Baseball America released its top 100 prospects list today and just three members of the New York Mets organization were included, none higher than No. 44.
Jenrry Mejia was 44th on the list, followed by Wilmer Flores at 59 and Cesar Puello at 77. Had Mejia thrown 11 more innings to reach the 50-IP rookie cutoff, the Mets' three would've been pared down to just two. In fact, ESPN's Keith Law did not include Mejia in his rankings because he exceeded the MLB service time limit by 30 days -- Baseball America does not consider service time in its rankings.
Baseball America graded Mejia a 70 out of 80 and projected he would arrive at the big leagues in 2011. He had a 4.62 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 39 innings with the Mets, along with 22 strikeouts and 20 walks. He's expected to pitch in Triple-A this season in order to refine his secondary offerings.
Flores graded a 65, has a great bat and is predicted to hit the major leagues in 2013; as a 19-year-old he still has a ways to grow and progress as a baseball player. A shortstop now, Flores is widely expected to move off of short and into a corner infield/outfield spot because of his his 6'3, 175-pound frame and slow footspeed. Between Single-A and High-A, he hit .289 with 11 homeruns and 84 RBI. He also had a .305 OBP and .424 SLG. He's expected to start the season off in High-A, then be promoted to Double-A.
Puello, a right fielder, is the most interesting name of this bunch because not many mainstream rankings have included him as one of the Mets' best prospects. Graded a 65, Cesar's best tool is his speed, according to Baseball America; and his ETA is also in 2013. Puello is a 19-year-old, who hit .292/.375/.359 with 45 stolen bases last season in Single-A. He also struckout 82 times versus only 32 walks, so that will be something to monitor from him this season. Puello signed with the Mets out of the Dominican Republic in 2008. He'll likely play another season in A-Ball.