Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

Hitter: Luis Guillorme

It seems like forever ago, but Guillorme was on the major league roster until June 25 before the Mets sent him back to Las Vegas. He struggled in his first taste of the big leagues (.457 OPS, 29 OPS+) but the inconsistent playing time surely didn’t help. Guillorme’s glove has been major league ready for a while now but the Mets’ newfound fascination — or maybe it never went away — with Jose Reyes relegated him to a marginal role.

Guillorme’s never going to be mistaken for an offensive powerhouse, but he rarely strikes out and draws a fair number of walks. He’s hitting over .300 for the season in Vegas and is a far better hitter than his .172 average in the majors shows. There’s a valuable utility player here, and Guillorme should be on the 2019 Opening Day roster.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Hitter: Andres Gimenez

The Mets’ top prospect earned a well-deserved promotion to Double-A Binghamton after a very respectable showing in the Florida State League. Gimenez won’t turn 20 until September and it now seems likely that he’ll begin 2019 with Binghamton. That timeline lines him up for a potential call-up in September 2019, just three years after coming stateside. While the presence of Amed Rosario likely forces Gimenez over to second, he still figures to be a valuable major league contributor sooner rather than later.

Gimenez can hold his own with the bat but the bulk of his value and prospect pedigree derives from the fact that he can stick at short. That’s a problem considering that Rosario was an even higher regarded prospect who’s already in the big leagues. Now, it’s a good problem of course, and one the Mets don’t need to worry about for at least another season. A good showing from Gimenez in Binghamton to end the season could accelerate his timeline slightly, but 2020 seems like the year he gets the call.

Port St. Lucie Mets (Advanced-A)

Pitcher: Stephen Villines

Villines took an interesting path to Kansas, but the Mets drafted him as a senior sign in the 10th round of the 2017 draft. The right-hander is a reliever only, but he put up good numbers in school and dominated on the Cape for two seasons.

Villines has plus control, especially for a reliever, but it’s his lack of stuff that dropped him to the 10th round. His fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 80s, far below average and especially so for a reliever. He also throws a slider in the low-to-mid 70s and a change that’s likely his best pitch.

While a college performer should dominate the lower levels of the minors, Villines put up video game numbers in Brooklyn and Columbia. He struck out 30 while walking just one in 19 innings for the Cyclones last season and continued that dominance for the Fireflies to begin this season. Villines was promoted to Port St. Lucie where he has continued to succeed, striking out 15 while walking four to go along with his 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings.

While the stuff says Villines isn’t a major league caliber reliever, the early returns say otherwise. He could carve out a Brad Ziegler-type career, or he could never reach the majors. Only time will tell, but Villines needs to be challenged in Double-A before the end of the year.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Short-Season-A)

Hitter: Ross Adolph

While neither myself nor Jeffrey Paternostro were fans of the Mets’ draft strategy, especially on days two and three, they may actually have something in Adolph. Jeff saw Brooklyn recently and liked Adolph a lot more than he expected to.

Adolph doesn’t have a plus tool, but he’s a sum of the parts player who has a chance to be a fourth outfielder when it’s all said and done. That’s exactly what you’re looking for in the 12th round, and the Mets seem to have done really well here. Adolph’s off to a really nice start in Brooklyn (.288/.367/.490), where he’ll likely spend the remainder of the season. There’s an opportunity for Adolph to move quickly here, as the Mets lack outfield depth in the upper minors.

Kingsport Mets (Rookie League)

Hitter: Luis Santana

The 19-year-old Santana is stateside and off to a blazing start after playing two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. In 31 games for Kingsport, Santana is hitting .364/.469/.471 with two home runs and a 13:20 K to BB ratio. That’s…really good for a teenager playing and living in a new country for the first time.

Santana is small (5’ 8” 175) but has surprising strength for his size. He’s likely always going to be a hit over power player, but he’s got the ability to do damage every now and then. Santana fits best at second, where he’s a solid defender with sure hands. The Mets have done really well internationally and Santana is no exception. He’s far away, but he’s a guy to keep an eye on for the future.

Gulf Coast Mets (Rookie League)

Hitter: Ronny Mauricio

Speaking of doing well internationally, Mauricio signed for over $2 million in 2017 and skipped the DSL entirely, beginning his career in the GCL. He just turned 17 this season and is hitting .333/.346/.540 in his first taste of professional baseball. You couldn’t ask for a better start to a career.

Mauricio is listed at 6’ 3,” 166 punds but has reportedly grown at least an inch since he signed. He’s currently a shortstop but likely moves over to third as he ascends the minor league ladder. The bat is what you’re buying here though, and Mauricio looks like a Top 10 prospect in the system already.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Pitcher: Marcos Molina

Once upon a time, Marcos Molina was an interesting arm with a chance to start at the major league level. Major emphasis on once upon a time though, as his stuff has yet to come back two years removed from Tommy John surgery. 2018 has been rough for Molina, who’s gotten shelled to the tune of a 7.01 ERA in 13 starts for Binghamton. The reports on Molina weren’t exactly glowing in 2017, but no one was expecting this level of performance from the right-hander. The underlying metrics aren’t any better either, as he’s running a pedestrian K/9 along with a horrific BB/9 of 5.19.

So, why are we talking about Molina you ask? Well, he’s currently occupying a highly valuable 40-man spot for some odd reason. He’s not the only questionable player on the 40-man, far from it, but he’s yet to pitch in the majors and doesn’t project as a starter at this point in his career. One might assume the Mets want to see if Molina’s stuff plays up in the pen, but they continue to run him out as a starter in Bingo. If he’s going to carve out a role in Queens, it’ll have to be in the bullpen. He should be the next roster casualty, but the Mets will probably DFA P.J Conlon again before they move on from Molina.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Short-Season-A)

Pitcher: Bryce Montes de Oca

Another week of the Prospect Watch, another rant on the Mets minor league assignments. While we can debate whether Montes de Oca should be given a chance to start, there’s no debating where he should’ve started his professional career. Draft analysts praised the Mets for stocking up on fast moving relievers on Day Two, yet MDO and Ryley Gilliam were both sent to Brooklyn after signing. I, for one, don’t understand the upside in selecting a reliever in the fifth round if the organization doesn’t plan on moving him fast.

While the Mets are selecting relievers on Day Two of the draft, other teams are finding interesting position players with tools that maybe underperformed in school or small school relievers who have a chance to start. That’s how organizations end up with good minor league depth and combat injury issues on the big league roster. If you’re going to invest the high pick on a relief pitcher, at least make it a priority to move that arm as quickly as possible through the minors. Please don’t send them to Brooklyn for the entirety of their first professional season.

Kingsport Mets (Rookie League)

Hitter: Shervyen Newton

Newton was a forgotten signing who took a modest bonus ($50,000) but it looks like the Mets may have done really well here. A 6’4” shortstop, Newton’s off to a blistering start in Kingsport during his age-19 season, slashing .417/.476/.694 with a home run. The early season reports have been incredibly encouraging, suggesting Newton might be one of the top prospects in the system despite his level.

Newton’s a switch-hitter with some bat speed and pop that projects to stay in the infield. Now, whether that ultimately becomes third base or short, I don’t know for certain, but Newton’s got a strong arm and should continue to stay at short until he plays himself off the position. He needs to add to the frame, but there’s plenty of time for that and I expect him to fill out. Newton’s tearing the cover off the ball in Kingsport and should be in Brooklyn right now, but the Metssssssss.

Gulf Coast Mets (Rookie League)

Hitter: Jarred Kelenic

Kelenic had his introductory press conference at Citi Field on Wednesday, and now there are rumors that he’ll be sent to Kingsport after three games with the GCL Mets. That’d be a welcome move, but Kelenic’s a soon-to-be 19-year-old advanced prep bat who deserves to be challenged at Brooklyn. He’s not as raw as younger prep hitters who are the same level currently and should spend the rest of the season in Brooklyn so he can start next season in Columbia.

Of course, it’s entirely possible (and probable) that Kelenic doesn’t reach Brooklyn until the end of the season and is sent back there to begin the 2019 season. It’s not a perfect comparison, but Mickey Moniak was the number on pick in 2016 and played his entire draft year in the GCL. The Phillies then got aggressive (rightfully so) and sent Moniak to the Sally, where he really struggled in his age-19 season. Both were the most advanced prep bats in their respective classes, but Kelenic’s going to end up spending his entire draft season in rookie ball. The Mets are frustratingly slow with assignments for prospects; a good argument can be made that everyone on our midseason top 10 list should be one level higher, including Peter Alonso and Jeff McNeil, who should already be in the majors by now. The Metsssssssss.

Hitter: Ronny Mauricio

Mauricio’s two years younger than Newton, but the scouting report is incredibly similar. Another switch-hitter with the arm for shortstop, Mauricio got $2.1 million as a July 2 signing, which broke Amed Rosario’s record of $1.75 million. He’s 6’3” and projectable, although he may have to move off shortstop due to a lack of foot speed. The Mets got aggressive for once and assigned him to the GCL, and it seems to have paid off. He’s currently slashing .351/.317/.514, which isn’t a typo (sac flies, baby!) When a teenager, especially one who’s just 17 years old, is holding his own in pro ball, in a new country, that’s incredibly encouraging. He’s likely going to spend the entire season in the GCL, which is hard to argue with considering his age, but I suppose it’s possible he gets a late-season cup of coffee with Kingsport. We’ll keep a close eye on Mauricio, as should you because he’s a potential up the middle defender with offensive potential.

Pitcher: Simeon Woods-Richardson

Not only have I been scouting future Mets (ha!) in the Cape Cod League this summer, I’ve also been talking daily with a bunch of scouts on a wide range of topics. One of those topics happened to be Woods-Richardson, who popped late this spring and certainly wasn’t the overdraft you might’ve been led to believe. A tall, projectable righty who can run his fastball up into the mid-90s and has shown some feel for a breaking ball is a pretty good prospect. Of course, Woods-Richardson needs to clean up his delivery – especially his landing leg – and his velocity has been inconsistent. Still, he’s incredibly young and will have a ton of time to develop. I think the Mets would be thrilled if they got a No.4 starter here within five years, but there’s admittedly a ton of risk here and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in the bullpen, either.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports