Mets promote Baty, Allan to Brooklyn

Next stop for Brett Baty and Matthew Allan: Coney Island.
The Mets have promoted their No. 2 and 4 prospects to Class A Short Season Brooklyn, the club announced Thursday. The transactions came after both Rookie Advanced Kingsport and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Mets saw their seasons come to an end Wednesday, the latter due to the cancellation of the GCL regular season and playoffs over concerns about Hurricane Dorian. 

Ranked as the No. 82 prospect in the game by MLB.com, Baty got off to a quick start after signing with the Mets as the 12th overall pick in this year's Draft, going 7-for-20 (.350) with a homer, three doubles and eight RBIs in five GCL games. He moved up to Kingsport on July 2 and saw the production drop, posting a .222/.339/.437 line, six homers and 56 strikeouts in 42 Appalachian League games. The 19-year-old third baseman is on a hot streak, however, having gone 15-for-42 (.357) with seven extra-base hits and a 1.092 OPS in his final 10 games with the K-Mets.
The Mets signed Baty to a $3.9 million bonus on the strength of his offensive potential from the left side. The Texas native has an above-average ceiling with both his hit and power tools. His defensive future is a question, given his below-average glove and size at 6-foot-3. His arm earns plus grades, however, and if Baty can develop more range, he could remain at third base long-term. All 34 of his defensive starts this season have come at the hot corner.
New York surprised Draft mavens by grabbing Allan in the third round back in June. The 18-year-old right-hander was expected to price himself out of an early pick and instead enroll at the University of Florida. Instead, the Mets took Allan 89th overall and used a series of picks on college seniors, saving enough Draft pool money to give the Florida native a $2.5 million bonus, well above the $667,900 assigned to his slot. 

The 6-foot-3 hurler made five appearances in the GCL, giving up one earned run on five hits and four walks while fanning 11 in 8 1/3 innings. His last three outings were scoreless two-inning affairs in which he collectively struck out eight and issued only one free pass. Allan is capable of throwing in the mid-to-upper-90s, while his curve earns plus grades and his changeup has the chance to be above-average. With Anthony Kay traded to the Blue Jays last month, Allan is now the top pitching prospect in the Mets system.
At 40-30, Brooklyn is tied with Hudson Valley for the best record in the New York-Penn League's McNamara Division. Both clubs have a one-game lead over Aberdeen (39-31) in the Wild Card chase, meaning the Cyclones could still nab a playoff spot even if they miss out on a division title. There are five games remaining on the Brooklyn schedule, including a pair at Aberdeen on Thursday and Friday with serious playoff implications.