The Mets have six prospects ranked in Baseball America’s new Top 100 list for 2023.
The players:
C Francisco Alvarez: No. 9
RHP Kodai Senga: No. 16
3B Brett Baty: No. 33
C Kevin Parada: No. 50
OF Alex Ramirez: No. 92
SS Jett Williams: No. 98
Senga will obviously be in the Mets’ Opening Day starting rotation, likely slotting it at No. 3 behind Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
As far as the five other prospects, two of them made their big league debuts in 2022 and could play key roles in 2023.
Those players are of course Alvarez and Baty.
When it comes to Alvarez, the plan is to continue grooming him as the catcher of the future, but the presence of the recently-signed Omar Narvaez makes Alvarez’s inclusion on the Opening Day roster feel unlikely. But he has game-changing power, and might simply force his way on.
As far as Baty, he played just six games in Triple-A last season after a promotion from Double-A, and was quickly jumped to the majors to fill a need. Baty was not overmatched during his brief taste of the bigs (a thumb injury ended his season), and could be an option as early as Opening Day — perhaps as the left-handed side of a platoon at third base with Eduardo Escobar. Or the Mets could send him back to the minors.
The other prospects aren’t particularly close.
Parada reached A-ball St. Lucie last season after being drafted and could possibly start this season with High-A Brooklyn. But his big league ETA is probably 2024.
Ramirez, a toolsy outfielder who played last season at age 19, should be at Double-A Binghamton at some point in 2023 and perhaps sniff the majors in 2024. But a better bet is likely 2025.
Williams might not make his big league debut until 2026, but could be an impact player in the infield or center field.
Along with the six prospects ranked on the new BA list, the Mets have several other prospects — including INF Ronny Mauricio and RHPs Calvin Ziegler and Blade Tidwell — who could be included in various Top 100 lists this season.