The minor league season is set to start today, and there are few things more exciting than watching young players show improvement and announce themselves as potential future difference-makers at the MLB level. While both the Mets and Yankees don’t have top-ranked farm systems, they do have a few players who are worth keeping an eye on this season.
Below, we’ll break down some of the key Mets and Yankees prospects that you should be watching or at least keeping an eye on this season. Some of them will likely be up this year to help the big league club, while others we may not see for another year or two but have the upside to be future stars.
As best as possible, we’ll try to give you an ETA of when we think each player will make the Majors, but that’s becoming increasingly difficult to put a finger on.
Brett Baty, 3B (Mets), Francisco Alvarez, C (Mets), Mark Vientos, 3B/DH (Mets) , Oswald Peraza, SS/2B? (Yankees)
ETA: 2023
We’ve covered all of these guys at length during our Spring Training coverage, so I’d recommend going back through the articles here if you want a more detailed analysis of the players.
Alvarez is the highest-ranked prospect, ranking 13th on FanGraphs Big Board, 11th on ProspectsLive’s top 100, and 3rd on MLB.com’s top 100. Baty is next, ranking 35th for ProspectsLive, 31st for MLB.com, and 23rd at FanGraphs. While Vientos is not ranked inside the top 100 on any of the sites, Peraza ranks 39th for ProspectsLive, 52nd for MLB.com, and 40th at Fangraphs.
While none of these players broke camp with their teams, each of them will likely see big league innings during the season. With the Mets’ log jam at 3B, it’s possible that Vientos sees his at-bats for another team, but all of these players should be in the Majors (or already have) for a big chunk of the season.
Jasson Dominguez – OF, Yankees
ETA: 2024
“The Martian” as he’s affectionally known impressed during Grapefruit League action this spring but was sent back to Double-A since he’s only 20 years old. The switch-hitting outfielder was the biggest international signing in 2019, signing for $5.1 million. He currently ranks 47th on MLB.com’s and ProspectLive’s top 100 lists and 50th on FanGraphs.
Domínguez batted .273/.375/.461 with 16 homers and 37 steals in 2022 while advancing from Single-A to Double-A at age 19, so you can already tell from that stat line that he’s a plus runner. However, whether or not he remains in CF is the persistent question because he’s massive for a 20-year-old, and nobody is really sure how he’ll develop athletically into his 20s.
It would be best for the Yankees if he can remain in CF because there are some people who believe his natural power may cap out at 20-25 home runs per season in the big leagues and that his left-handed swing can be too uphill and lead to strikeout issues. Obviously, he has a ways to go before he heads to Yankee Stadium, maybe a debut in the summer of 2024, but there is a lot of intrigue here.
Alex Ramirez – OF, Mets
ETA: 2025
At just 19 years old, there is a lot to like about Ramirez, who has a 6’3″ frame that could put on even more muscle to improve what is already impressive pull-side power. That power has yet to show up consistently in games, but that’s not unusual for players at this age who haven’t yet grown into their bodies.
What’s most intriguing about Ramirez is the plate discipline gains he showed last year, cutting his strikeout rate to 18% at Port St. Lucie and then upping his walk rate to a career-high as the summer went on. Given his potentially plus defense in center field and his explosive bat speed, improved plate discipline could mean Ramirez takes a big step in 2023.
He will start the year with the Brooklyn Cyclones and is currently ranked 71st by FanGraphs, 84th by ProspectsLive, and 96th by MLB.com.
Ronny Mauricio – SS, Mets
ETA: 2023
Turning 22 years old today, Mauricio was one of the big winners at Spring training, leading the team with four home runs. Considering the shortstop set a career-high last year with 26 home runs and 54 extra-base hits, that power display shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
A switch-hitter, Mauricio hits for more power from the left side but is an aggressive swinger no matter where he stands. In fact, he had just a 4.4% walk rate last year, which is something the team will likely look for him to improve upon in Triple-A to start the year. He needs to be a little less of a free swinger if he’s going to come up and succeed against major-league pitching.
The Mets are also going to need to decide where Mauricio plays long-term with Francisco Lindor at shortstop. At 6’3″, many people have expected Mauricio to move off of shortstop eventually, but with Brett Baty at 3B the team will need to think of their long-term strategy defensively.
Mauricio will start the year in Triple-A Syracuse and is currently ranked 90th by FanGraphs, but is not in the top 100 for ProspectsLive or MLB.com.
Kevin Parada – C, Mets
ETA: 2025
Speaking of defensive logjams, there could be another one with Parada likely two seasons behind Francisco Alvarez in terms of projected arrival in Queens. Like Alvarez, Parada is an offense-first catcher who has made gains with his defense but has a below-average arm which could be a problem in this new MLB environment with teams running like crazy.
Regardless, Parada’s bat will play at the big league level. He can drive the ball to all fields and can do so with some pop. He’s a future 20+ home run hitter who had plus batting averages in college and controls the strike zone well enough to suggest that he should continue to produce those in professional baseball as well.
Parada will start the year with the Brooklyn Cyclones and is currently ranked 36th by MLB.com and 60th by ProspectsLive, but is not in the FanGraphs top 100.
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