The minor-league season opens on Thursday, with the Mets’ full-season affiliates in Syracuse, Binghamton, St. Lucie and Columbia getting underway — weather permitting, of course.
For the Mets, the biggest story is having their Triple-A affiliate back east of the Mississippi in Syracuse. After years spent in Las Vegas, the closer affiliate should allow the Mets to more easily move players back and forth, playing fewer games short-handed. At the same time, though flights from Syracuse to most cities in the National League are shorter, they aren’t as abundant as flights from Vegas, and the Mets will still have to think ahead to make sure they make the most of their roster on a consistent basis.
The organization had a very strong 2018, with breakout seasons from Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil, nice years at lower levels for some intriguing prospects and a strong draft. The offseason trades of Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Luis Santana thin the ranks a bit, but there’s still a good deal to be excited about in New York’s farm system.
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Triple A: Syracuse Mets
Rotation: The Mets entered spring confident in the depth of their rotation, only to watch Héctor Santiago struggle, Kyle Dowdy get claimed by the Rangers and Walker Lockett get hurt. (Lockett is starting the season on Syracuse’s injured list with elbow soreness.) Corey Oswalt, who acquitted himself nicely in starts at the big-league level a year ago, looked even better with increased velocity in the spring, and he could position himself well as the first call-up should the big club need a starter.
Bullpen: The S-Mets — are we calling them the S-Mets? — have five relievers on New York’s 40-man roster, all of whom pitched at the major-league level last season. Tyler Bashlor and Daniel Zamora, in particular, pitched well late in the season while Paul Sewald was a late-game option for New York in April before struggling the rest of the way in the bigs. Even with Drew Smith down for the season after Tommy John surgery, the Mets have a bunch of relief depth that figures to cycle through Queens all season — especially now that the trip is shorter.
Infield: Syracuse is thin on the infield, largely because of injuries in the majors to Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie and in the minors to Gavin Cecchini (quad). If everyone were healthy, some combination of Dominic Smith, J.D. Davis and Luis Guillorme would be down in Triple A.
Outfield: Contrary to last season, the Mets have some legitimate major-league depth in the outfield, although it’s all via veterans and not prospects. Rajai Davis and Gregor Blanco aren’t that far removed from starting games in the World Series, and Carlos Gómez was a big-league starter as recently as last season. Rymer Liriano was once a well-regarded prospect. All this suggests the path to major-league playing time for Tim Tebow is more muddled than it was just last season.
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Double A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Rotation: The starting staff in Binghamton is headlined by a pair of first-round left-handers in Anthony Kay and David Peterson. Kay, the club’s 2016 first-rounder, rebounded from Tommy John surgery to pitch well in 23 starts across Single A and High A. He’ll get the nod on Opening Day Thursday. Peterson, taken in 2017’s first round, was outstanding in Single A before having a rougher time after being promoted to High-A St. Lucie, and the thought that the polished college arm could move swiftly through the system has taken a slight hit. Still, with Justin Dunn now a member of the Mariners organization and Franklyn Kilomé out with Tommy John surgery, these are the next two arms to look at as long-term major-league starters for the Mets.
Bullpen: The glut of 40-man relievers in Triple A has kept some intriguing arms down with Binghamton, most notably Stephen Villines. The submarining right-hander was dominant after moving up to High A and then Double A halfway through last season, allowing only five runs on 13 hits while striking out 42 in 33 1/3 innings. While he doesn’t possess the velocity that typically projects to late-game usage, Villines looks like he could be a useful piece in the mold of former low-slot Mets Chad Bradford and Joe Smith.
Infield: With Pete Alonso in the majors, the next big prospect is shortstop Andrés Giménez, who starts the season where he finished it in Binghamton. Giménez, whose defense is close to major-league ready, has shown an advanced approach at the plate but didn’t show much pop with the Rumble Ponies. His path to the big leagues isn’t as clear now as it was last summer, before Jeff McNeil roasted major-league pitching and the Mets added Robinson Canó and Jed Lowrie to their infield mix. But Giménez is the Mets’ best protection in the case of an injury to Amed Rosario at short, and his defensive versatility means he should eventually find his way into the big-league plans in the next two years.
Outfield: Kevin Kaczmarski and Braxton Lee each saw some major-league time last season. They’re good depth to have at this level but not necessarily prospects.
High A: St. Lucie Mets
Pitching Staff: A fourth-round pick in 2017, Tony Dibrell had an excellent first full year in pro ball for Single-A Columbia last season, with a 3.50 ERA over 131 innings. Dibrell will need to be the horse for a staff whose other four starters have yet to pitch full-season ball.
The bullpen contains some length, as Joe Cavallaro and Blake Taylor were primarily starters a season ago. Cavallaro’s move to the bullpen might be an opportunity for him to hone a high spin-rate slider. Ryley Gilliam, taken in the fifth round out of Clemson last June, has the chance to move quickly.
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Position Players: Desmond Lindsay, New York’s second-round pick in 2015, is the headliner here. Still just 22, Lindsay is repeating the level after 2018 saw him post a .630 OPS in St. Lucie. He hasn’t yet found his stride in full-season ball, but the Mets are hopeful that his strong performance in a small sample at the Arizona Fall League can kickstart a bounceback campaign.
Matt Winaker, a fifth-rounder in 2017 out of Stanford, had a terrific first full season for Single-A Columbia last year with a .370 on-base percentage and 43 extra-base hits.
Carlos Cortes, a switch-thrower depending on whether he played infield or outfield, will have to prove his glove is either good enough to stick on the dirt or his bat is good enough to play on the grass.
Single A: Columbia Fireflies
Pitching Staff: Thomas Szapucki is coming off Tommy John surgery, aiming to regain the dominance he showcased before going under the knife. In his first 83 1/3 pro innings, the lefty with funky mechanics struck out 116 and walked 30, posting a 2.27 ERA. He did some of that work as a 21-year-old in Columbia two years back, and he could eventually rise quickly through the system if he proves himself healthy. Even if he’s a reliever down the line, it could be with the kind of impact as other hard-throwing lefties Andrew Miller and Josh Hader.
New York’s second-round pick last season, Simeon Woods-Richardson struck out 26 and walked just four in 17 1/3 innings last season. Showing relatively good feel for pitching as an 18-year-old, he sits in the mid-90s with a decent curveball. Whether he develops a third pitch will determine his long-term future.
Position Players: Here’s where you can start to salivate about the future as a Mets fan. Columbia’s infield includes Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Shervyen Newton — three teenagers with cathedral ceilings.
The 6-foot-3 Mauricio, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on Opening Day Thursday, already got a few reps as a DH with the big club late in spring training. There’s nothing you can’t dream of Mauricio doing in the majors, and he can develop into an offensive weapon at short. He may not stick at the premium position as he fills out, but his bat will be good enough to play him at third.
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The 6-foot-4 Newton, who turns 20 in late April, was one of the organization’s biggest breakout performers last season. A switch-hitter who smoothly plays the middle infield, Newton has a keen eye and extra-base pop. He struck out a bunch at Kingsport, but that could change as he refines his approach and gets more aggressive at the plate.
Vientos, who will play this season at 19, has the best power of the group, smashing 11 homers in just 60 games at Kingsport last season. He nearly walked as often as he struck out, and he still stands a chance of remaining long-term at third. Like Mauricio, even if he has to move elsewhere (likely first), his bat should be good enough to justify it.
(Top photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Tim Britton is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the New York Mets. He has covered Major League Baseball since 2009 and the Mets since 2018. Prior to joining The Athletic, he spent seven seasons on the Red Sox beat for the Providence Journal. He has also contributed to Baseball Prospectus, NBC Sports Boston, MLB.com and Yahoo Sports. Follow Tim on Twitter @TimBritton
