New York Mets: Dominic Smith Named Top 10 1B Prospect

The New York Mets have one of the top first baseman prospects in all of baseball in Dominic Smith, who finished in the top-10 of MLB.com’s rankings.

When mentioning the New York Mets in recent seasons, the first thing anyone ever wants to talk about is the ridiculous riches they had in their farm system in young, power arms, and with good reason. There isn’t a team set up as well in the starting rotation for the next couple of seasons as the Mets have a five-headed monster of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler that will be together for at least the next two seasons.

Add in former top prospect Rafael Montero and the the Mets have an abundance of talent for their pitching staff that other teams would die for. But, while they have garnered much of the attention recently, the Mets have been building a solid stable of young hitters as well.

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We saw the first glimpse of those hitters last season when 2014 first round pick Michael Conforto broke into the major leagues and has now earned himself an every day spot in the lineup for 2016 in left field. He is not the only hitter the Mets have nearing the major leagues, as they also have a top pick in the infield that is beginning to make a name for himself.

First baseman Dominic Smith is beginning to turn some heads in the minor leagues. The Mets selected Smith a year before Conforto, making him the 11th overall pick in 2013 out of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California. Smith was the third prep player selected in that draft and was looked at as the best pure high school hitter in the whole draft class.

Smith quickly moved up the Mets prospect rankings, as he currently is the fifth overall prospect in the system, but will move up to four once Matz loses his prospect designation. With the influx of young pitching arms, the next waive of Mets prospect will come in the way of position players, as Smith will be moving through the system with outfielder Brandon Nimmo and shorstops Amed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini.

Smith is being recognized as one of the best first baseman prospects in all of baseball this season, as he landed high up on the list at MLB.com. According to Jim Calis, Smith is the third ranked first base prospect, ranking only behind the Houston Astros A.J. Reed and Pittsburgh Pirates’ Josh Bell. Here is what Calis had to say about Smith:

"After posting just one homer and a .683 OPS in his first full pro season, Smith rebounded last year to hit .305/.354/.417, topping the Florida State League with 33 doubles and 79 RBIs and earning the Class A Advanced circuit’s MVP Award. With his excellent hand-eye coordination and mature approach, he barrels balls repeatedly and shows promising power during batting practice."

Smith is limited to playing first base, so the Mets are hoping that his power numbers continue to increase because that is normally a run producing position. But, if he doesn’t develop into a big home run hitter, he will at least provide above-average defense as he received a 50 arm and 60 fielding as he has excellent range and hands according to MLB.com prospect watch.

Smith’s continued development will be something the Mets keep a close eye on, as Lucas Duda is currently entrenched at first base. But, Duda is under team control for only one more season beyond 2016 before he becomes a free agent. By that time, Smith is expected to be ready for a role on the major league team.

If he continues developing as he has thus far, it should be an easy decision for the Mets what to do with the incumbent Duda; he will probably be looking for a new place of employment.

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New York Mets: Dominic Smith Named Top 10 First Baseman Prospect

By Kenneth Teape | Jan 25, 2016

The New York Mets have one of the top first baseman prospects in all of baseball in Dominic Smith, who finished in the top-10 of MLB.com’s rankings.

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