As Peter James once wrote, “Christmas is for the kids.” Hopefully, the Mets organization will heed that call, and they will make sure to leave something special for their kids this Christmas. Of course by kids, we mean the players in the Mets minor league system.
To that end, the MMN staff has assembled their Christmas list of sorts for the Mets minor league system:
Ernest Dove – Christmas Magic
My letter mailed off to Santa included asking for shiny new shoulders and elbows for Cameron Planck and Anthony Kay. I also asked Santa for a stocking stuffer of power for Luis Guillorme and hamstrings for Desmond Lindsay. Oh and a magic first baseman mitt for Peter Alonso.
Corné Hogeveen – The Bullpen Arms To Develop
he Mets relief prospects develop well to give the Mets a dominant future bullpen. With the Mets risking losing Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos and Jerry Blevins after the 2018 season, the Mets need some new relief arms out of the pen. With the Mets having a lot of promising arms in the minors with Tyler Bashlor, Adonis Uceta, Jamie Callahan, Drew Smith, David Roseboom, Gerson Bautista, Tim Peterson, and Corey Taylor among other the Mets have a haul of relief prospects that should give the Mets some needed late inning relief help in the near future.
Matt Mancuso – More Talent
Although I would wish that the Mets and Yankees could switch farm systems, unfortunately that is not a realistic possibility. The Mets already tanked this season, so one of the gifts I would ask for is for high-school fireballer Ethan Hankins to fall to the sixth pick in the 2018 draft. I would also wish for Uceta and Bashlor to begin their domination in the AAA this season, so they can soon become pieces to complement Blevins, Ramos, and Familia. Finally, I would ask Santa for at least one of Mickey Jannis, Ricky Knapp, or Chris Flexen to develop into an above-average major league starter to supplement the injury-plagued Mets starting rotation. Although this is asking for a lot, I hope Santa will make up for an awful 2017 Mets season.
Jacob Resnick – Make A-O-Kay
I’m hoping for health from Anthony Kay in 2018. It appears that the former first-round pick is back at 100% after sitting out a year and a half, and with Thomas Szapucki slated to miss the upcoming season, it’s possible Kay is the most promising southpaw in the system.
Dilip Sridhar – Hankins & Lindsay
For Christmas, I would love for the Mets to add Ethan Hankins to their farm system. Hankins is the top prep pitcher in the 2018 draft and there’s a very decent chance he falls to the Mets at number six. He has a wicked fastball with awesome movement. He’d be awesome to watch develop in the system. I’d also like Lindsay to stay healthy – Sky is the limit for Desmond. He can do everything and his bat speed is so fun to watch. Health has hampered him every year but he always shows why he’s so popular in the organization.
Mets Daddy – Major Improvement From Tebow
There are many positive things that come with Tim Tebow being in the Mets organization. He creates a buzz and drives ticket sales. That helps keep affiliates happy. More than that, his work ethic and attitude makes him a good role model for young players.
However, this experiment really only works to the extent Tebow is a viable player. On name recognition alone, Tebow is going to garner more playing time than he probably deserves. With the state of the Mets minor league outfield depth, that’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world. However, at a certain point, Tebow needs to either sink or swim. With him already being 30 years old, that time is really next season. If it doesn’t happen, we’re going to see Tebow begin to harbor resentment and much of the positives of having him in your organization go by the wayside. At that point, you’re left with a sideshow, and soon, that will wear off and attendance figures will drop. So overall, it would really be in everyone’s best interests if Tebow made a leap next season.
We hope you enjoyed our list, and in the comments section, we look forward to seeing what you think the Mets should leave in the minor league system’s stocking. And on behalf of the entire MMN staff, we wish you a Merry Christmas.
