For a number of years, the New York Mets have had the distinction of having one of the worst farm systems in Baseball. Between poor drafts and unwisely trading away prospects for washed-up Major Leaguers, the Mets have not had the luxury of tapping into homegrown talent.
Homegrown talent has been a source of good fortune that has benefited teams recently such as the Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. These teams all showcased deep farm systems and were eventually able to field teams that mainly comprised of homegrown talent.
But the Mets are improving tremendously in that area. In fact, during a game last season, the Mets had a starting lineup consisting of all homegrown players for the first time in 41 years—a game in which they won, 3-2. Plus, ESPN's Keith Law ranked the Mets' system as the 14th best in the game, which is the highest rank of any NL East division teams. Of course, this is all due in-part to having decent draft slots, thanks to finishing with a sub-.500 record each of the past four seasons.
Heading into 2013, the Mets have the deepest farm system they have had in quite some time. And while some of the top prospects are not necessarily homegrown, CitiField will be the first place these youngsters call "home" in their big league career.
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