The Highest Risers for the New York Mets in the Updated MLB Pipeline Rankings

MLB now gives the Mets four top 100 prospects.

Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams kept their spot on the top 100. But the Mets have a new number 1 prospect.

Brandon Sproat is MLB’s 40th best prospect and the Mets’ number one prospect. That should come as no surprise to those who have been following the Mets farm system. Sproat dominated in AA and made himself a name to watch for Mets fans, and for all fans of talented young pitching.

Sproat has had two rocky starts in AAA, but he is a talented pitcher with a strong arsenal. Sproat’s fastball and changeup look very good. He will be in New York sooner rather than later.

Ryan Clifford has made his way back onto the top 100 list. The 21 year old has had a very nice season in Binghamton, particularly early in the summer. In June, Clifford’s batting average was only .200 but he hit 8 home runs and walked 21 times. He had a very impressive 1.009 OPS for the month.

Clifford is a real three true outcome player. He has power and an excellent eye and walk rate. Clifford’s walk rate is what makes scouts think that he has the maturity to be in the bigs relatively soon. Clifford has a big swing that leads to some big swings and misses, but he can work on reducing strikeouts, as long as he continues to hit dingers and be smart with his swings.

Jeremy Rodriguez shot up to the seven spot in the ranking of Mets prospects. Rodriguez signed for $1.25 million with the Diamondbacks last year. He was the D’backs biggest international signing but he did not last long in the organization as he was quickly traded to the Mets in a deal for Tommy Pham.

Rodriguez can play both middle infield positions, but his bat is what has really impressed. The 18 year old excelled last year after joining the Mets organization. In 13 games, he had a 1.247 OPS, 11 walks and only 4 strikeouts.

Rodriguez is still in rookie ball, putting up quality numbers. He has a .755 OPS this year. He is very young and his ability to hit impressed scouts enough that they put him in the top ten of Mets prospects.

Jonah Tong slots as the Mets tenth prospect. Tong has had a great year. It is a little surprising that it did not earn him a higher spot on the list. Tong did not give up a run in 18.2 innings in A ball. He also has been very solid in High A. Tong has thrown almost 70 innings in Brooklyn. He has pitched to a 3.63 ERA and has 93 strikeouts. The 21 year old has room to grow and add muscle to his frame. Tong’s journey will be worth watching.

This year’s draft picks were updated to the rankings. New York’s first round pick, Carson Benge, slots in at number 5. He is their first prospect outside of their four top 100 players. Benge was a two way player in college but he has already confirmed that he will be solely an outfielder in professional ball.

Benge has a great sense of the strike zone, excellent bat to ball skills and can absolutely destroy baseballs. He will play corner outfield and has solid range but makes up for it with his very strong arm.

For Oklahoma State this year, Benge has a 1.109 OPS with 49 walks, only 51 strikeouts and 18 home runs. He could end up being the top prospect for the Mets when the top likely players make it to the bigs.