The Mets farm system as a whole is in a bit of a transition phase. They traded high level prospects Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay, and Simeon Woods-Richardson over the last 12 months. But they also had a great 2019 MLB Draft where they landed three big time prospects.

New York does not currently have a lot as far as top prospects who are on the verge of making a big league impact. I won't be writing here about the Andres Gimenez types or the David Peterson types who I believe are likely to contribute to the Mets in 2020 but are highly regarded prospects in the system.

Instead, the focus here will be on prospects who might come from out of nowhere a bit to make a contribution to the big league team next season. Here are three under-the-radar prospects I believe you could see contributing in Queens in 2020...

RHP Matt Blackham

I sat down with Blackham back in August for a Q&A you can read here. The Mets drafted Blackham in the 29th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Middle Tennessee State. He has had a long battle to get to this point of his pro career, dealing with so many different injuries along the way.

In 2019, he split the year between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, where he was 8-2 with a 2.60 ERA. Blackham pitched 55.1 innings, allowing 31 hits and 28 walks while striking out 70 batters. Blackham has power stuff, with a fastball up to 96 or 97 mph with a slider that was a true swing and miss pitch this year. He has improved his control and command but at times he still can be a little wild, which could limit his upside to a middle reliever type. But I will always take my chances with a power arm with swing and miss stuff.

INF/OF Sam Haggerty

The Mets acquired Haggerty along with Walker Lockett in exchange for Kevin Plawecki last offseason. While Haggerty did make his big league debut as a September call up this year, he essentially was used in a pinch-running role only.

Haggerty has the ability to be a very useful utility player off the bench with plus speed, which is something the Mets lack. He split the 2019 minor league season between Short-Season A Brooklyn (for six games), Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, where he compiled a .763 OPS with 23 stolen bases.

In 2019, Haggerty played every defensive position except catcher and first base. While power is not a part of his game, he has solid contact ability and speed and versatility. He is already on the 40-man roster, so he could potentially be a valuable member of the Mets' bench in 2020.

Left-Handed Pitcher Blake Taylor

The Mets acquired Taylor in 2014 from the Pirates in exchange for Ike Davis. Yes, that Ike Davis. Taylor has had an up-and-down minor league career with some injury and some inconsistent performances.

In 2019, the Mets decided they were moving Taylor to the bullpen full-time, and he had an excellent year that started in High-A St Lucie and finished in Triple-A Syracuse. Taylor finished 2019 with a 2.16 ERA. He threw 66.2 innings, allowing 49 hits and 24 walks while striking out 74.

Taylor also participated in the Arizona Fall League, where he struck out 11 batters in 9.0 IP. Taylor's fastball was clocked as high as 96 mph and he flashed an above average breaking ball at the Fall League. Taylor was due to be a minor league free agent, but the Mets recently added him to the 40 man roster to protect him. I think he's an arm that can contribute to the 2020 bullpen.

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