to the Appalachian League.” He’s also a shorter, physically mature (almost stocky) righthander that works off a fastball/curve combo. His fastball only gets up to 94, and the curve is rougher around the edges, so you are going to need to squint and project a bit more to get the same end result out of the profile. On the plus side, the fastball has some life down in the zone, and the command wasn’t bad for rookie ball (although that and the velocity wavered some as he tired). The curveball (77-80) lacked a consistent shape, although his feel improved later in the start. Even the better ones showed a bit early, and were more of a lazy slurve. Humphreys did break off one good one, a downer 11-5 type. The changeup is firm (82-86), but functional enough for Kingsport. He maintains his armspeed well, but has trouble turning it over. In addition to the lack of projection, the arm action is a bit stiff, and he was working only out of the stretch, so the present-day screams ‘pen arm’ even more than Gonzalez. Still, I will always be a sucker for a pitcher with a bit of the ol’ Chad Billingsley ass.

Joseph Zanghi, RHP (Brooklyn Cyclones)

I was feeling lousy the last day of my  Brooklyn look. Too much sun and not enough water over the first two games, combined with two 11 PM manhattans on an empty stomach Saturday night made for an unplesany ninety-minute subway ride to Coney Island on Sunday. I wasn’t going to miss Szapucki’s start, but I talked myself into bolting after he got pulled. I still had a two-hour drive home (after the subway ride back), and enough notes on the position players to fill out these blurbs. Inevitably though, I stayed in my seat for a parade of short-season relievers, as a low-scoring affair trundled along at a three-hour pace. Zanghi, the Mets 24th round pick out of a junior college in 2015, finished things off.

I hadn’t seen Zanghi yet, so I threw a gun on him. 91, then 92. Okay, that is better than most relievers at this level, but hardly special. Then a few 93s and 94s, a hard slider that flashed plus. There is some effort in the delivery, and yes, I’ve joked about the 91-94 with a slider relief arm before, but those guys do pitch in Double-A. So I am sure #MetsTwitter will be asking me about Zanghi when he is striking out a batter an inning in Bingo in a couple years. Good thing I stuck around long enough to have an answer.

Nabil Crismatt, RHP (Brooklyn Cyclones)

I enjoy watching Nabil Crismatt pitch.

The stuff isn’t going to leap out at you, although Crismatt has made tidy work of New-York-Penn-League lineups this year. It’s a fun profile though. He stays closed and gets low. There’s an aesthetically pleasing lollipop curve in the high-60s that befuddles hitters and good feel for the change-up. His fastball doesn’t light up the gun, topping out at 90, but Crismatt knows how to mix his pitches and is comfortable throwing anything in any count. He’s in better shape this year too, and I suspect he will continue to outperform his profile as he moves forward.

But that isn’t why I enjoy watching Nabil Crismatt pitch.

As you may have gathered, watching lower-level baseball can be a bit of a slog. Crismatt works fast and throws strikes. In a league where pitchers look utterly confused about to what to do with runners on base, slowing the game’s pace to that of a Superflex film, his half-innings just hum along, getting me back to Sunnyside on a Saturday night before the kitchens close.

He can’t really be held responsible for my decision-making while there of course.

Photo Credit: Steven Branscombe- USA Today Sports