Does David Stearns even like the New York Mets farm system? We’ve seen past General Managers spray anti-prospect fluid shortly after getting hired while showing loyalty to their own draft picks. Stearns hasn’t shuttled prospects out of the Mets organization, but hints of not being a diehard fan of several of them are there.
Only one draft into his Mets tenure and a status of buying at the trade deadline while protecting the best assets they have in the minor leagues isn’t enough to know for sure how much Stearns likes the kids. Maybe it’s all prospects in general? We’re going to get a chance to find out. So far, these signs point toward him having less faith than some of the fans who are convinced it’s a minor league system full of superstars.
1) The Mets reluctantly called up Luisangel Acuna in 2024
It wasn’t until Francisco Lindor was unavailable to play that Luisangel Acuna was called up in September. Granted, Acuna had a poor showing in Triple-A last year. His numbers didn’t beg for the big league promotion many were clamoring for well before he did debut.
Instead of Acuna, the Mets gave Pablo Reyes the first crack on the roster in September. He was quickly disposed of and replaced with Eddy Alvarez whom they were able to pick up in a trade. The Mets eventually put Alvarez further away on the backburner in favor of Acuna who started plenty when he was promoted while Lindor healed up.
This hasn’t been an unusual circumstance for the Mets. One can argue just about every notable prospect who has made it to the majors since 2022 could have or should have been in the majors sooner. Although the results didn’t prove they were a major leaguer toiling away in the minors, it’s a fair enough assessment considering the alternative veterans the Mets showed up to games with instead.
Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Thrice is a pattern.
2) The acquisition of Jose Siri practically eliminates Drew Gilbert from being on the Opening Day roster
No, Drew Gilbert will not be competing for an Opening Day roster spot in any seriousness. The recent trade for Jose Siri assures us a preference for veterans over young up and coming kids. It’s probably for the best because if the Mets don’t have a backup plan for Gilbert, they’re in deep trouble.
Gilbert never got his full year in Triple-A which has become a must for many of the Mets youngsters. In particular, the position players are getting a lot of time to develop in Syracuse these past years. When are they going to rename that stadium after Mark Vientos?
This doesn’t suggest Stearns is low on Gilbert as greatly as his actions with Acuna hint at. The 24-year-old outfielder played only 56 games in Triple-A last season and hit .215. In fact, he has only 189 total minor league games of experience. He’ll get his shot in the sun, just not yet.
The Siri trade doubles down on eliminating any thought fans may have had of Acuna moving into center field immediately. Jett Williams is affected in a more minor capacity. He’s a little further from the big leagues than Gilbert with fewer candles on his birthday cakes and less playing time as a professional. It would take a monster year in the minors plus injury in the majors for him to come up.
We’ll know more about how Stearns feels with these guys based on whether or not he trades them.
3) The Mets didn’t protect Dom Hamel or Mike Vasil from the Rule 5 Draft
Selecting Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil to the 40-man roster before last week’s deadline seemed necessary. The Mets didn’t. Teams will now be able to pick them up in December’s Rule 5 Draft. It’s a sudden turn for a pair of pitching prospects who appeared to have a shot at making it to the majors last year when the season began. Each pitched poorly and should be an intriguing option for other ball clubs to stash in their bullpens for a year.
Hamel turns 26 in March. Until this past season, he was getting solid results. ERAs in the high 3.00s the past two seasons weren’t much of a big deal. He was striking out batters at a high rate, avoiding home runs, and not walking too many. Things changed completely in 2024 when he finished with a 6.79 ERA. Career lows or highs depending on how you want to look at it knocked him off a pedestal he had climbed onto as a potential future pitcher for the Mets.
One poor year can be explained away. So what’s the excuse for Vasil? A lower round draftee, he overachieved in 2022 mostly because of how well he pitched in St. Lucie. Vasil ran into a problem that year and the next once elevated. He’d start off well in the lower level and see his ERA inflate over 5.00 in the second half. He wrapped up 2023 with 16 starts in Triple-A where he’d go 4-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Would the pattern continue in 2024? Not really. He was 8-10 with a 6.04 ERA. He struck out less than a batter per inning. His best months were the middle ones. He started poorly and bookended it with a bad September.
Stearns felt the need to protect Alex Ramirez ahead of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft despite being further away from the majors and having close to an equivalent type of season as a hitter. A year later, he was non-tendered. Perhaps he learned his lesson. Some prospects you need to just dangle out there and let other teams deal with.
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