SNY contributor Joe DeMayo answers fan questions in this edition of the Mets Minor League Mailbag...
From Ethan Briggs: How would you grade Kevin Parada’s season? It’s clear he went through injuries but it’s tough to not see this season as a bit underwhelming
When the Mets drafted Parada No. 11 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, I believed they got fantastic value with the pick -- and that opinion was shared by scouts I speak to. Even on draft day there were questions about his defense behind the plate, and 2023 was not a great year for him defensively.
Parada's receiving graded out a little below average, but the bigger issue was in throwing out base runners. Across 72 games behind the plate between Low-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn, and Double-A Binghamton he only threw out 18 percent of the runners attempting to steal.
The selling point on Parada was his bat, and that he would end up an offense-first catcher. He did miss some time with an ankle injury, but I personally expected Parada to dominate the lower minors, and he was just pretty good. He did, however, show the power and extra-base hit ability, hitting 23 doubles, four triples and 14 home runs across 105 games.
I know many are now down on Parada based on his first year, but we must remember it's early and that catchers tend to develop at a slower rate than other positions. I expected more, but I don’t think we should dismiss a talent like Parada’s quite yet.
From @MMBTVS: What kind of major league impact in 2024 or 2025 is a fair expectation for Tyler Stuart?
Stuart had one of the more impressive years among pitchers in the Mets system. He was second in all of minor league baseball with a 2.20 ERA (minimum of 80 innings pitched). He stands at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds and is another example of the Mets drafting college relievers and converting them into starters -- like they did with Tylor Megill and Christian Scott, among others.
After drafting him in the sixth round in 2022, the Mets could not have expected Stuart to perform as well as he did. Often with a player of Stuart’s size, you see inconsistencies in his delivery and command, and neither were an issue in his first pro season.