Deadline day is almost here in Major League Baseball as the last chance for teams to trade for impact players to bolster their playoff odds comes tomorrow afternoon. Top prospects draw all the headlines, but a good scouting department can uncover hidden gems at the lower levels of the minors that can turn a solid deal into a big win down the line. The New York Mets hope they have uncovered one of those gems in shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez, who is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.
Rodriguez, 18, was the top international free agent addition of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. Arizona gave Rodriguez a $1.25 million signing bonus and assigned him to the Dominican Summer League, where he played the first half and demonstrated some strong strike zone awareness. Those skills caught the attention of Mets' scouts, who acquired Rodriguez on deadline day one year ago in exchange for veteran outfielder Tommy Pham. While the Diamondbacks did get a win from the deal by reaching the World Series with Pham, the Mets may come out on top in the long run if Rodriguez can reach his full potential.
The Mets brought Rodriguez stateside this summer and he has held his own in the Florida Complex League, batting .282 with three home runs and 20 RBI in 50 games. Rodriguez also has put together a solid .755 OPS and has flashed his speed by stealing 17 bases in 25 attempts.
In a year where many of the Mets' top position player prospects have either been injured or underperformed, the fact that Rodriguez has looked capable in his U.S. debut is a win for the organization. The hit tool will be Rodriguez's calling card, as it rates above average according to scouts, while he has enough defensive ability to either stick at shortstop or capably handle second base down the road.
Power isn't Rodriguez's calling card but there is a chance he can develop more than gap-to-gap power as he grows into his frame. Rodriguez is currently rated as the Mets' 12th-best prospect according to MLB.com and could easily be within the Top 10 of the organization's rankings by the end of the season.
The Mets have plenty of talented players on the middle infield in their organization so Rodriguez will have to earn his way up the minor league ladder. The Complex League regular season is over so it appears that the Mets are satisfied with the year Rodriguez put together, leaving him well-positioned to begin 2025 with Low-A St. Lucie. Rodriguez is a bit farther away than some of the Mets' other prospects, but the fact that they got a guy who could be at worst a valuable trade chip in exchange for a few months of Tommy Pham rates as a scouting win for a Mets' organization that hasn't had too many of those in recent years.
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