How’s It Going On the Farm?

by Nick Giacone June 13, 2018 0 Comments

It’s been an unexpectedly tough season so far, and us Mets fans could use a pick-me-up. So let’s distract ourselves from all things Flushing for a minute and direct our attention towards the farm. A few of our top prospects have been having themselves quality 2018 seasons and at the very least should give fans some hope for the future. Let’s take a look:

Justin Dunn, RHP
Team: St. Lucie Mets/Binghamton Rumble Ponies, HiA-AA
Mets #3 Prospect

Justin just had himself quite the week, dazzling in back-to-back outings in both High-A and AA ball. Dunn turned in his best pitching performance to date on June 4th, pitching seven scoreless innings and adding 10 strikeouts in a victory for the St. Lucie Mets. This capped a solid High-A resume for Dunn, so the Mets saw him ready to step up to AA. How did he reward them? He turned in another seven scoreless innings while adding another nine strikeouts in his debut for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

The impressive outings earned Dunn a spot in MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week. His stats for the two outings:

14 Innings Pitched
0 Earned Runs
4 Hits Allowed
19 Strikeouts

As we’ve seen over the years, there’s no such thing as a surplus of effective pitching. Dunn still needs to develop, but he’s got a ton of upside. If Dunn continues to impress, we may see him emerge as a legitimate starter or bullpen fireballer in the next few years.

Peter Alonso, 1B
Team: Binghamton Rumble Ponies, AA
Mets #4 Prospect

After Adrian Gonzalez’s release, a lot of us are #TeamDom right now. But Peter Alonso is posing a legitimate threat to shake up the Mets future outlook at 1B. He’s been tearing up AA ball this season, mashing to a .316 batting average and 1.019 OPS in 60 games for the Rumble Ponies. He’s also launched 15 dingers and driven in 50 runs in 206 at-bats. The Mets always knew Alonso could swing the bat when they drafted him in the 2nd round in 2016. However, his below-average defense raised flags for scouts. Enter 2018, and Alonso is making great strides in improving his glove, giving him a genuine chance to challenge Dom Smith in the coming years. His hard work and outstanding play landed him on Baseball America’s April Prospect Team Of The Month. And although it’s been all but confirmed we won’t see Alonso in the majors this year, he’s just about due for a promotion to Las Vegas.

Sandy Alderson says Peter Alonso is on the Mets' radar for a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas. "It's very possible that he will be moving soon."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 12, 2018

If Alonso continues playing at his current pace in AAA, the Mets are going to have one of those good problems on their hands. Pretty soon we’ll have to decide: #TeamDom or #TeamAlonso?

David Peterson, LHP
Team: Columbia Fireflies/St. Lucie Mets, LoA-HiA
Mets #2 Prospect

So far, so good for the Mets top pitching prospect. After a phenomenal Low-A ball stint with the Columbia Fireflies, Peterson saw himself recently promoted to pitch High-A ball for the St. Lucie Mets:

The Mets' wave of minor league promotions continues. Top prospect David Peterson goes from Class A Columbia to high-A St. Lucie after dominating the lower level with a 1.82 ERA. Peterson was the Mets' first-round pick last June.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 10, 2018

For the fans who have high hopes for Peterson this should be music to their ears. Peterson was the Mets first round pick in 2017 and so far has lived up to the hype. For now, we’ll look to see Peterson continue his dominance in High-A ball, with hopes that he’ll start the 2019 year in AA. He’s still a bit raw and has to prove himself with the higher tier minor league teams, but all early signs point to him to becoming a solid arm in the Mets rotations of the future