Where do latest draft picks, including Kevin Parada, land among Mets' Top 10 prospects?

The Mets came into Sunday with the third largest bonus pool and were armed with two extra picks inside the Top 75, allowing them to be aggressive and opportunistic during the 2022 MLB Draft.

(They acquired the No. 11 pick as compensation for not signing Kumar Rocker and the No. 75 pick for the departure of Noah Syndergaard.)

When Kevin Parada unexpectedly fell out of the Top 10 and was on the board with the 11^th pick, they were able turn in that card, and if he requires an above-slot bonus, they won’t have an issue taking care of that. They still landed two other first-round talents in Jett Williams with the No. 14 pick and Blade Tidwell with their second-round pick at No. 52.

Now the big question is, how many of these draft picks have cracked the Mets’ Top 10 prospect list in what is a top-heavy system?

The Mets are very excited about their selection of Nick Morabito at No. 75 -- a quality athlete who will transition to center field and has some raw power potential -- but he would classify for me as being in the “just missed” category, along with with 2021 third-rounder Dom Hamel and pitcher José Butto. That isn’t a slight at Morabito, it’s just a really strong Top 10 now. It might be the strongest the Top 10 has been in quite a few years, with multiple prospects who have or will hit Top 100 prospect lists.

Here is my updated Top 10 prospect list, including some players who were just added to the Mets system this week:

1. C Francisco Álvarez

At this point Álvarez is in the conversation for the best prospect in all of minor league baseball. He has made strides defensively this year, grading out as the best pitch framer in the Double-A Eastern League. He still needs to work on his game-calling and preparation, but he is very advanced for 20 years old and has a chance to be a franchise-type player.

2. 3B Brett Baty

Baty may be one of the most under-talked about Top 20-ish prospects in the sport. He just goes about his business and hits. In June and July, Baty has put together a .322/.418/.559 (.977 OPS) slash line, with 10 home runs and 25 RBI for Double-A Binghamton. He has made strides defensively and should have no issue being a third baseman at the next level.

3. C Kevin Parada

And a 2022 draft pick joins the list! Parada was ranked inside the Top 5 of my board, and in talking to scouts in the game as to why he fell, most responses have been a shrug emoji. Most believe he will be an instant member of Top 100 lists, with ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel saying in his pre-draft rankings that Parada would rank No. 77 on his Top 100. He is a pure hitter who should hit for average as well as 25-home run potential. There have been some rumblings that he could potentially profile as a left fielder down the road if catching doesn’t work out, but the reality is the Mets now own two of the top catching prospects in the sport and that isn’t a bad thing.

4. OF Alex Ramirez

Ramirez has shown great growth this season repeating Low-A St. Lucie and earning a promotion to High-A Brooklyn, where he’s younger than the average age of the league by two years. It has been a slow start in Brooklyn, but his tools are jumping off the page. He has routinely had exit velocities exceeding 100 mph and his athleticism has been shown off in center field, as well on the base paths. A big development for him has been his working counts and being willing to draw some walks.

5. 1B Mark Vientos

Vientos will always be my gut feel guy. I just think he is going to hit at the next level. Early on in the season, he was hitting the ball on the ground more than the organization would like to see, and he will strike out, which is common for power hitters. But Vientos hits the ball nearly as hard consistently as anyone in this system, and that includes Álvarez. He has primarily moved off of third base and has been playing first base, which has his future pegged as a first baseman/designated hitter, putting an even bigger emphasis on hitting, which I think he will do.

6. SS Ronny Mauricio

I have long been a bit of the low man on Mauricio, but there is no denying he is a Top 100-type prospect with plenty of upside. His raw power has translated into game action in a big way and his athleticism has ticked up, but I still have not seen the growth I have wanted to with his pitch recognition and selectivity at the plate. His defensive home long term is a bit of a question mark, with some scouts thinking he is better off as an outfielder than an infielder.

7. RHP Matt Allan

Allan is still the top pitching prospect in the system, but that is largely based on reputation and work ethic. He has only thrown 10.1 professional innings since being drafted in 2019, due to the canceled 2020 season and then undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. He is not expected to pitch in game action this year, but should be back on a mound in instructs this fall and ready for a full spring training in 2023. The Mets are no less bullish on his potential than they were two years ago.

8. SS Jett Williams

I will continue to say this, Williams was my personal favorite player in the 2022 draft. He was the shortest player in the draft at 5-foot-8, but he is thickly built and had some of the best swing speed and bat-to-ball skills amongst the high school class this year. He is a plus athlete who should have zero issue transitioning to second base or center field long term. One scout told me, “If Williams was 6-foot-1, he would have been in the Top 5 pick conversation.”

9. RHP Blade Tidwell

This spring, Tidwell was trending toward being a Top 15 pick after his growth with the Collegiate U.S. National team saw an uptick in his metrics, while maintaining his stuff. He had shoulder tendinitis this spring causing him to miss two months, but he made it back in time for Tennessee’s end-of-season push and his stuff looked pretty much normal. He has a starter build at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, and a four-pitch mix headlined by a plus fastball that sits 94-97 and touches 99 mph. His best secondary offerings are his mid-upper 80s slider and a changeup that gets swings-and-misses. The curveball lags behind now, but with some growth, Tidwell has the potential of a mid-rotation starter.

10. RHP Calvin Ziegler

Ziegler has looked as advertised when he was drafted in the second round last year. Big-time stuff with command development required. His fastball has plus spin rates and vertical break, and tops out at 97 mph. With those metrics, that 97 can look more like 100. His hammer curveball has induced a lot of swings and misses, and he scrapped a changeup for a splitter that shows promise. His walks have been a bit high this year (5.3 walks per nine), but he hasn’t allowed hard contact or really hits at all (15 allowed in 35.1 innings). He has dealt with some mild arm soreness and the Mets have been cautious, but Ziegler has as good of raw stuff as anyone in this system.