The New York Mets have been making a lot of moves lately, and for the most part their competition is in the NL East. Some moves, however, happen against different competitors, and that’s definitely the case with the signing of top prospect Wandy Asigen, who's been pursued by an array of teams.
The shortstop from the Dominican Republic might be the Mets’ eventual replacement for Francisco Lindor, but it's far too soon to tell. In the meantime, and he chose the Met after working out for several other teams in showcases this week, according to a report from Will Sammon of The Athletic. One of them was the New York Yankees, which makes signing Asigen especially satisfying.
His signing won’t be official until the international signing period opens on Jan. 15, so there won’t be an announcement until then. Mets fans won’t be seeing Asigen at Citi Field any time soon, either, because Asigen is just 16-years old.
As strange and speculative as that may sound, that’s the way it’s done with international prospects. The best ones pick their team of choice early on, at which point a deal gets done, and for a lot of money at that. Asigen’s agreement with the Mets is expected to be worth $3.8 million, and the Mets had the money available when another deal with a teenager from Venezuela that was worth $2.7 million fell through.
Evaluators love Asigen, too. MLB’s Pipeline ranks him as the number two prospect in its evaluation, and the left-hand hitter has what Sammon called “electric” bat speed, an advanced approach and a power approach that represents plus-hit tools. He’s also been given favorable grades for his speed and defense, so there’s a lot to like about his future.
“The excitement around Asigen’s prospect profile stems primarily from his special left-handed swing,” Pipeline said in a piece written by Mathias Altman-Kurosaki of MetsMerized Online. “He has ripped off 110+ mph exit velocities and is repeatedly able to find the barrel during in-game action.”
Ben Sadler of Baseball America agrees. The outlet is one of the top sources of information about players like Asigen, and sometimes talent surfaces early, regardless of how premature it might see to make these kinds of judgments.
“The tools are there for Asigen to play shortstop, where he’s still learning to slow the game down and play under control, but he’s a quick-burst athlete with plus speed and an above-average arm,” Ben Badler of Baseball America said.
If he's right, the Mets just got a great prospect who could eventually call Citi Field home, and they found him well ahead of the curve at that.