Breaking Down the New York Mets' Top 5 Prospects to Start the 2014 Season

Now that the 2014 MLB season is underway, it's a good time to take a look at the top five prospects in the New York Mets' minor league system.

The Mets have done a nice job of improving their minor league talent base recently. Matt Harvey was called up to the parent club in 2012, while Zack Wheeler followed suit last season.

They've done pretty well so far.

Without any further ado, here is a breakdown of the New York Mets' top five prospects to start the 2014 season.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

No. 5: Wilmer Flores

Carlos Osorio

The 22-year-old infielder will open the 2014 season at Citi Field instead of Triple-A Las Vegas because he is expected to be recalled to fill in for Daniel Murphy, who will be placed on paternity leave, as per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

When he returns to the desert, he'll be spending a lot of time playing shortstop.

That's a hedge against incumbent shortstop Ruben Tejada underperforming again at the major league level. If Tejada falls flat on his face, Flores could easily replace him as New York's starting shortstop.

Flores hit just .211 in 95 at-bats with New York last year, but the Mets like his potential. In 107 games with the 51s last season, Flores hit . 321 with 15 HR and 86 RBI. True, the Pacific Coast League is a real hitter's haven, but those numbers are still impressive.

Tejada has better range than Flores does right now but does not possess his power. The Mets will monitor Flores very carefully when he returns to Las Vegas, and if he shows he can handle the position well, don't be surprised to see Flores is in Queens on a more permanent basis.

No. 4: Kevin Plawecki

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A former first-round pick of the Mets (35th overall) in the 2012 MLB draft, Kevin Plawecki will commence the 2014 season at Double-A Binghamton.

The right-handed hitter hit a combined .305 and had a .390 OBP in 125 games split between Savannah (Low-A) and St. Lucie (High-A) last year.

The University of Purdue product was selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star team in 2013.

Plawecki is also known as a solid defensive catcher, but if he does eventually make it to the majors, it will be because of his lumber more than his glove.

No. 3: Dominic Smith

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The 18-year-old left-handed hitting first baseman was New York's first-round draft pick (11th overall) in last year's MLB draft.

Dominic Smith split 51 games between the Gulf Coast and the Appalachian Leagues last year and hit .301 with 26 RBI. He very easily could be New York's first baseman for a long time in a couple of years if he continues to develop.

The Los Angeles, Calif. native will begin this season in the lower minors again. Smith played in one Grapefruit League game in mid-March against Minnesota and collected an infield single.

"It was a good experience, " Smith told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. "It makes me want to work harder to get on this side.”

No. 2: Rafael Montero

A case could be made that the slender right-hander deserved the fifth slot in the New York Mets rotation this season.

Rafael Montero went 5-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas last year. Those are impressive numbers considering that the PCL is known for being a superior hitter's league.

Montero followed that up by going 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in nine Grapefruit League innings this year. He held opposing hitters to a meager .182 batting average.

The Las Vegas 51s will have Montero in their rotation to begin the 2014 campaign. He's just 23 years old so he could use more seasoning.

Don't be surprised to see him at Citi Field by June or July though, if not sooner.

No. 1: Noah Syndergaard

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The crown jewel of the Mets farm system, the 6'6", 240-pound right-hander will begin the season at Triple-A Las Vegas in the Pacific Coast League.

Expect him to be called up to the parent club by mid-to-late June though, much like Zack Wheeler was last year.

Acquired in a trade with Toronto in December 2012, Noah Syndergaard compiled a 9-4 ledger and a 3.06 ERA, splitting time between Single-A Advanced St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton.

What was really impressive though was that Syndergaard fanned 133 batters in 117.2 innings of work, including 69 K's in 54 innings in Double-A competition.

There is no doubt that the Mansfield, Texas native has ace stuff, and his major league debut will be very much anticipated later this season.

Syndergaard is expected to be a part of a Mets starting rotation trio in 2015 that includes Harvey and Wheeler.

Mets fans cannot wait to see that.