Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
The highly-touted prospect the New York Mets received in the blockbuster trade that sent Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers last year is giving the organization major cause for concern.
The Mets enter the MLB games today in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. Despite a recent three-game sweep to the Seattle Mariners, they are only a game out of the final Wild Card spot. It is a far cry from there they were at this point last year.
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Last August, New York was already looking to the future and had traded top pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer before that year’s trade deadline. In those deals, the Mets agreed to take on a lot of the remaining money so they could acquire a premium prospect in return.
In the deal that sent Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, the organization landed Luisangel Acuna. It was an exciting addition for the Mets since he was the fourth-ranked player in Texas’ system last year, and is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna.
It immediately made him one of the top talents in New York’s farm system. However, this year it seems that Acuna has slipped in various rankings of the Mets minor leagues. And it was a question that was asked by a fan during a recent SNY minor league report Q&A.
When explaining Acuna’s dip SNY Mets prospect writer Joe DeMayo claimed the 22-year-old has been hot and cold all season. and that “In an offensive league in Triple-A where you are seeing pitchers struggle and hitters succeed, Acuña largely has just been fine.”
He has had a more aggressive approach at the plate in 2024, but it has led to a much lower walk rate. And unfortunately, he is not a major power threat so he will need to boost his batting average — in an era where that has lost value — to project to be an everyday player.
Luisangel Acuna stats (2024): .267 AVG, .314 OPS, .689 OBP, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 78 R, 31 SB
“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,” DeMayo wrote.
However, the pros in the New York Mets prospects game are that he is seen as a high-IQ player who can play every position up the middle well and is a strong athlete with the capability to steal 30 bases at the next level. Nevertheless, it is a disappointing update for a player Mets fans had high hopes for after last year’s trade.
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