NEW YORK -- Mets general manager Sandy Alderson could not have been clearer this week in saying that the Mets will not deal away any of their top prospects prior to Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.
MLBPipeline.com's annual midseason prospect re-ranking provides a richer picture of just who those prospects are. June draftees Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay and Peter Alonso all cracked the Top 15 of the Mets' new list, which shortstop Amed Rosario tops.
The ranking of baseball's top prospects is done by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. Only players with rookie status are eligible for the list. The rankings follow the Collective Bargaining Agreement guidelines for which players fall under the international pool money rules: Players who were at least 23 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.
The Mets' preseason No. 3 prospect, Rosario moved up to No. 1 in the re-rank, and is all but untouchable in trades. Rosario also ranks 18th in all of baseball, the only Met to crack the Top 50.
First baseman Dominic Smith held steady at No. 2 on the Mets' list, dropping from 51st to 68th on the MLB ranking. He is the only other Mets prospect to appear on the league-wide Top 100 list.
Shortstop Gavin Cecchini, Dunn and outfielder Brandon Nimmo -- all former first-round Draft picks -- round out the Mets' Top 5. Other notables include New York's 2015 top Draft pick Desmond Lindsay at No. 6, Kay at No. 9, Alonso at No. 14 and Gabriel Ynoa at No. 20.