MEET THE FUTURE
Pair of prospects to represent the Mets in Futures Game
What caught the veteran scout’s eye was not the play that Andres Gimenez made, but the one the Mets’ young shortstop prospect chose not to make.
With runners on the corners on a slow roller, the shortstop charged the ball and threw out the trailing runner.
“His instincts are outstanding for a 19 year old,” the scout said. “He just knew instinctively that he had no shot at the runner scoring, so he went for the out with conviction. He’s a baseball player, he knows the game, he knows what he can do.
“Again, he’s only 19 years old,” the scout continued, “you don’t see that in players that are much more experienced.”
Gimenez isn’t just catching the eyes of scouts, he’s caught the eye of all of baseball. Considered the top prospect in the Mets’ minor league system, Gimenez has had an eyeopening year at High Class-A St. Lucie this season and will be making his Futures Game debut Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park. He is one of two Mets prospects selected for the honor this season. The Venezuelan will play for the World team and go up against Mets top hitting prospect Peter Alonso, who will represent the Mets on the USA team.
While Alonso’s ability to hit has earned him recognition — and expectations — among Mets fans, Gimenez is just starting to show his potential.
Hitting .278 with a careerhigh 18 doubles and six homers, he also has a career-high 26 stolen bases to lead the Florida State League. He has a .346 on-base percentage and is slugging .430.
“He’s got very, very good baseball instincts, he’s not a blazer like (Amed) Rosario, but has good speed,” another talent evaluator who has seen him a lot this season said. “He has great hands, quick hands. He’s got a little bit of pop in his bat. Seems like a good kid. His instinct are really, really good, particularly when you realize he is just 19 years old.”
That was enough for Baseball America to update its rankings of Gimenez at the All-Star break from 82nd in baseball in spring training to 47th. He is the only Mets minor leaguer in Baseball America’s Top 50, which described him as:
Gimenez offers polish, a broad base of skills on both sides of the ball, and a good shot to stick at the six. He’s held his own as one of the youngest player in both his stateside stops so far. He’s never going to be a heady stat line scout, but he’s added a
bit of pop this year, leaving no real holes in his game. He has a very advanced hit tool and approach for a 19-year-old, and if he adds strength in his early-20s, he could end up doing some real damage with the bat in the upper minors and this will look low.
The Mets signed Gimenez when he was 16 in July 2015.
Alonso has struggled since being promoted to Triple-A after crushing at Double-A this season. The 23-year-old first baseman is hitting .188 with five homers and 31 strikeouts in 80 at-bats since the promotion. An aggressive hitter, his strikeout rate has risen enough in Triple-A to raise eyebrows.
Alonso hit .314 with 15 homers and 52 RBI and 50 strikeouts in 220 at-bats with Double-A Binghamton this season.
“He’s a big, strong kid. He’s struggling with the pitching at Triple-A, obviously,” said a scout who saw him with Las Vegas this month. “He’s rough defensively. His footwork has gotten better, but he’s still pretty slow. He doesn’t have great hands.”
Alonso spent extra time working with infield instructor Tim Teufel this spring to try and improve his defense. He had 19 errors in 83 games over the 2017 season. He has 19 in 70 this season, including three in 19 games for Las Vegas.
The Mets’ second-round pick in 2016 out of the University of Florida, Alonso’s defensive liabilities limit him to first base at the major league level. The Mets have had Dom Smith, once considered the first baseman of the future, play some games in the outfield in preparation for Alonso’s eventual arrival in the big leagues.