Baseball / TORONTO METS ALUMNI - TOP 30 PROSPECTS BY TEAM

TORONTO METS ALUMNI - TOP 30 PROSPECTS BY TEAM

Date:  Source: Toronto Mets

The Toronto Mets Alumni aren't just busy in the college baseball seen. Baseball America has just released its top 30 prospects by team, and there are four Toronto Mets Alumni on that list. Tristan Pompey who played for the Mets from 2014-2015 is ranked #17 in the Miami Marlins organization. Zach Pop pitched for the Mets from 2012-2014 was ranked #24 in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Landon Leach who played with the Toronto Mets from 2014-2017 is ranked #25 in the Minnesota Twins organization. Andy Yerzy who played with the Toronto Mets from 2013-2016 is ranked #13 in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. 

The following scouting reports are from baseballamerica.com

 

Tristan Pompey | OF | Miami Marlins

Track Record: The younger brother of Blue Jays outfield prospect Dalton Pompey, Tristan was a college standout at Kentucky, where he was a career .321/.426/.521 hitter with 24 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 165 games. The Marlins drafted Pompey in the third round and signed him for $645,000 in 2018. 

Scouting Report: Listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Pompey is a corner outfielder who slots best in left field because of his average foot speed and below-average arm. With that defensive profile, it'll be Pompey's bat that carries him, and he should continue to hit for more power as he adds strength. Pompey's track record of hitting in the Southeastern Conference gives some scouts the belief that he'll be an above-average hitter with above-average power in the future, although he was seen as a divisive prospect entering the draft because there will be so much pressure on his bat to perform. 

The Future: Pompey advanced to high Class A in 2018, performing well at each of his stops in the minors. Pompey will likely begin 2018 back at high Class A Jupiter, although his middle-of-the-order offensive production could carry him to Double-A Jacksonville by mid-season.

 

Zach Pop | RHP | Baltimore Orioles

Track Record: Pop, a product of the Canadian National Team system, dealt with an arm injury in his junior year at Kentucky that hurt him in the draft, but he's shown no issues as a pro. He climbed three levels in 2018 between his time with the Dodgers and Orioles after he was part of the Manny Machado trade. All told, Pop generated an elite groundball rate while striking out 8.9 per nine innings. 

Scouting Report: Pop may have a typical reliever's fastball/slider arsenal, but his heater has atypical life. It's a heavy 92-96 mph sinker from a low arm slot, but he'll need his mid-80s slider to reach its above-average potential to keep hitters off his fastball. His heater has a plus-plus ceiling, and Pop showed enough command for the Orioles to believe he profiles as a potential impact reliever. 

The Future: Pop might have the best pure stuff of anyone acquired by the Orioles in their five July trades, and he has both the mentality and the arsenal to be an effective bridge reliever to get his team to the back-end of the bullpen.

 

Landon Leach | RHP | Minnesota Twins

Track Record: Nagging shoulder issues limited Leach to just seven Gulf Coast League outings in his first full pro season, but he used the downtime to work on his body. Already blessed with a pitcher’s frame, the converted catcher now deadlifts 500 pounds and could take a big step forward in 2019, when he won’t turn 20 until mid-July. 

Scouting Report: The first Canadian player taken in the 2017 draft, Leach landed on the Twins’ radar that spring on a Florida tour with the Canadian Junior National Team. He grew two inches and added 25 pounds of good weight in the months before the draft. Signed under slot for $1.4 million, Leach pitches at 90-94 mph and has touched 97. His sharp-breaking 84-86 mph slider has plus potential, his 78-80 mph curve is average and he has a good feel for his changeup at 79-81 mph. Fluent in French with a serious personality, Leach’s hockey background shows through in his mound presence and high-end competitiveness. He repeats his delivery well and knows how to use his height to work downhill, which helped produced a 23.7 percent swinging-strike rate last season. 

The Future: Leach should get his first taste of the Midwest League in 2019, where the early-season cold weather shouldn’t bother him a bit.

 

Andy Yerzy  | C | Arizona Diamondbacks 

Track Record: Yerzy opened the year in extended spring training before heading to short-season Northwest League, where he put together a second consecutive strong year at the plate. But he again left evaluators unsure about where his future lies; few doubt his bat, but no one seems overly confident he can stick at catcher. 

Scouting Report: Yerzy has good bat speed, a powerful swing and an advanced approach that's aided by his studious commitment to learning the craft. After he lowered his hands and started using his lower half more, he began driving balls more consistently. Coaches say he might have finished with twice as many homers if Hillsboro were more hitter-friendly. Yerzy continues to improve defensively but has a ways to go to become a consistent, average receiver and thrower, and it appears the bat is developing much faster than his defense. He started eight games at first base in Hillsboro and played the position exclusively in instructional league, though the organization says he's still being viewed as a catcher. 

The Future: The club likely will continue to give Yerzy every chance to catch because of the value he would provide there, but if the bat continues its trajectory first base could make more sense.