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Four of the New York Mets’ top eight prospects began the season with the Syracuse Mets. Each has an MLB ETA of 2023, per mlb.com.

The group is led by the No. 3 overall prospect, catcher Francisco Álvarez, and the No. 21 overall prospect Brett Baty. Ronny Mauricio, the Mets’ No. 6 prospect, and No. 8 Mark Vientos both made the top 100 list last season and started the year in Triple-A Syracuse.

On March 31, Syracuse began its season dropping two-of-three on the road to the Worcester Red Sox. In Syracuse’s sole 16-6 victory, the four top prospects combined for nine hits and 11 RBIs.

Brett Baty. Ronny Mauricio. Francisco Álvarez. Mark Vientos.

Nine combined hits. Five extra-base hits. Four home runs. 10 RBIs.

SHEESH 🔥 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/exMuIEHA2f

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) April 2, 2023

The Mets’ home opener against the Rochester Red Wings is set for 2:05 p.m. on Tuesday. Here’s the scouting report on all four MLB-bound players:

C, Francisco Álvarez

Álvarez is the only catcher to be named a top-10 prospect in the league this season. At the end of last year, he got called up to the majors, playing in five games before earning a spot on the postseason roster. His first career hit was a home run to left-center field against the Nationals.

Before that, Álvarez played 45 games for the Mets, producing a .234/.443/.825 split with nine home runs and 31 RBIs. His offensive upside stems from a rare blend of strength and bat speed. Defensively, he still needs work, but his arm strength is on par with MLB catchers.

“While the Mets consistently note how Álvarez has improved his framing, he remains below-average defensively because of his limited athleticism,” mlb.com’s bio for Álvarez read.

The New York Mets only have two catchers on their active roster, Omar Navárez and Tomás Nido. But Álvarez has a place on the 40-man roster. Barring injury, he will almost certainly have a shot at the major leagues again this season.

3B/OF, Brett Baty

Last season, Baty homered on the second pitch he saw in the major leagues. In the top of the second inning, Braves pitcher Jake Odorizzi dropped a 1-0 breaking ball on the outside half of the plate. Baty reached out and launched a high-fly ball, barely clearing the right field wall at Truist Park in Atlanta for a two-run bomb.

The third basemen played 11 games in the pros last season, but didn’t make the short-lived postseason run with Álvarez. Baty’s Triple-A stint was even shorter, playing in just six games. He finished with a .315 minor league average, spending most of the year in Double-A.

Currently, Baty sports a .357/.400/.857 split with two home runs and five RBIs, all of which happened in Syracuse’s lone victory. Four of those five RBIs came on a line-drive grand slam, slapped over the left field wall. Baty also made a diving catch in the first inning, laying out to rob a hard-hit line drive through the 6-4 hole.

But, per mlb.com, Baty’s defensive mobility is holding him back. “The 23-year-old still looked rough around the edges defensively when he made the Majors, and increasing his range will remain a priority perhaps for much of his career,” his bio reads. However, they added that Baty’s path to the pros is “clear for the taking” at third base.

Yesmene Chikha | Design Editor

SS, Ronny Mauricio

A versatile switch-hitter, Mauricio signed with the Mets in 2017 from the Dominican Republic. Last season, Mauricio played in all 123 games for Double-A Binghamton, where he set career highs in home runs (26), extra-base hits (54) and stolen bases (20). But, his aggressiveness induced a 4.4% walk rate — the lowest among Mets minor league qualifiers, per mlb.com.

This winter, he won MVP of the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) after hitting .287/.335/.468 in 46 games for Tigres del Licey.

But now, Mauricio has run out of room in the minor leagues. Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is under the Mets’ control through 2031, looms above him in Queens. That leaves the organization with two options for Mauricio: change his position or trade him. The former seems more likely.

“It’s long been assumed that the three-time MiLB.com Organization All-Star would move off shortstop eventually because of his size and below-average speed,” mlb.com’s bio reads.

Mauricio likely won’t spend an extended period in the big leagues this season, meaning Syracuse will be fed a large sample size of the team’s most ambiguous prospect. His field position and role in the lineup will likely shift as the year goes on, and his development will be cause for conversation.

3B/1B, Mark Vientos

Statistically, Vientos has been the best hitter in the Mets’ farm system over the past two seasons. In 101 games for Syracuse last year, Vientos hit .280 with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs, all of which ranked second on the team. During spring training, he hit .278 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 23 games.

Vientos has the longest big league tenure of these prospects, with 16 games under his belt. He was called up near the end of last year when New York was “in dire need of righty designated hitter options,” according to mlb.com. Vientos went 6-for-36 (.167), failing to make the Wild Card roster.

To coexist with Baty in Syracuse, Vientos will continue to man first base. He played the first three games of this season there and produced a promising .987 fielding percentage in 27 games last season.

In the Mets’ 16-6 win over the Red Sox, Álvarez and Vientos went back-to-back in the top of the ninth to cap off the blowout. Vientos’ no-doubt solo shot traveled 450 feet at 111 MPH off the bat for his first long ball of the season.

Hitting .333/.467/.583 in the season-opening series, Vientos is primed for another stellar Triple-A season. But with all-star Pete Alonso occupying the pro position, the organization’s long-term plan for Vientos is unclear, meaning he could be in Syracuse for a while.

Published on April 3, 2023 at 10:17 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu