1. SS Jett Williams | 19 | AA | 2024
Williams was fantastic for 36 games in High-A, slashing .299/.451/.567 with seven home runs, 12 steals, 32 strikeouts and 33 walks. He’d earned a midseason promotion by posting a .422 on base percentage in Low-A while improving throughout the season. If he hits in Double-A to open the year, the 5’6” 175 lb spark plug will be a top ten prospect in baseball by May.
2. OF Drew Gilbert | 23 | AA | 2024
Another smallish prospect at 5’9” 195 lbs, Gilbert was the 28th overall pick by Houston in 2022 coming off a superstar season at Clemson. A left handed hitter with functional in-game power, he should be a better fit for his home environment in New York than he would’ve been with the big right-center gap in Houston. He had struggled a bit at Double-A before the trade but slashed .325/.423/.561 in 35 games after coming to the Big Apple in a package for Justin Verlander. The Brandon Nimmo contract squeezes Gilbert to a corner, but he should hit enough to hold down a corner spot anyway.
3. SS Ronny Mauricio | 22 | MLB | 2023
The team is deep in humans who play positions but shallow in sturdy options at second and third base. At one point, the club said Brett Baty would slide aside so they could see what Mauricio can do. It’s likely the right play on the defensive end, as Mauricio probably has a higher ceiling at the hot corner. Trouble is, neither Baty nor Mauricio has hit much so far as big leaguers. Mauricio’s .248 batting average in his first 26 games isn’t bad by any means, but the .296 OBP isn’t helping him much. A 6’3” switch hitter with natural power and back-to-back 20/20 seasons, Mauricio is a wide awake fantasy sleeper for redraft leagues.
4. SS Luisangel Acuña | 22 | AA | 2024
The deadline prize in return for Max Scherzer (and enough money to ensure several generations of financial security), Acuña slugged just .304 in 37 games with New York’s Double-A affiliate in Binghamton. Might’ve been feeling some pressure to establish himself in front of the new fan base. An interesting aspect of his development is where he’ll wind up on the diamond. He should be knocking on the major league door before the All-Star break, but the team has a three-body problem at so many spots this next guy may never get a fair shake.
5. C Kevin Parada | 22 | AA | 2024
The 11th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Parada is a 5’11” 197 college catcher who has been moving around a little bit with the Mets. He’s a solid prospect in his own right but unlikely to pose much playing time threat to Francisco Alvarez. You don’t draft a guy 11th overall to become a part-timer, so Parada will have to make another spot work, even as the universal designated hitter provides something of a safety net for guys like Parada . . . as long as they’re hitting.
6. RHP Christian Scott | 24 | AA | 2024
Rather than chase the big names, I tend to pick my spots with pitchers, and this is one of them. At 6’4” 215 lbs, Scott has been adding velocity since being selected in the 5th round of the 2021 draft. He was mostly a reliever as a collegian because Florida had plenty of high-end rotation options while Scott was there. His command has come together in a full-time starting role, and a slider he added from watching video of Max Scherzer is producing dynamite results. In 62 innings with Double-A Binghamton, Scott posted a 0.84 WHIP with 77 strikeouts and a 2.47 ERA. I think he’ll be starting in New York sooner than later.
7. OF Ryan Clifford | 20 | A+ | 2025
The big red dog cruised through Low-A with an outsized slash line of .337/.488/.457 in 25 games then turned up the power in High-A, slugging .547 with 16 homers in 58 games with the Astros before being traded in the Justin Verlander deal. In 32 games with the Mets’ High-A affiliate in Brooklyn, Clifford hit .188. Could still open the season with Double-A or get there in a hurry as long as he stops pressing.
8. 2B Marco Vargas | 18 | A | 2027
In a butterfly-effect kind of way, Edwin Diaz getting hurt brought Vargas to New York. David Robertson wound up closing for a shorter bullpen and pitched well enough to bring back a solid hitting prospect who posted a .457 on base percentage in 33 rookie league games. At 6’0” 170 pounds, the left-handed hitting Vargas has plenty of time to convert his contact skills into power.
9. RHP Blade Tidwell | 22 | AA | 2024
The Daywalker was selected 52nd overall in 2022 and has pitched himself to the brink of the big leagues across four productive stops. His worst outcomes came in 34.1 innings at Double-A (4.72 ERA), but he won 11 games in 116 innings across two levels because his four-pitch mix allows him to work deep into games when he’s on form. At 6’4” 207 lbs, Tidwell is still on the upswing, stuff-wise.
10. SS Jeremy Rodriguez | 17 | DSL | 2028
Came over from Arizona in the Tommy Pham trade and immediately made the team feel smart, slashing .422/.536/.711 with four strikeouts, seven steals, and 11 walks in 13 games. A left-handed hitter at 6’0” 170 lbs, Rodriguez has an ideal frame and game for a quick climb up the fantasy lists.
Thanks for reading!
