Minor League Baseball League Top 10 Prospects: Florida State League

10. Alay Lago, 2B, Atlanta Braves

Lago defected from Cuba in 2015, but he could not seem to generate interest from major league clubs before the 2016 season. Instead, he went to Mexico, where he lost a significant portion of his season to a PED suspension before the Braves signed him quietly this offseason.

Standing 6′ and listed at 200 pounds, Lago very well could be 215-220 at this point, but he is not out of shape by any means, running excellent home to first times.

Lago showed very well with the Braves’ new FSL franchise, the Florida Fire Frogs, this season, winning the FSL batting title with a .303/.342/.413 line with 20 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs, and 6 stolen bases. He posted a 4.9% walk rate and a 14.4% strikeout rate on the year.

For a guy who really hadn’t played much in Cuba, this was about as good as could be expected. Lago is a very steady player in the field, not making a ton of flashy plays at second base, but he rarely missed the plays he “should” make.

The ceiling on Lago is likely not extremely high, especially considering that he’ll be 26 going into next season, but he does flash above average power and speed along with his contact-first approach at the plate. He could be someone who handles a bench role well or even works his way into a second-division starter for a few years for someone.

Lago will likely be working in the upper minors next season for the Braves, whether it’s at AA Mississippi or AAA Gwinnett.

9. Nabil Crismatt, RHP, New York Mets

Originally signed out of Columbia, Crismatt has been in the Mets system since 2012 without throwing a full season until this year. He spent three years in the Dominican Summer League before coming stateside, and finally transitioned to a starter in July of 2015.

Then he ended up on the mound for Columbia in the WBC against the powerful Dominican Republic lineup this spring, going 3 innings of quality ball against names like Machado, Cano, and Bautista, rocketing his name into the minds of many evaluators, and especially many Mets fans, who hoped he would be the next dominant starter to come through their system.

Crismatt may not be that type of a pitcher, however. He works with a fastball that sits around 90 MPH with a ton of late movement and has an excellent change that features excellent arm deception.

Crismatt has experimented with more of a traditional slider, then with the hard slider that is taught frequently in the Mets system, and he’s landed on a hybrid cutter/slider that really has some excellent movement.

Through his career, Crismatt has shown a willingness to adjust to however he can find success, whether that’s using a different arm angle rarely or going to the quick pitch, something he did use in the WBC. It would not surprise if he continued adapting down the road, either adding another pitch or adjusting grips on what he already uses.

While none of his individual pitches are a plus or perhaps even an above-average pitch, he does have plus control and command, which allows him to use his pitches well and possibly work as a mid-rotation starter. Otherwise, he has a solid shot to be a back end starter or a relief option.

The Mets will push Crismatt to the upper minors in 2018.