2017 New York Mets Top 10 Insider
See Also: Mets Top 10 Prospects
Talent Infusion: Draft Report Card
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SEASON IN A SENTENCE: Overcoming myriad injuries, the Mets ranked second in the National League in home runs and fourth in pitcher strikeouts to take a power-oriented roster to 87 wins and the Wild Card Game.
HIGH POINT: The Mets established a franchise record with 218 home runs—Asdrubal Cabrera, Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson and Neil Walker all topped 20—and qualified for the postseason in consecutive years for just the second time in franchise history, the first time coming in 1999 and 2000.
LOW POINT: After losing to the Giants on Aug. 19, and fresh off a 7-16 run, the Mets’ record stood at just 60-62. They won 27 times in their final 40 games (.675) to claim the top wild card.
NOTABLE ROOKIES: While the Mets did not have a rookie class to rival the 2015 debuts of Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto, they received vital rookie reinforcements from righthanders Seth Lugo (5-2, 2.67 in 64 innings) and Robert Gsellman (4-2, 2.42 in 45 innings), a pair of 2011 draft picks taken after the 10th round. The duo helped support a rotation that lost Matt Harvey in July, Steven Matz in August and Jacob deGrom in September. Nondrafted free agent T.J. Rivera hit .333/.345/.476 in 33 games, mostly at second base as an injury replacement for Walker, while versatility allowed shortstop Matt Reynolds and outfielder Brandon Nimmo to serve as fill-ins.
KEY TRANSACTIONS: The Mets didn’t have another Michael Fulmer-for-Cespedes blockbuster up their sleeve, but many of their smaller, around-the-margins transactions paid off. They purchased first baseman James Loney from the Padres to fill in for the injured Lucas Duda, while they signed Jose Reyes for the minimum and moved him to third base to spell David Wright. Minor trades for second baseman Kelly Johnson and reliever Fernando Salas were worth the price of admission.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Though the organization’s domestic winning percentage fell from .532 in 2015 to .480 in 2016, the Mets had several top prospects show signs of development, including shortstop Amed Rosario and first baseman Dominic Smith, who both finished the year at Double-A. The Mets had batting champions at their three highest affiliates: Rivera (.353) in the Pacific Coast League, shortstop Phillip Evans (.335) in the Eastern League and catcher Tomas Nido (.320) in the Florida State League.
OPENING DAY PAYROLL: $133,889,129 (14th)
| BEST TOOLS | |
| Best Hitter for Average | Dominic Smith |
| Best Power Hitter | Pete Alonso |
| Best Strike-Zone Discipline | Brandon Nimmo |
| Fastest Baserunner | Champ Stuart |
| Best Athlete | Amed Rosario |
| Best Fastball | Justin Dunn |
| Best Curveball | Thomas Szapucki |
| Best Slider | Justin Dunn |
| Best Changeup | P.J. Conlon |
| Best Control | P.J. Conlon |
| Best Defensive Catcher | Tomas Nido |
| Best Defensive Infielder | Luis Guillorme |
| Best Infield Arm | Amed Rosario |
| Best Defensive Outfielder | Champ Stuart |
| Best Outfield Arm | Travis Taijeron |
| PROJECTED 2020 LINEUP | |
| Catcher | Tomas Nido |
| First Base | Dominic Smith |
| Second Base | Gavin Cecchini |
| Third Base | Wilmer Flores |
| Shortstop | Amed Rosario |
| Left Field | Yoenis Cespedes |
| Center Field | Desmond Lindsay |
| Right Field | Michael Conforto |
| No. 1 Starter | Noah Syndergaard |
| No. 2 Starter | Jacob deGrom |
| No. 3 Starter | Steven Matz |
| No. 4 Starter | Zack Wheeler |
| No. 5 Starter | Justin Dunn |
| Closer | Jeurys Familia |
| TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE | ||
| Year | Player, Pos. | 2016 Org |
| 2007 | Mike Pelfrey, rhp | Tigers |
| 2008 | Fernando Martinez, of | Did not play |
| 2009 | Fernando Martinez, of | Did not play |
| 2010 | Jenrry Mejia, rhp | Did not play |
| 2011 | Jenrry Mejia, rhp | Did not play |
| 2012 | Zack Wheeler, rhp | Mets |
| 2013 | Zack Wheeler, rhp | Mets |
| 2014 | Noah Syndergaard, rhp | Mets |
| 2015 | Noah Syndergaard, rhp | Mets |
| 2016 | Steven Matz, lhp | Mets |
| TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE | ||
| Year | Player, Pos. | 2016 Org |
| 2007 | Eddie Kunz, rhp (1st round supp.) | Did not play |
| 2008 | Ike Davis, 1b | Yankees |
| 2009 | Steven Matz, lhp (2nd round) | Mets |
| 2010 | Matt Harvey, rhp | Mets |
| 2011 | Brandon Nimmo, of | Mets |
| 2012 | Gavin Cecchini, ss | Mets |
| 2013 | Dominic Smith, 1b | Mets |
| 2014 | Michael Conforto, of | Mets |
| 2015 | Desmond Lindsay, of (2nd round) | Mets |
| 2016 | Justin Dunn, rhp | Mets |
| LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY | |
| Mike Pelfrey, 2005 | $3,550,000 |
| Philip Humber, 2004 | $3,000,000 |
| Michael Conforto, 2014 | $2,970,800 |
| Dominic Smith, 2013 | $2,600,000 |
| Matt Harvey, 2010 | $2,525,000 |
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