Mets' Top Prospects, Farm System Progress Report, Draft Targets

The New York Mets have welcomed top prospects Francisco Álvarez and Brett Baty to the big leagues this year, and both players have quickly moved into starting roles.

Despite the graduation of those two top-tier prospects, there is still some quality young talent headlining the farm system.

Last year's first-round picks Kevin Parada and Jett Williams, slugger Mark Vientos and middle infielder Ronny Mauricio are all potential impact players, though it's 20-year-old outfielder Alex Ramirez who might have the highest ceiling in the system.

While all of their top-tier guys are position players, there are also some intriguing young pitchers with the potential to be future impact arms for an organization that has not been churning out pitching the way it did when Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard came through the pipeline.

Let's take a closer look at their top-10 prospect list, give a general overview of the farm system and glance ahead at who might be on their radar when they are on the clock in the 2023 draft.

Updated Top 10 Prospect List

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Kevin Parada

Top 10 Prospects

1. OF Alex Ramirez (No. 63 on B/R's Top 100 list)
2. C Kevin Parada (No. 66 on B/R's Top 100 list)
3. SS Ronny Mauricio (No. 91 on B/R's Top 100 list)
4. 3B Mark Vientos
5. SS Jett Williams
6. RHP Mike Vasil
7. RHP Calvin Ziegler
8. RHP Dominic Hamel
9. RHP Blade Tidwell
10. LHP Tyler Stuart

Farm System Progress Report

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Jett Williams

The Mets checked in at No. 13 in our most recent farm system rankings, which were updated May 25.

Outfielder Alex Ramirez is now the No. 1 prospect in the Mets system, and he established himself as a top-tier young talent after hitting .281/.346/.436 with 30 doubles, 11 home runs, 71 RBI and 21 steals in 121 games between Single-A and High-A. He has a .742 OPS with 14 extra-base hits in 49 games at High-A Brooklyn to start the year.

The Mets had a pair of first-round picks in last year's draft, with one of them coming as compensation for failing to sign Kumar Rocker in 2021. The early returns have been mixed for both Kevin Parada (.719 OPS, 14 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI at High-A) and Jett Williams (40 G, .215/.407/.331, 9 XBH, 17 SB at Single-A).

The top spot among pitching prospects belongs to Mike Vasil. The 23-year-old has a 3.13 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and a 54-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 46 innings at Double-A while holding opposing hitters to a .165 average.

Potential Draft Targets

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LuJames Groover

The Mets do not have a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. Their first selection was moved back 10 slots from No. 22 to No. 32 overall as a result of exceeding the luxury-tax threshold by more than $40 million, so they'll have to be calculated in their strategy.

One approach would be to swing for the fences with a high-upside high school player.

Left-hander Alex Clemmey fits the bill with a projectable 6'6", 205-pound frame and a potentially elite fastball that touches 99 mph with some of the best spin rates in the class. He still has work to do in smoothing out his mechanics and refining his secondary stuff, but his ceiling is as high as that of any prep arm in the 2023 class.

The other logical approach would be to target a high-floor college player.

NC State standout LuJames Groover is hitting .332/.430/.546 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI and more walks (36) than strikeouts (26) this spring, and his 60-grade hit tool is among the best in the 2023 class. His below-average speed and fringy defensive skills could make first base the only viable option, which limits his overall value, but his hit tool will play.