Reese Kaplan -- Names to Know In Upcoming Mets Trade Proposals

This week the Mets Top Ten prospects were identified and re-ranked by Baseball Prospectus.  Some of the names are new, some are repeats and positions have changed.  Let’s have a brief look.

1. Brandon Sproat — The 6’3” right handed starting pitcher after one full season in the minors has catapulted himself all the way up to the number one position in the Mets Top Ten list of prospects.  In 24 games this season (23 starts) he delivered a 7-4 record with a bit of a misleading 3.40 ERA.  Realize he ascended from A+ to AA to AAA in that single season and the ERA rose as he climbed the ladder.  Still, 131 strikeouts in 116 innings combined is nothing to sneeze at and he will either makes his way to Queens next year or to another ballclub as part of a prospect-laded trade package.
2. Jett Williams — The former number one had a lost 2024 season due to injury which kept him shelved pretty much all of the year.  No one denies his ability to work counts, get on base nor steal bases.  Right now he’s rotating between the two middle infield positions and center field.  In parts of three minor league seasons he’s accumulated 563 ABs which is about one year’s worth of playing time.  For that the little guy (5’6”) delivered 14 HRs, drove in 64, stole 56 bases and drew 130 walks while hitting .252.  While the batting average could be better those other numbers are certainly formidable.  His OBP and SLG are both over .400 and his OPS is .825.  Bear in mind he’s still just 20 years old.
3. Carson Benge — Rather than being an American Shohei Ohtani, Benge gave up pitching to focus on hitting and it appears he may have made the right call.  In college in 445 ABs he hit 25 HRs, drove in 110 and hit .339.  He only had 55 minor league ABs in 2024 but did hit .273 so he was adjusting to better pitching during his first taste of pro ball in St. Lucie.  He’s a few years out but it will interesting to see how he progresses.
4. Nolan McLean — Another two-way athlete, McLean gave up hitting to concentrate on pitching.  In college in just over 500 ABs he hit 36 HRs and drove in 96 while hitting .270, but his 214 Ks in that time suggest he was an all or nothing type of hitter.  As a pitcher he’s spent parts of two seasons in St. Lucie and Brooklyn showing dominating stuff with ERAs well below 3.00, but when he made it to Binghamton it was a bit of a rough adjustment.  He went 2-8 over 18 starts but still fanned about 1 per inning.  The 4.18 ERA was hopefully about learning how to adjust to better hitters.
5. Jonah Tong — An interesting pitcher, Tong has shown awesome strikeout ability in his 35 minor league games (31 as a starter).  He jumped as high as a 2-game trial in Binghamton last year where in 9.1 IP he whiffed 14 and finished with a brief AA ERA of just 2.89.  He gives up very few hits but does issue too many free passes.  Perhaps his future is in the pen rather than as a starter.
6. Jesus Baez — The still 19 year old infielder has opened quite a few eyes with 20 HRs and 94 RBIs to go along with 20 SBs in his 606 AB minor league career.  As he matures the power could grow but the weak side of his game is his batting average which stands at a pedestrian .244.  He currently has played 2B, SS and 3B so figuring out his major league future regular position is still up in the air.
7. Luisangel Acuna — Holding down position number 7 is the first of three of the prospects from the 2023 sell off of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.  We have seen him field quite well in his September trial as well as hitting the ball over the fence and making himself pesky on the basepaths.  The question is with Francisco Lindor locked into SS if he is more valuable to the Mets as trade bait or do they push him to a new position now in anticipation of him playing regularly in Queens?
8. Ryan Clifford — Somewhat under the radar compared to the attention generated by Acuna and Drew Gilbert, Clifford has shown the ability to hit with great power but while playing at best adequate defense in the outfield.  Many foresee him moving to 1B which might make him the player the Mets want there in the future if there is no Pete Alonso reunion.  For his minor league career the lefty hitter has had just under 2 years worth of ABs good for 45 HRs, 159 RBIs and a meh .244 batting average.  He does draw a lot of walks but also swings and misses regularly to the tune of about 32% of his ABs. 
9. Ronny Mauricio — Right now the Mets would be selling low on Mauricio as a trade resource since he missed all of 2024 and needs to demonstrate he’s both healthy and playing with the same all around production he did before his knee required multiple surgeries.  Instead, it might be wiser to let him get some AAA time again and then see if he can wriggle into a major league regular role to increase his value both to the Mets as a player and to rebuild his trade prospect rating.
10. Drew Gilbert — Like Williams, he missed most of 2024 due to injury.  After 22 HRs and 140 RBIs while hitting .314 in college he’s upped the run production in the minors with 30 HRs and 98 RBIs while hitting .262.  His stolen base numbers increased as well.  The power output is a little surprising for a 5’8” ballplayer, but after a lost 2024 people are curious to see how he’s healed and how he’ll grow as a prospect.  Right now the lefty hitter is 23 years old and likely ticketed for a 2nd run at Syracuse.