The Mets, whose farm system is on the upswing and have some of the very best prospects in baseball, had five of their prospects ranked on Keith Law of The Athletic's new Top 100 list ahead of the 2023 season.
Those prospects:
C Francisco Alvarez, No. 7
3B Brett Baty, No. 31
C Kevin Parada, No. 44
OF Alex Ramirez, No. 68
INF Ronny Mauricio, No. 87
Alvarez, Baty, Parada, and Ramirez were also on MLB Pipeline's new list that came out last week. Mauricio was not.
On Alvarez, whose bat is not in question, Law had this to say about his ability to stay behind the plate:
"Scouts were more bearish on his defense when he moved to Triple-A and had to catch better stuff, although the consensus is still that he can stay there, even just as a bat-first catcher who could stand to clean up some of his blocking and receiving."
When it comes to Baty, Law believes the Mets should "give him 500 at-bats this year" in the majors, opining that "there's nothing left for him to learn in the minors."
Both Alvarez and Baty have a chance to crack the Mets' Opening Day roster. If one or both of them do not make it, they'll begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse -- where Mauricio will be, barring a surprise.
Parada could begin the season with High-A Brooklyn, where Ramirez could also start the year.
Mauricio, who was named MVP of the Dominican Winter League in December, remains an intriguing prospect despite Alvarez, Baty, Parada, and now Ramirez getting most of the headlines.
The 21-year-old Mauricio needs work on his approach at the plate, but he has serious tools.
In 123 games last season for Double-A Binghamton, Mauricio slashed .259/.296/.472 with 26 homers, 26 doubles, and 20 stolen bases.
A natural shortstop who got his first taste of third base during the Dominican Winter League, Mauricio's future home with the Mets could possibly be in the outfield.
