Minor League Mondays: Shervyen Newton Emerges As Intriguing Prospect For Kingsport

When the media outlets broke down the New York Mets’ farm system prior to the season, there weren’t many prospects from the team’s lower levels highlighted. There was a perception that the Mets had a lot of intriguing young players below St. Lucie, but none of them had really emerged as names to watch in the near future. That changed this season, with Shervyen Newton as a good example of the leaps this farm system took. Newton, who spent the year playing for the Kingsport Mets, is the focus of the final regular season edition of Minor League Mondays.

The Mets signed Newton as an international free agent in 2015, and he spent two years playing in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .169 in 2016 and .311 in 2017. Newton’s progress in his second year of summer ball convinced the Mets to have him bypass the Gulf Coast League, so the team assigned the young shortstop to Low-A Kingsport. The Mets have to be happy about Newton’s progress as he hit .280 with five home runs, 41 RBI’s, and an outstanding .408 on base percentage.

Newton, who is rated the Mets’ 16th best prospect according to MLB.com, has a lot of potential to grow into an above average offensive player. The Mets already love his advanced eye at the plate, but Newton’s 6-4 frame indicates that he could develop more power as he grows into his body in the future. Newton has also showcased tremendous bat speed and has demonstrated enough ability in the field to stay at shortstop in the future. The Mets have had trouble developing impact position players in recent years, but Newton looks like he could be part of a big wave of hitting prospects that includes Jarred Kelenic, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio.

Newton is still only 19 years old, so it will be a while before he is a factor at the big league level. The Mets will likely assign Newton to Low-A Columbia to start next season, giving him his first taste of full season ball, and he could earn a mid-season call up to High-A St. Lucie if he performs well. Newton doesn’t even need to be added to the 40 man roster for two years, so if all goes well he could be up to AA Binghamton by the time that decision comes. There is a lot of talent in the lower levels of the Mets’ farm system, but Newton should be a very intriguing guy to watch over the next few years.