Mets Are Getting a Glimpse of Their Future This Spring
Photo by Allen Greene Photography
There’s a lot for Mets fans to be excited about right now. The obvious is the acquisition of Francisco Lindor, but as we dive into 2021, the next wave of talent is starting to slowly reveal itself.
The Mets invited a handful of their top prospects to major league camp, including Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ronny Mauricio who are just 18 and 19, respectively. Crow-Armstrong has yet to even play a professional game yet.
And as spring training games have gotten going, many of these young guys have gotten a chance to show what they can do, as manager Luis Rojas said they would before games started.
In the Mets’ first spring training game, 25-year-old Harol Gonzalez pitched a perfect inning that included a strikeout, topping out at 90 MPH. He was followed later in the game by left-hander Thomas Szapucki, one of the most talented pitching prospects in the Mets’ system who has been hindered by the injury bug. Szapucki pitched a scoreless inning as well. If he can get back to speed and stay healthy, he could be another arm bubbling on the horizon of the rotation in the coming years.
A particular encouraging sign with Szapucki was his velocity, which Jacob Resnick of SNY reported topped out at 95 MPH and sat between 92-94 MPH. This is a stark improvement from the 87 MPH that was reported at the Mets’ alternate site last season.
On Wednesday, in the Mets’ third spring training game, top catching prospect Francisco Alvarez got a start. He also got a glowing recommendation from newly acquired Mets catcher James McCann, who said of Alvarez, “I think he has a really bright future.”
The Mets have also gotten some impressive performances from top third base prospects Mark Vientos and Brett Baty early in camp. While there’s question marks surrounding both those guys’ futures in the field, they’ve each hit for a .500 average and a 1.333 and 1.250 OPS, respectively, through a few games. Obviously, it’s a tiny sample, but for these guys to be getting time in major league camp and to be succeeding while doing it is a huge positive for this team.
Another Mets pitching prospect who impressed was the 22-year-old, 6-foot-7 Sam McWilliams. He closed out the Mets’ 2-0 win on Tuesday, hitting as high as 97 MPH while also showcasing his slider. With guys like McWilliams and Szapucki looking sharp, along with the major league arms the team has acquired, the Mets’ pitching depth isn’t looking quite as barren as it’s been in recent years.
The Mets have a young spring training squad this year, but that’s part of what’s making them so exciting to watch. Most of these guys won’t sniff the major league team this year, but they could be valuable pieces down the road, and as we return to a relatively normal season of baseball, we’re getting a glimpse of the talent that the future holds for the Mets.
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