New York Mets Sending Top Catching Prospect to Arizona Fall League
Nine New York Mets prospects will participate in the Arizona Fall League next month, MLB and the Mets announced on Friday.
Just one of those prospects is among the Mets’ Top 30 prospects as ranked by MLB.com, which is catcher Kevin Parada (No. 5),
The other eight prospects are infielders Rowdey Jordan, JT Schwartz and D'Andre Smith, along with right-handed pitchers Nolan Clenney, Jordan Gerber, Brendan Hardy and Trey McLoughlin. The remaining prospect is left-handed pitcher Tyler Thomas.
Parada is projected as a 2025 call-up for the Mets and finished his season at Double-A Binghamton. But he also played part of this season at Class-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. Combined, the former first-round pick from Georgia Tech slashed .248/.324/.428/.752 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI.
Next season could be pivotal in his development, as the Mets have a rookie behind the plate in Francisco Alvarez, who has had a solid season from a power perspective at the plate (23 home runs going into Saturday’s games), but is hitting just north of .200.
Mets prospects will play as part of the Glendale Desert Dogs and they will play alongside prospects from the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox.
AFL action opens on Oct. 2, the day after the Major League regular season ends. The season culminates in November with the AFL Home Run Derby on Nov. 4, the Fall Stars game on Nov. 5, the play-in semifinal on Nov. 10 and the championship game on Nov. 11.
