NEW YORK -- The Mets may have spent the past two seasons graduating a wave of intriguing prospects to the big leagues, but that hardly means their farm system is barren. Shortstop Amed Rosario in particular has established himself as an elite piece for the Mets, rocketing up prospect charts as he continues to produce.
For his efforts, Rosario earned MLBPipeline.com's Mets Prospect of the Year honors alongside pitcher P.J. Conlon.
"I'm very thankful with God that it was a good year," Rosario said in September, when the Mets honored him as one of their Sterling Award winners. "I think it was actually an excellent year. I got to do a lot of development, so just based off that I would call it an excellent year."
Jumping from Class A Advanced St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton, Rosario hit .324 with an .833 OPS overall between the two levels. The Mets' top-ranked prospect, he should reach Triple-A Las Vegas at age 21, perhaps even debuting in the big leagues late next season.
"I would say there's no difference," Rosario said of his advancement to the upper Minors. "I went out there, gave 100 percent of myself, did my job like I always do. It didn't seem like any big adjustment. I think the only thing I really had to do was just prepare mentally."
Conlon, the Mets' No. 26 prospect, went 12-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 24 appearances (23 starts) split between Class A Columbia and St. Lucie. He should open next season in the Binghamton rotation.