SNY contributor Joe DeMayo answers fan questions in this edition of the Mets Minor League Mailbag...

From @EricSaadon: Why prospects are the ones that need to be added to the 40-man roster to protect from the Rule 5 Draft? Has Alex Ramirez done enough to keep his spot?

I will take the second part of the question first. Ramirez was added to the 40-man roster last winter to protect him from being available in the Rule 5 Draft despite a down 2023 with High-A Brooklyn. The thought process at the time was that between his raw tools and offseason work that he put in to shorten his swing, the Mets didn’t want to leave open the possibility a bottom team in the sport carried him on their bench for a season.

In 2024 they pushed him to Double-A Binghamton and it has been a lot of the same as what happened in High-A in 2023. The stat lines are nearly identical. The risk the organization will run if they end up waiving him during the winter is that another team can claim him without the Rule 5 ramifications. Perhaps a numbers game will dictate a move there, but whether he remains on the 40-man or not, it is fair to say his stock is down.

Regarding Rule 5 eligible players that will need to be protected this winter, it would be the 2020 high school draft pick / international signings and 2021 college draft pick signings that become eligible. There isn’t anyone in that 2020 group that stands out to me as necessity to protect. In the shortened five-round 2020 draft, only Eric Orze remains with the organization.

The 2021 class has a few candidates. Despite having not as strong years with Triple-A Syracuse, I would think right-handers Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel stand a good chance of being added to the 40-man this winter. Two others to keep an eye on would be left-hander Nate Lavender, who underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year, and right-hander Trey McLoughlin. The former 16^th -round pick posted a 2.08 ERA in 25 appearances with Double-A Binghamton before recently being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. Overall, I don’t expect there will be many additions to the 40-man for this purpose this winter.

From @rdoud12: Why has Luisangel Acuña seemed to drop down lists even though his numbers don’t seem bad? Do you think he still profiles as an everyday player?

Acuña, my No. 7 prospect in the system in my updated top 30 has dropped down my list in the 12-and-a-half months that he’s been with the organization. His 2024 has been a rollercoaster with highs and lows. He has gone through some stretches where it feels like he’s figured it out, then he takes a step back. In an offensive league in Triple-A where you are seeing pitchers struggle and hitters succeed, Acuña largely has just been fine.

The positives with Acuña are he has an aggressive approach with improved bat-to-ball skills. He has the lowest strikeout rate (16.1 percent) of his entire professional career. He is a dynamic athlete with the capability to be a 30+ stolen base threat at the next level and has shown the ability to manage all three up-the-middle defensive positions (shortstop, second base and center field) well. He is also regarded as a high baseball IQ player.

Something that could cap his potential is that with that aggressive approach, it has caused him to have the lowest walk rate (6.1 percent) of his career. I don’t think he lacks plate discipline, as he has historically had walk rates in the 10 percent or better range, but his approach has changed from when he was younger.

Also, power will likely never be a big part of his game. He has 29 extra-base hits, with six of those being home runs on the season. In a game that has trended more towards on-base and slugging, Acuña is likely not to grade high in those two categories. In that same world, batting average to a degree is publicly devalued, and Acuña is someone that will need to hit for a good batting average to fulfill an everyday player type of role.

I am not prepared to rule out the possibility that he can be an everyday player quite yet, but his profile has changed in the eyes of evaluators to more of a higher floor, lower ceiling player than the high ceiling player that he was regarded as when acquired from Texas. Could he end up an everyday player that you hit ninth as a bit of a second leadoff hitter? Yes. Could he end up a utility player that can play all three valuable up-the-middle spots and provide real juice on the basepaths? Yes. Ultimately, a perceived lower ceiling for him is what has caused him to drop down lists.

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