That said, thanks to hard work and the success of MetsBlog.com, I do get to talk to lots of people around the game, from executives to agents to reporters to scouts and at all different levels with all different teams. And so, for the last three years, when talking to people who know minor league baseball, I keep a running list of how many times a particular player is mentioned in a positive way.  Based on this list, I create what I call a Hype List, or Most-Talked-About Prospect list, for my own use.

I’m not sure what the list proves, other than it ranks the team’s prospects based on who is drawing the most interest, who the game is most excited about and, basically, who might be most in demand (be it within or outside the organization).

I put my 2009 list on the blog, but I didn’t do it in 2010. Here is this year’s list, ranked top to bottom, with the most common comment I heard associated with each player in parenthesis:

In short, non-Mets people really seem confident and positive about Harvey and Wheeler; they think Familia and Mejia might be most effective in the bullpen; Nimmo could be a star if he develops right; Puello and Nieuwenhuis have a ton of potential, but are difficult to project; Valdespin can hit, but has no real position; this could be a make-or-break year for Havens, who has got to stay healthy; and Flores is in a Catch-22, in that his bat is most valuable at shortstop, but he  just isn’t good enough to field the position, and he’s less valuable when playing a corner.

In years past, this list looked different than most of the published top-prospect lists. This year, they seem to mirror one another, which may be an indication that public relations and scouting are more in sync these days than in the past. In either case, it seems the farm system is getting better, slowly, but substantively, and with an emphasis on pitching.

Photo from Converted Mets Fan.

During the last year, talking heads, columnists and reporters have suggested the Mets might owe around $1 billion in debt, which, in combination with poor attendance and a lack of revenue, plus potential legal bills, could ultimately force a sale of the team.

However, Brown’s research indicates that too much is being made of the $25 million loan to MLB, as well as the SNY loan, which he says is essentially a no-interest loan that can easily be restructured.  In other words, “Is the debt so unmanageable as to crush Sterling,” he asks. “The answer is ‘no,’ maybe,” he goes on to explain.

Brown also digs in to how much Ownership could end up owing the Madoff trustee, how minority shares will help the team’s short-term outlook, how does Fred Wilpon’s relationship with Bud Selig factor in, and how much of their fate hinges on player payroll and attendance.

In the end, Brown concludes by writing:

To read Maury’s analysis, which requires a paid subscription to Baseball Prospectus, click here.

This is why so many fans worry that – in an effort to drive a profit in the face of poor business at the ballpark, because the team isn’t doing well – Ownership will keep slashing the budget, crushing payroll and limiting on-field talent, thus perpetuating the losing, which, in the end, is all fans really care about. It’s a fair concern. However, as one NL East executive said to me, “That can’t continue, it’s a very short-term answer, because at some point those two roads have to cross.” He said, eventually, to increase revenue and generate cash, a team in New York has to sell tickets, and to do that they have to field a competitive team.  He concluded by asking, “The question for the Mets is, and this is the case for every team, where is that balance?”

It seems, to me, it’s in waiting for the farm system to produce a pitching staff (Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, etc.) and a few strong hitters (Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, etc.). So that, after 2013 and going in to 2014, once they can move beyond Johan Santana, Jason Bay and maybe David Wright (who combine to earn close to $60 million), and most of these legal and off-field financial issues are resolved, the Mets can begin spending again and build around their best, young, home-grown talent. It sounds nice, but it’s still a gamble. What’s up, Generation K?

All the while, fans will hang their heads, question management, mope, and they’ll call for people to be fired and traded. But, then they’ll blink, look up and see Victor Cruz salsa dancing with a Super Bowl trophy, despite wanting to fire their coach and quit on the season six weeks earlier … or they wake up in line waiting for a Jeremy Lin jersey they didn’t know they needed a week before. The point is, sports is mostly random. I think the Mets have a plan, but there is no telling how this will play out, or what will happen in the meantime.

The exclusive pre-sale for Mets Season Ticket Holders starts Monday, February 27 at 10:00 AM at Mets.com. The Plan Holder pre-sale begins Tuesday, February 28 at 10:00 AM ET.

In addition, three new ticket packs will go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 AM ET at Mets.com.

For more information on ticket packs, check out Mets.com.

According to Law, 20-year-old Mets RHP Domingo Tapia is worth watching.

“Tapia hits triple digits as a starter with some sink on the pitch,” Law explains. “He pairs it with a solid to above-average changeup that produced a reverse split in his 50 innings in Kingsport last year.”

“He’ll need a more consistent breaking ball to project as a top-end starter, but the velocity and changeup are a good start,” Law concludes.

Here is video of Tapia pitching BP during Mets spring training last year:

To see Law’s sleeper picks for the rest of the league, click here for ESPN.com.

MLB Network’s Brian Kenny analyzes Jason Bay on “Clubhouse Confidential”.