Tylor Megill – Imaginary Brick Wall

Posted on October 24, 2022November 1, 2022 by Michael Halpern

New York Mets 2023 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys for every team and talk some strategy to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the New York Mets 2023 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-A TOP 59 SNEAK PEEK OF THE 2023 TOP 1,000 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-TOP 13 EARLY OFF-SEASON DYNASTY TARGETS
-TOP 8 OFF-SEASON DYNASTY SELLS
-TOP 360 END OF SEASON 2022 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS
-TOP 456 END OF SEASON 2022 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-Dynasty Team Reports, Positional Dynasty Rankings, strategy articles, target articles, and early access to the Top 100 FYPD Rankings, Top 500 Prospects Rankings, and Top 1,000 Dynasty Rankings hot off the presses as I put them together (released for free on IBW at some point in March)

Previous Team Reports on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks—Baltimore Orioles (free)—Boston Red Sox (free)—Chicago White Sox—Colorado Rockies—Kansas City Royals—Milwaukee Brewers—Minnesota Twins—New York Mets (free)—Texas Rangers—Washington Nationals

Bullpen

Edwin Diaz NYM, Closer, 29.0 – Diaz ascended to best closer in baseball status with an unbelievable 50.2% K% in 62 IP. His career 40.3% K% is the 2nd best mark in the history of baseball, behind the man who he just unseated as the top closer, Josh Hader (43.2%). The highest ranked starter on that list is Spencer Strider at 9th overall. Diaz is not just a one trick pony though, he also induces with contact with a 85.5 MPH EV against which was in the top 4% of the league, and he doesn’t have any control problems with an above average 7.7% BB%. He should be the top closer off the board. 2023 Projection: 4/2.68/0.98/108 in 64 IP

Starting Pitchers

Jacob deGrom NYM, RHP, 34.10 – deGrom is 34 years old, but he is in that tier of elite athlete that could continue to play at a high level into their 40’s. Just look at Tom Brady. He’s 45 and he has 300 pound, sub 5.0 forty guys trying to take his head off. deGrom is in that super elite class, and he doesn’t have to deal with standing strong in the pocket with an unprotected blitz descending upon him. He just put up an absolutely silly 42.7%/3.3% K%/BB% with a 0.75 WHIP in 64.1 IP. Both his 2021 and 2022 have been injury shortened seasons with a UCL and shoulder injury, but I think those numbers speak to themselves as to how the arm was feeling. He could easily have another 5 elite years in the tank, and why not 10. It’s not like young pitching is really any safer, as young pitchers are arguably more risky than older guys. Use deGrom’s advanced age and injury shortened seasons to your advantage. 2023 Projection: 14/2.51/0.95/220 in 170 IP

Tylor Megill NYM, RHP, 27.8 – Megill was one of my top cheap pitcher targets in 2022, and I’m going back to the well in 2023. He has plus stuff (95.7 MPH), plus swing and miss ability (27.6% whiff%), and plus control (6.5% BB%). He was in the midst of not only backing up his strong 2021, but taking the breakout to another level before a biceps and shoulder injury put a halt to it. He returned in September in a bullpen role and the fastball was still up over 95 MPH. The Mets 2023 rotation is unsettled, so there is no guarantee he wins a rotation spot out of camp, but he’ll inevitably get another shot at some point. 2023 Projection: 8/3.78/1.21/153 in 140 IP

David Peterson NYM, LHP, 27.7 – Peterson’s velocity was up on all of his pitches (93.7 MPH fastball) and it led to his whiff% exploding to near elite levels at 30.2%. His slider in particular popped, putting up the 4th highest whiff% amongst starters at 47.9%. He throws a 5 pitch mix and keeps the ball on the ground with a 49.4% GB%. It led to a 3.83 ERA and 126/48 K/BB in 105.2 IP. Like Megill, there is no guarantee he wins a rotation spot, but he’s a no brainer target. I’ll be going after him regardless of league size. 2023 Projection: 8/3.67/1.28/156 in 140 IP

Hitters

Francisco Lindor NYM, SS, 29.5 – Lindor was one of my top buys in 2022, ranking him 23rd overall in my 2022 Top 1,000 Rankings and closing his blurb by writing, “Lindor is an easy buy this off-season.” As expected, that is exactly how it played out with Lindor bouncing back to finish as the 10th best fantasy player in baseball (Razzball Player Rater). He simply did what he’s done his entire career, which is more or less be an above average player in every facet of the game. He should have a few more years of prime production left before his stolen bases dry up the deeper he gets into his 30’s as he is slowing down a little bit. 2023 Projection: 94/25/89/.263/.330/.453/17

Top 10 New York Mets Fantasy Baseball Prospects

1) Francisco Alvarez NYM, C, 21.4 – Alvarez is a 5’10”, 233 pound ball of muscle who walloped 27 homers in 112 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He then got a cup of coffee, or more like a sip of coffee in the majors and it took him only 14 PA to get his first MLB dinger. He had a 101.5 MPH FB/LD EV in that obviously very small sample, but it drives home the point that Alvarez has near elite power potential, especially for a catcher. He has some swing and miss in his game (24.8% K%), but he’s an OBP machine with a 14.1% BB%. Adley is the darling of the catcher world right now, but Alvarez’s superior over the fence power could easily make him the more valuable catcher not too far into the future, and the Mets starting catcher job is wide open for the taking at the moment. 2023 Projection: 67/26/80/.240/.331/.457/3 Prime Projection: 84/33/96/.254/.361/.520/3

2) Brett Baty NYM, 3B, 23.5 – There is little doubt that the 6’3”, 210 pound lefty Baty is going to be a very good real life hitter. He smokes the ball with a 91.1 MPH EV and he has an excellent plate approach with a 24.8%/11.7% K%/BB%, leading to a .943 OPS in 95 games at mostly Double-A. He got called up to the majors and while he only put up a .586 OPS in 11 games, his .332 xwOBA was much better and a 19% K% is a good sign his K% isn’t going to explode. It’s a line drive approach (10 degree launch) with below average speed (26.8 ft/sec sprint), making him a very safe bet to be an impact bat, but likely without monster upside in a 5×5 BA league. He tore his the UCL in his thumb in late August which required surgery, but he’ll be good to go for 2023. 2023 Projection: 73/22/79/.253/.332/.440/2 Prime Projection: 84/25/86/.267/.349/.472/2

3) Alex Ramirez NYM, OF, 20.6 – The super projectable Ramirez remains super projectable at a skinny 6’3”, so even though he hit only 11 homers in 121 games, there is much more coming down the road. The more encouraging thing is that he started to refine his game in 2022 with a very good 22.9%/9.2% K%/BB% in 67 games at Single-A and a 22%/6.5% K%/BB% in 54 games at High-A. It led to a 129 wRC+ at the age appropriate Single-A and a 109 wRC+ at High-A. He’s a poor base stealer, going 21 for 37 on the bases (4 for 11 at High-A), so he’ll probably only contribute a handful at peak especially as he slows down, but Ramirez has the type of skillset that could explode into elite prospect territory in short order. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 84/23/78/.268/.333/.458/11

4) Kevin Parada NYM, C, 21.8 – If you liked Henry Davis, you are going to love Keven Parada. Selected 11th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Parada looks the part of a catcher with two tree trunks for legs. He used that power base to have an insane power explosion this season, going from 9 homers in 2021, to 26 homers in 2022 over 60 ACC games. He also has a strong hit tool with a .361 BA and 32/30 K/BB. His value held serve in his pro debut, hitting the ball hard and putting up a .880 OPS in 13 games at mostly Single-A. I wouldn’t be too worried about New York already having Francisco Alvarez as they can both catch a ton of games and then DH on the other days. It will also preserve their careers in the long run. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 78/25/81/.268/.339/.475/3

5) Ronny Mauricio NYM, SS, 22.0 – The good news is that Mauricio is fully realizing his power potential, crushing 26 homers in 123 games at Double-A, but the bad news is that he just can’t seem to refine his plate approach with a 23.1%/4.4% K%/BB%. It makes it tough to buy into him in OBP leagues, but I wouldn’t be too scared off in 5×5 BA leagues because his defense should be able to keep him on the field. He’s been young for every level he’s played at, and he’s currently lighting up the Dominican Winter League with 2 homers, a 1.223 OPS and a 5/3 K/BB in 8 games, so he’s far from a finished product. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 74/25/82/.264/.317/.455/9

6) Jett Williams NYM, SS, 19.5 – Selected 14th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Williams is a small but explosive player with strong EV numbers and plus speed. The hit tool is his calling card, which makes him relatively safe, and it’s possible his upside isn’t being respected enough because the discrimination against small guys (5’8”, 175 pounds). He’s definitely not a slap hitter. He displayed all of those skills in his pro debut, slashing .250/.366/.437 with 1 homer, 6 steals, and a 14.6%/9.8% K%/BB% in 10 games. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 87/17/71/.278/.343/.438/24

7) Mark Vientos NYM, 3B/1B, 23.4 – Vientos is 6’4”, 185 pounds with a big righty hack that is made to hit dingers. He jacked 24 homers in 101 games games at Triple-A and then hit the majors and put up a 93.3 MPH EV in 41 PA. On the flip side, he has major hit tool concerns which could tank him with a 28.6% K% at Triple-A and a 29.3% K% (.167 BA) in the majors. He also isn’t a great defensive player and he had pretty major splits this year (.734 vs righties/1.094 vs lefties). The risk is that he becomes a short side of a platoon DH/bench bat, but the upside is a 30+ homer bat. 2023 Projection: 29/10/38/.228/.297/.425/0 Prime Projection: 68/26/79/.248/.327/.488/1

8) Matt Allan NYM, RHP, 21.11 – Allan underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2021 and was out for all of 2022. When healthy, he throws a mid 90’s fastball with a plus, high spin rate curveball and a changeup that was showing improvement before going down. He’s only pitched 10.1 professional innings in his career, and he hasn’t pitched in a game since 2019, so while the upside is high, the risk is too. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 11/3.88/1.26/175 in 165 IP

9) Blade Tidwell NYM, RHP, 21.10 – Selected 52nd overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Tidwell throws gas with a fastball that can consistently reach the upper 90’s. He combines that with a potentially plus slider and developing changeup. He was limited to only 39 IP in the SEC due to shoulder soreness, but he pitched well in those innings with a 3.00 ERA and 51/11 K/BB. He then stepped into pro ball and proved the shoulder is just fine by dominating in the Single-A playoffs, going 9.2 IP with 5 hits, 0 ER and a 13/2 K/BB over 2 outings. He makes for a great later round FYPD target if you stack up on hitters early. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 11/3.85/1.28/165 in 160 IP

10) Dominic Hamel NYM, RHP, 24.1 – Hamel is a spin monster with basically his entire arsenal putting up high spin rates (fastball, curve, slider). It led to a 3.25 ERA and 145/54 K/BB in 119 IP split between Single-A and High-A. The fastball only sits in the low 90’s, his control isn’t great, and he’s old for the lower minors, so it’s probably more of a back end profile with mid-rotation upside. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 10/4.10/1.32/171 in 165 IP

Just Missed

11) Calvin Ziegler NYM, RHP, 20.6

Dynasty Baseball Thought/Strategy of the Day (which may or may not be related to the team I’m covering that day)

I already alluded to it in the Jacob deGrom blurb, but there is great value to be had in Dynasty leagues by going after older pitching. Old guys can get downgraded too much in general, but it’s especially unwarranted with pitchers. Having a track record of being able to throw a full starter’s workload is really more important than having youth. Young pitchers have often never thrown, and sometimes haven’t even come close to throwing a full workload, making it a major question mark if they can even do it. You also almost have to expect and plan for a flame throwing youngster to miss 1-2 years with Tommy John surgery. The older guys might have gotten that Tommy John out of the way already. Plus, pitching is so risky in general that I wouldn’t count on any pitcher, regardless of age, to be a long term core of my dynasty team. I’ll build a core of young hitters, and then go after established pitching when I think I have that 3-5 year contention window to make my mark.

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)

Posted on April 25, 2022April 26, 2022 by Michael Halpern

Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/25/22)

I’ll be running down everything that caught my eye in the Dynasty Baseball world on most Mondays throughout the season. Here is the Monday Morning Dynasty Baseball Rundown (4/25/22):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON, INCLUDING:
-UPDATED APRIL 2022 TOP 414 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-UPDATED TOP 300 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS COMING NEXT WEEK
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS

Jesus Luzardo MIA, LHP, 24.6 – 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 8/4 K/BB vs. Atlanta. Why improve your control when you can just make your stuff even nastier? Luzardo’s BB% is still sitting at 11.5%, but the fastball is up to 97.1 MPH and his whiff% is up 10.1 percentage points to 39.5%. It’s a good life lesson. If you can’t improve your weaknesses, just make your strengths even stronger.

Byron Buxton MIN, OF, 28.3 – 6 for 9 with 3 homers in his last 3 games. He now has a 97.8 MPH EV and a 1.361 OPS on the season. I ranked Buxton 32nd overall on my off-season Top 1,000 because I thought the injury risk was deflating his league winning upside too much. I’ll take a quick victory lap for Buxton while he’s still healthy, and also because if Buxton took the victory lap, he’d probably pull a hammy and be out for the year.

Connor Joe COL, 1B/OF, 29.7 – Continues to put in Yeoman’s work, going 1 for 4 with a double and a 0/1 K/BB. Joe has just been quietly performing like a near elite hitter with a career .370 xwOBA in 264 AB. He has a .406 xwOBA this year with a career best 17.3% whiff%, which backs up his excellent 18.6%/11.9% K%/BB%. He jumped all the way up to #183 on my Updated April 2022 Top 414 Dynasty Baseball Rankings over on Patreon. Don’t sleep on him. He looks like the next legit late career breakout.

Cody Bellinger LAD, OF/1B, 26.9 – I kept the faith on Bellinger, ranking him 63rd overall this off-season, and he has rewarded that faith, dropping two bombs yesterday to bring his season OPS up to .915. I would still be a tad cautious to consider him back to being elite because of a 33.3% K%, but it seems pretty safe to say he didn’t all of a sudden turn into a horrible ballplayer. It was just a rough couple years because of poor luck and injury.

Ty France SEA, 1B/2B, 27.9 – 3 for 5 with his 5th homer, and now has a 1.116 OPS on the year. He has a career best 10.5% K% and 89.6 MPH EV. Always gotta balance out all the back patting with one I got wrong, and while it’s not like I was super low on France, ranking him 163rd overall this off-season, I’ve been generally low on France his entire career. It was a mistake.

Corbin Carroll ARI, OF, 21.7 – Carroll’s ascent to truly elite prospect status was basically a foregone conclusion, and he’s fulfilling that promise with his 3rd homer on an electric swing down in the zone. He has a 192 wRC+ with 5 steals in 13 games at Double-A. I don’t care if you are in win now mode, do not trade this man unless you are getting back a near elite hitter back in return.

Michael Harris ATL, OF, 21.1 – Absolutely destroyed his first homer of the year at Double-A. and while he hasn’t hit many homers in his career, watching that one shows the kind of potential he has. All of the skills have basically transferred to Double-A with a .317 BA and 6 steals. Unlocking more of his plus raw power is the last step.

Masyn Winn STL, SS/RHP, 20.0 – St. Louis dropped the pitching thing and decided to have Winn focus solely on hitting. So far, so good as Winn unloaded for his first homer of the year to bring his season wRC+ up to 210 in 10 games at High-A on the back of a 15.6%/11.1% K%/BB%. He has 4 steals with a 38.7% GB% and plus raw power. Now could be the time to buy in before his value explodes.

Zack Collins TOR, C, 27.2 – Collins is stealing Alejandro Kirk’s presumed breakout, going 2 for 5 with his 3rd homer. He now has a .960 OPS on the season with a 94.9 MPH EV. but a 32.4%/2.9% K%/BB% and long term playing time concerns still makes me hesitant to buy in.

Jeremy Pena HOU, SS, 24.5 – Ripped a 425 foot walk off dinger off Jordan Romano for his 3rd of the year. He’s smashing the ball with a 90.6 MPH EV and has respectable contact rates with a 25.7% whiff%. He jumped to #158 on the Updated Dynasty Rankings.

Shane McClanahan TBR, LHP, 24.11 – 7 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 7/0 K/BB vs. Boston. Fastball sat 96.6 MPH and put up a 40% whiff% overall. His curve, slider, and changeup now have a 45.9%, 47.4%, and 57.1% whiff% on the season. He’s quickly cementing himself as an ace.

Nick Lodolo CIN, LHP, 24.2 – 5.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, and a 7/0 K/BB vs. St. Louis. All of his skills are translating to the MLB level with a strong 86.1 MPH EV against, 7 degree launch angle, and a 27.5%/7.2% K%/BB%. If you can buy low off the 5.52 ERA, I would do so.

Randal Grichuk COL, OF, 30.8 – Grichuk got off the schneid with his first homer on a 414 foot, 108.7 MPH bomb. He went 3 for 4 on the day which brings his BA up to .404 on the back of a 14.3% K%. The power has been lacking to this point with an 86.9 MPH EV and negative 2.1 degree launch angle, but those numbers are so out of character for his career that they will almost certainly regress closer to career averages.

Austin Riley ATL, 3B, 25.0 – 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a homer. Riley is backing up the 2021 breakout with a 93.4 MPH EV and .452 xwOBA. Don’t trade him unless you are getting an elite piece back.

Jo Adell LAA, OF, 23.0 – Cracked an opposite field grand slam for his 3rd of the year, and more importantly, didn’t strikeout once, which is the first game this season he hasn’t recorded a strikeout. He has a 21.4% Barrel% and 40.7% whiff% on the season.

Tylor Megill NYM, RHP, 26.8 – 6.2 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 7/1 K/BB vs. Arizona. He hasn’t been able to fully maintain his early season velocity uptick, but settling in at 95+ MPH, which is where he’s at now would be perfect. His slider has been silly untouchable with a .135 xwOBA and 50% whiff%. I’m fully buying in, ranking him 97th overall on the Updated Dynasty Rankings.

Eric Lauer MIL, LHP, 26.10 – 6 IP, 5 hits, 0 ER, 13/1 K/BB. Lauer is going full breakout with his fastball up 1.2 MPH to 93.8 MPH. He has a 34.6% K% on the year, although with a 26.5% whiff%, he’s unlikely to be able to come close to keeping that up. He was a favorite of mine in his First Year Player Draft class, and of course I no longer own him anywhere. I do own Kyle Wright in a couple leagues, who I didn’t like in his draft year. Just the nature of the pitching prospect beast.

Nolan Gorman STL, 3B/2B, 21.11/Elly De La Cruz CIN, SS/3B, 20.3 – It’s the strikeout and power hour of the dynasty rundown, as Gorman and Cruz both ripped another homer with 2 more K’s. That makes it 8 homers with a 32.3%/6.5% K%/BB% in 15 games at Triple-A for Gorman, and 3 homers with a 37.5%/6.3% K%/BB% in 12 games at High-A for Cruz. Gorman’s 2021 strikeout improvement has completely disappeared, and Cruz’ strikeout issues have gotten worse this year too.

Shea Langeliers OAK, C, 24.5 – Backing up his 2021 power breakout with his 5th homer in 15 games at Triple-A, and he’s doing it with a much improved 19% K%. He’s blocked by Sean Murphy, but there were rumors Murphy could be traded over the off-season, so he could be dealt before the deadline which would open up the full time job for Langeliers.

Jhonkensy Noel CLE, 1B/3B, 20.9 – Noel tore apart High-A last year with 8 homers in 26 games, and he’s back at it this year after going deep twice yesterday for his 3rd and 4th of the year. More important than the power, he has an excellent 23.4%/14.9% K%/BB% in 12 games.

Marco Luciano SFG, SS, 20.6 – Bouncing back from last year’s horrible showing at High-A with his 3rd homer in 12 games to bring his season OPS up to .981. The plate approach isn’t great with a 24.5%/8.2% K%/BB%, but it’s much better than last year’s 37.2%/6.9% mark.

Orelvis Martinez TOR, SS, 20.4 – Martinez’ plate approach, or lack thereof, is getting exposed at Double-A with a 33.9%/1.8% K%/BB%, but nothing can stop his power as he jacked his 6th homer of the year yesterday.

Brady House WAS, SS, 18.10 – Housed his 2nd homer of the year to bring his season wRC+ up to 171 in 15 games at Single-A. The plate approach has been strong at 22.1%/9.1%, but the GB% is a bit high at 50%. Keep in mind this dude is still just 18 years old.

Oneil Cruz PIT, SS, 23.6 – Smoked his first homer of the year, and when I say smoked, I really mean smoked. He’s struggled a bit to start the year with a 74 wRC+ and 31.1% K% at Triple-A, but all that really means is that Pittsburgh can continue to manipulate his service time without getting major blowback.

Andy Pages LAD, OF, 21.4/Michael Busch LAD, 2B, 24.4 – LA’s power and patience duo got back to work yesterday at Double-A. Pages hit his 2nd homer, and it comes with an excellent 20.3%/13% K%/BB% in 15 games. Busch got ahold of his 7th homer, and his comes with a 23.9%/21.1% K%/BB% in 15 games. Finding playing time in LA’s stacked lineup could be their biggest issue.

Jasson Dominguez NYY, OF, 19.2 – Dominguez went 2 for 4 with his 1st homer of the year, but he needs to do a lot more than that to dig himself out of the hole he’s in. He has a 37.3%/1.7% K%/BB% with a 67 wRC+ in 13 games at Single-A. He doesn’t really have the young for the level excuse anymore. His stock is dropping hard.

Max Meyer MIA, RHP, 22.11/Roansy Contreras PIT, RHP, 22.5 – Meyer – 5 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 7/2 K/BB. Contreras – 3.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 5/1 K/BB. Both are pushing hard for a rotation spot and could immediately be impact MLB starters when they do get the chance. I have them in a tier of elite pitching prospects with Daniel Espino and Jack Leiter.

Cade Cavalli WAS, RHP, 23.8 – 4 IP, 3 hits, 4 ER, 2/1 K/BB at Triple-A. I got slightly worried about Cavalli after MLB hitters ripped him apart in Spring, and he’s carried over those struggles into Triple-A with a 9.00 ERA and 12/4 K/BB in 12 IP. He also struggled hard at Triple-A last year. I’m far from panicking, but if I was in win now mode, I might be willing to use him as a centerpiece of a trade after he strings a few good starts together.

Moises Gomez STL, OF, 23.8 – 2 for 5 with his 9th homer. Gomez is ranked 2nd among all of the qualified minor league hitters with a 269 wRC+ at Double-A. He’s always had big power with low groundball rates, and it’s not like he is a completely out of nowhere prospect as he ranked 237th on my 2019 Top 472 Prospects Rankings. If he can keep his strikeouts in check (22.4% in 2022 vs. 38.2% in 2021), and considering St. Louis is an expert in developing these kind of hitters, he could really put himself back on the map.

Connor Scott PIT, OF, 22.6 – 2 for 3 with 2 steals. Ranked #407 on my 2022 Top 500 Prospects Rankings, Scott is off to a strong start at Double-A, slashing .400/.489/.600 with 1 homer, 3 steals, and a 17%/12.8% K%/BB% in 11 games. He’s a former 13th overall pick in the draft and has the athleticism to back that up at 6’3”, 200 pounds. He always had a solid plate approach throughout his MiLB career. He hasn’t had that wow year yet, but he’s just steadily climbing the ladder with a nice combo of safety and upside.

Adael Amador COL, SS, 19.2 – 1 for 3 with a steal. The plus plate approach is transferring to full season ball with a 12.3%/18.5% K%/BB%. It’s led to a 151 wRC+ in 14 games at Single-A. He also has 2 homers and 3 steals, but with a 56.8% GB% and 13 for 20 success rate on the bases in his career, not sure there is a big power/speed combo at the moment.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL SEASON LONG, INCLUDING:
-APRIL TOP 414 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-UPDATED TOP 300 DYNASTY PROSPECTS RANKINGS COMING NEXT WEEK
-TONS OF DYNASTY RUNDOWNS

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)

Posted on November 1, 2021December 26, 2021 by Michael Halpern

New York Mets 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)

Along with a Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Ranking, I wanted to highlight some interesting MLB guys and talk some team specific strategy for every team to give a more complete Dynasty Team Report. Like during the regular season, I’m still going to be posting a few articles a month for free on my website. This is one of those articles. Here is the New York Mets 2022 Dynasty Baseball Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
–A Top 18 Sneak Peek of my 2022 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings with more early releases coming all off-season
-Dynasty Team Reports for every team (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk)
–Positional Dynasty Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 466 Dynasty Baseball Rankings
-End of Season 2021 Top 322 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

Previous Teams on Patreon
Arizona Diamondbacks–Baltimore Orioles=Chicago White Sox=Miami Marlins–Milwaukee Brewers–Minnesota Twins–New York Yankees–Oakland Athletics–Philadelphia Phillies–Seattle Mariners–St. Louis Cardinals

Hitters

Francisco Lindor NYM, SS, 28.4 – Baseball players are human beings. When you’ve spent your entire career, from the time you were 17 years old, with one organization, it is going to take time to adjust to a new city, new fans, new teammates, coaches, expectations etc … And that goes doubly when that new city is New York. And even if you don’t buy into all that mumbo jumbo, his underlying numbers in 2021 were almost exactly in line with career norms. He just got a bit unlucky this year. One thing slightly outside of his career norms was that he swung and missed at a career worst rate (23.2% whiff%), but he offset that with a career best 11.1% BB%. Lindor is an easy buy this off-season. 2022 Projection: 93/29/85/.267/.344/.482/17

Pete Alonso NYM, 1B, 27.4 – Alonso quietly took a huge step forward with his contact ability, notching career bests in K% (19.9% vs. 25.5% in 2020) and whiff% (24.9% vs. 30.4% in 2020). He also had a career best 91 MPH EV. And while it led to an excellent season (37 homers and a 133 wRC+ in 152 games), there is now potential for him to put up some truly historic seasons as he enters his peak years. I would buy high on Alonso. 2022 Projection: 94/45/112/.268/.357/.561/2

Starting Pitchers

Jacob deGrom NYM, RHP, 33.9 – You almost have to do a double take when looking at deGrom’s season numbers. 1.08 ERA? 0.55 WHIP? 45.1%/3.4% K%/BB%? Give me a second to pick my jaw up off the ground. Of course, in this flawed universe we live in, there always has to be a yang to the yin. He put up those numbers in only 92 IP because of a partial tear in the UCL of his elbow. He already started to throw side sessions at the end of September, so the hope is that he will be 100% for 2022, but it certainly adds a healthy dose of injury risk. 2022 Projection: 13/2.48/0.93/258 in 175 IP

Tylor Megill NYM, RHP, 26.8 – Megill quickly cruised through the upper levels of the minors before immediately impressing in his MLB debut, putting up a 26.1%/7.1% K%/BB% and 3.87 xERA in 89.2 IP. He has the stuff to back up the numbers with an above average 3 pitch mix led by his 94.6 MPH fastball. His 4.52 ERA should keep the hype in check, and I’m planning on grabbing Megill for cheap in every size league I play in this off-season. 2022 Projection: 8/3.90/1.27/161 in 155 IP

Bullpen

Edwin Diaz NYM, Closer, 28.0 – Diaz’ ERA jumped to 3.45, but everything in his underlying numbers shows he is still elite with a 2.63 xERA. His 4 seamer and slider both hit a career high in velocity at 98.8 MPH and 90.6 MPH. His strikeouts did dip a bit, but with a 35.1% whiff% and 34.6% K%, he is still in rarified air. 2022 Projection: 3/2.76/1.10/94/34 saves in 61 IP

New York Mets Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects

1) Francisco Alvarez NYM, C, 20.4 – Alvarez is a bulldog at the plate at 5’10”, 233 pounds with massive raw power and a precocious plate approach. He put up a silly 227 wRC+ with a 10.4%/22.4% K%/BB% in 15 games at the age appropriate Single-A before he went to High-A and bashed 22 homers in 82 games. This is a do it all, middle of the order bat who has a good chance of sticking at catcher. Rutschman is going to have some competition for that top spot in a couple years. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 78/30/92/.272/.355/.495/4

2) Mark Vientos NYM, 3B, 22.4 – Vientos is 6’4, 185 pounds and was a power breakout waiting to happen. It happened. He crushed 22 homers in 72 games at Double-A and then he cracked 3 homers in 11 games at Triple-A to close the season. His strikeout rate spiked with the power to 28.4% at Double-A (30.2% at Triple-A), so there is risk, but his power has true elite potential. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 76/32/88/.248/.327/.502/1

3) Brett Baty NYM, 3B, 22.4 – Baty personifies the proverbial “professional at-bat.” He slashed .292/.382/.473 with 12 homers and a 25.5%/11.9% K%/BB% in 91 games split between High-A and Double-A. There is some swing and miss to his game (39.3% K% in 13 AFL games) and while he has at least plus power, his groundball percentage is way too high to take advantage of it (61.2% at Double-A). He would rank #2 on an OBP Ranking. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 83/25/81/.269/.353/.477/4

4) Alex Ramirez NYM, OF, 19.2 – I fell in love with Ramirez the second I saw his Youtube international prospect hype videos a few years ago. He remains a high upside lottery ticket who the Mets thought enough of to send straight to full season ball for his pro debut. He managed to hold his own with a near average 96 wRC+ and a respectable triple-slash of .258/.326/..384 with 5 homers, 16 steals and a 31.1%/6.9% K%/BB% in 76 games. He’s a projectable 6’3”, 170 pounds with a wicked righty swing and a potentially plus power/speed combo. ETA: 2025 Prime Projection: 78/23/81/.263/.331/.452/17

5) Ronny Mauricio NYM, SS, 21.0 – The power breakout arrived for the 6’3” Mauricio as he ripped 20 homers in 108 games at mostly High-A (1 homer in 8 games at Triple-A). He also cranked out this bomb a few days ago in LIDOM (Dominican Winter League). The plate approach is still raw with a 24.7%/5.7% K%/BB%, but 2021 was a step in the right direction to reaching his considerable upside. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 74/24/81/.261/.323/.465/7

6) Matt Allan NYM, RHP, 20.11 – Allan underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2021 which may keep him out until towards the end of the 2022 season. When healthy, he throws a mid 90’s fastball with a plus, high spin rate curveball and a changeup that was getting rave reviews at the alt site in 2020. He’s only pitched 10.1 professional innings in his career, and is now undergoing major arm surgery, so the risk is high, but so is the upside. ETA: 2024 Prime Projection: 12/3.83/1.25/175 in 160 IP

7) Khalil Lee NYM, OF, 23.9 – Lee has put up elite walk rates throughout his career and it hit a crescendo in 2021 with a career high 18.3% BB% in 102 games at Triple-A. It led to an impressive .951 OPS. He also has plus speed and plus raw power, but his high groundball rates (51.5%) and poor stolen base percentage (8 for 18 in 2021) makes it hard to project big homer and steal totals. His strikeout rates have also always been high with a 29.6% mark in 2021. It’s an interesting mix of tools and skills that has a very wide range of outcomes. 2022 Projection: 31/5/27/.222/.308/.391/4 Prime Projection: 77/18/74/.244/.333/.431/12

8) J.T. Ginn NYM, RHP, 22.10 – Ginn induces extreme groundball rates (64.1% at High-A) with a low 90’s, heavy sinking two seamer that generates a ton of drop and tail action. He combines that with a plus slider and developing changeup. It resulted in a strong season in the lower minors with a pitching line of 3.03/1.05/81/22 in 92 IP split between Single-A and High-A. He had also just undergone Tommy John surgery in March 2020, so he should only get stronger from here. ETA: 2023 Prime Projection: 10/4.06/1.28/159 in 165 IP

9) Carlos Rincon NYM, OF, 24.6 – The 6’3” Rincon has beastly raw power and he has been able to get to all of it his entire professional career with 94 home runs in 479 career games. It was more of the same in 2021 with 22 homers in 101 games at Double-A. He doesn’t have any problem keeping the ball off the ground and while his strikeout rates have always been high, a 26.8% mark in 2021 isn’t that bad. 2022 Projection: 6/2/11/.218/.291/.415/1 Prime Projection: 66/22/72/.243/.318/.475/3

10) Jose Butto NYM, RHP, 24.0 – Butto is the type of pitcher to work fast and throw the ball over the plate. A nasty changeup is his money maker and he combines that with an average slider and a low 90’s fastball that seems pretty hittable. He put together a strong year split between High-A and Double-A with a pitching line of 3.83/1.10/110/24 in 98.2 IP. He has a 4/5 starter profile with mid rotation upside if the fastball or breaking ball tick up. 2022 Projection: 1/4.52/1.35/27 in 30 IP Prime Projection: 8/4.24/1.31/153 in 160 IP

Just Missed

11) Joel Diaz NYM, RHP, 18.1

12) Calvin Ziegler NYM, RHP, 19.6

13) Dominic Hamel NYM, RHP, 23.1

14) Carlos Cortes NYM, OF, 24.5

Strategy Talk

It seemed like things were headed in the right direction when Steve Cohen took over as owner, but it’s been nothing but a hilarity of errors since then. They’ve been turned down by everyone with a pulse for their open front office job. And it turns out one of the people involved in that search is none other than noted baseball mind Chris Christie. Their former GM got fired for a DWI after attending a party at Cohen’s house earlier that night. And all of this just makes me think of a story of one of my favorite comedians, Chris Distefano, told about bombing in front of Steve Cohen at his birthday. He might be a good time to hang out with, but I’m not sure I would want him owning my favorite baseball team. What does all this mean for dynasty owners? Admittedly not much because we still don’t know who is going to be running the show, and the Mets haven’t had any major issues developing talent, except when it comes to pitcher injuries. Even with the circus like atmosphere, I wouldn’t shy away from Mets prospects.

By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)