We’re now just over two months into the minor league baseball season, so it’s time to check in on the Mets and Yankees prospects that have been catching our eye. While these may not all be the top prospects per scouting services, these are the guys who are lighting up the leaderboards through the early weeks of June.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll look at players who are in Double-A and Triple-A and who are under 27 years old, in order to constitute being a prospect.
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New York Mets Prospects
Hitters
Mark Vientos, 3B (Triple-A) .251/.340/.503, 11 HRs, 31 RBI, 27 runs in 46 games
A former shortstop, Vientos lacked the athleticism to play up the middle but has enough to handle 3B or the corner OF. He has quick hands and easy power with the ball just jumping off of his bat. He has had some issues with breaking balls and his strikeout rate is over 30% for the second straight season, so that is something he’ll need to get in check.
Wyatt Young, SS (Triple-A) .352/.446/.437, seven RBI, 14 runs, and two SBs in 19 games
A 15th-round pick out of Pepperdine just last season, Young has flown through the Mets organization. He has elite plate discipline and makes a tremendous amount of contact. He lacks power, which is not a shock considering he’s 5’7″ and 160 pounds, but he could carve out a David Eckstein type of career if he continues to make this level of contact.
Francisco Alvarez, C (Double-A) .284/.360/.567, 15 HRs, 41 RBI, 36 runs in 56 games
The Mets’ top prospect, we covered Alvarez in a little more detail last week. He has some room to grow defensively behind the plate which could prevent him from getting called up this season, but the bat certainly seems ready.
Ronny Mauricio, SS (Double-A) .252/.293/.474, 11 HRs, 41 RBI, 26 Runs, 11 SBs in 57 games
Mauricio continues to put on weight while not losing lots of athleticism, which is great for Mets fans to see. He has good hands at short but not a tremendous amount of athleticism, so he can’t afford to lose any. He’s cut his strikeout rate by over 10% this season, which is great to see, but he is a free swinger who won’t work many walks.
Brett Baty, 3B (Double-A) .272/.359/.435, six HRs, 19 RBI, 36 runs in 51 games
Baty has gotten some work in the OF too considering Vientos is also in this organization. He has a smooth swing and works gap-to-gap with solid but not great power. Perhaps most importantly, Baty has also cut his groundball rate a lot this season, allowing him to elevate a little more.
Pitchers
Michel Otanez, RHP (Double-A) 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, six saves, 12 hits, 20 strikeouts in 15 IP
Otanez has since been called up to Triple-A where he has struggled a bit. His calling card is a fastball that can hit triple-digits, but he has some issues with command and consistency in his breaking pitches that he’ll need to iron out.
Jose Butto, RHP (Double-A) 4-4, 3.40 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 46 hits, 66 strikeouts in 53 IP
Butto has now moved up to 12th in the Mets’ prospect rankings according to MLB.com. He has a low-to-mid 90s fastball that he uses well with his change-up, which is a truly good pitch. He lacks over-powering stuff but he has good control and, if his curve becomes more consistent, could be a back-end of the rotation arm.
New York Yankees Prospects
Hitters
Estevan Florial, OF (Triple-A) .295/.376/.451, five HRs, 20 RBI, 28 runs, 22 SBs in 50 games
At one point, Florial was one of the top prospects in the Yankees organization. Now some shine has worn off, but he’s only 24 years old. He has plus speed (obviously) and raw power and is a plus defender in the outfield. However, his 16.3% swinging strike rate at Triple-A is a concern and suggests he may not make enough contact at the major league level.
Anthony Volpe, SS (Double-A) .231/.323/.407, seven HRs, 32 RBI, 38 runs, 24 SBs in 57 games
We covered Volpe in more depth last week. He hasn’t quite had the season many fans were hoping for, but the upside remains very clear.
Elijah Dunham, OF (Double-A) .243/.316/.444, seven HRs, 31 RBI, 23 runs, 18 SBs in 49 games
Dunham is a little old for Double-A at 24 years old, but he’s produced well this year. As a former 1B, he is an average defensive outfielder, but he has a good left-handed swing that leads to consistent hard contact. He’s not a burner but is a smart player who gets the most out of his skills. Likely a fourth OF at the MLB level though.
Pitchers
Ken Waldichuk, LHP (Triple-A) 1-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 15 hits, 34 strikeouts in 25 IP
Waldichuk is one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects. The lefty has a mid-90s fastball that can get on hitters quickly because of his height (6’4″). While he doesn’t possess any outstanding secondary pitches, his change-up, slider, and curve are all average to above average depending on the day, which gives him a safe floor but not a tremendously high ceiling.
Carson Coleman, RHP (Double-A) 0.64 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, four saves, six hits, 25 strikeouts in 14 IP
Coleman was an undrafted signing out of Kentucky. He throws from a lower arm slot, so his fastball gets above-average movement, and he also pairs that with a slider, curve, and changeup to give him a solid four-pitch arsenal.
Randy Vasquez, RHP (Double-A) 0-1, 2.36 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 37 hits, 49 strikeouts in 49.2 IP
Vazquez is another mid-90s arm but he also possesses a devastating power curve that is his best pitch by a lot. However, like Coleman, he is a lower arm slot pitcher, so he has good movement on his fastball to help offset his lower velocity. His change-up also flashes plus and when that’s on, he’s an intriguing pitching prospect.
Make sure to check back in every month for our Mets and Yankees minor league prospect rundown.
