New York Mets: Anthony Kay’s climb through the ranks comes at perfect time for the franchise

The New York Mets prospect pool is showing its true colors with the promotion of Anthony Kay to the Syracuse Mets this week. For a multitude of reasons, this news comes at the perfect time.

New York Mets beat writer, Antony DiComo has announced that pitching prospect Anthony Kay has been promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. For what was announced on a rainy day in June, this is pretty significant news.

The idea of prospects in the New York Mets system is a touchy subject right now. Most of that has to do with the fact that Jarred Kelenic is lighting it up in the Seattle Mariners organization while his trade counterparts in Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. (Jay Bruce just won NL Player of the week, for what that is worth.)

However, here is the thing about prospects, they are basically air. Sure, instead of spending big time money to get better this offseason the Mets traded away two of their better prospects, but that is well documented.

Let’s not forget the other side to this either- the satisfaction when a top prospect actually living up to the hype becomes real. We are currently living it with Pete Alonso this year and have gone through it with recently with Amed Rosario, Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Matt Harvey, etc. all eventually living up to that hype at one point or another.

That is why Anthony Kay, the Mets’ 7th ranked prospect, being called up to Triple-A is a big deal. He is now officially a prospect to watch, one to have hype for. He will be in Syracuse in the minors, but it still impacts the big team that plays in Queens right now. The Mets are finally coming around, winning their last two series, but that does not mean they are perfect.

Their bullpen is still one of the worst ranked in the league in just about everything. Their 5.053 bullpen ERA is ranked 24th in the league which is very much towards the bottom of the league.

The issue with the bullpen struggling, besides the fact that they are not pitching well as a whole this year, is how much was put into it. This isn’t new. Money was spent on Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson and prospects were spent on Edwin Diaz. They invested a lot of capital into their bullpen. This was supposed to be part of the team that helped put them over the edge, not be a liability, which they are.

That is one of the reasons why it is ideal for Kay to have been promoted to Triple-A so quickly. He is no longer a prospect who may or not be great, he will get his chance and will probably be good, and I am not just saying that. Through 12 games in Binghamton, he has a 1.49 ERA and seven wins.

With Kay being a prospect, an emerging one at that, there is a chance we see him this season, which could be significant. Kay is a starter and has been starting, but I mentioned the bullpen for a reason, he could be an addition to the bullpen if they go back to their struggling ways within the next few weeks.

Or, he could come and be a starter, his current position, as well. Let’s not forget if there is one more injury, we will likely go back to Wilmer Font or maybe even Hector Santiago starting games.

Kay potentially coming up not only provides the Mets the option to be creative without spending capital, but it can also show the fans and the league that the Mets still do have capable prospects and that they know how to develop them. In an offseason where they traded them away, to the chagrin of some.

While I am not saying Kay coming up to the Mets to play in the big is imminent, I am assuming he is a viable option for them. The trade deadline is a long time away, but if it seems like the Mets will not have much to give, calling up Kay could provide a spark and give them a fresh arm.

Overall, Kay provides many things for the Mets. He gives them hope as another top prospect who ascended through the system after a polarizing offseason. More importantly, he could provide a fresh arm to help the Mets down the road if the options this July run thin or if the injury bug hits the Mets again.

The month of June is a massive one for the Mets. We are at a stretch of the season where things get a little rough with the Yankees, Braves, Phillies, and Cubs all on the horizon. To know a young, talented prospect, who could provide an actual, tangible skill is in the works and climbing the ladder is pretty reassuring, it helps to have a positive vibe around the team.

I know this might seem like it happens every year with prospects coming up to teams, but usually, we have to wait for the Mets to be bad in August to see them. The fact that Kay could come up, during a time it matters, to make an actual impact is encouraging after what we have seen so far.

What they’re saying: 

https://twitter.com/MiLB/status/1137530678915010561

There seems to be a little bit more hype around him than a usual prospect. Maybe something clicked, and that is why he got up so fast. Perhaps he can prevent the Mets from plummeting back to lows we have seen them go this season due to lack of pitching depth. Either way, this is ideal for the Metropolitans, in more than one way.