Outfield…
The last three are:
Carson Benge – A+
22/years old LHH 6-1 185
1st round (1.19) pick in 2024 by NYM ($4mil bonus), out of Oklahoma State U.
2024 – St. Lucie: 55-AB, 2-HR, 8-RBI, 11-BB, .273/.420/.436/.857
2025 – Brooklyn (as of morning of 5-19) –
147-PA, 123-AB, 38-H, 4-HR, 25-RBI, 6-SB, 23-BB, 29-K, .309/.415/.504/.919
Citizen of the Cherokee Nation
Excelled as a 2-way player (P, OF) in college
Yukon HS - 2022 - .490, 8-1, 124-K – went undrafted
Lightning-fast bat. Advanced pitch recognition. Strong feel for strike zone.
Swing is unconventional. Starts with open stance, and high hands. Front foot rolls over at contact, limiting lower-body power. Critics are, well, critical of this. The Mets are working to refine this during this season.
Projected + hitter with 20+ home run potential. If he corrects that shit in his swing.
Plus arm makes him a strong outfielder. Being projected to stick in right though many think he could hold his own in center.
Above average speed aids defensive range plus his baserunning.
Concerns are that stance plus he needs work against lefties.
Me? This guy has grown on me. I didn’t hate the pick. In fact, I was surprised he dropped this low to the Mets. I never spent much time researching this guy because I expected him to be already picked when the Mets turn came around. Benge was a top 15 pick in every mock draft taken that year. He started a little slow last year at Lucy, but college players coming off all those games tend to do that. Brooklyn seems to have moved him off right and are playing him as a DH or a leftfielder. This is fine with me. There is definitely no path for right at Citifield until Soto goes DH.
I expect Benge to finish this season in Binghamton, Open there again in 2-26, and finish that season with a large showing at the AAA level. That would make his…
ETA - opening day 2027. Has the potential to be a long time starter here and a potential lead-off hitter for years to come.
I have him as a future starter for the Mets in left.
A J Ewing – A+
20/years old LHH 5-11 160 CF/2B
4th round pick 2023 by NYM, out of Springboro HS (OH) – compensatory pick (134th overall) - $675,000 bonus (slot value: $483,000). Passed on Alabama.
2022 – All-Southwestern Conference honors: .386, 4-HR
2022 – PBR National Program Invitational - .684, 3-HR
2023 – Great Western Conference Player of Year - .464. 4-HR, 19-SB
Ranked as the #20 SS entering the draft
2023 – FCL Mets: 7-G, .286/.524/.357/.881, 21-PA, 4-H, 5-BB
2024 – FCL Mets: 19-G, 83-PA, 5-HR, 19-BB, 6-SB, 22-K, .254/.422/.571/.993
2024 – St. Lucie: 299-PA, 5-HR, 35-RBI, 8-SB, 44-BB. 87-K, .228/.345/.344/.689
K rate rose from 26.5% in FCL to 29.1
BB rate dropped from 22.9% to 14.7%
2025 – St. Lucie: 60-PA, 1-HR, 16-RBI, 10-SB, 10-BB, 8-K, .429/.517/.633/1.121
Brooklyn (as of Monday morning):
70-PA, 61-AB, 22-H, 1-HR, 7-RBI, 14-SB, 15-BB, 10-K, .400/.506/.615/1.122
Standout trait is strike-zone discipline. 19% chase rate far above league averages. Bat speed produces surprising power from his slender frame. Struggled with high-velo pitches. Mets addressing this. Projects as a 50-grade hitter with 45-grade power. 15-20 home runs in that projection.
Generates impressive exit velocities. Room to add muscle. Power still developing.
Speed is above-average. 55-grade runner. Explosive first step aids baserunning and defense.
Originally a shortstop but only average arm moved him to second. 45-grade arm strength. Transitioning to center. Also left. Fluid footwork and excellent athleticism. Comp is Jeff McNeil.
Described as a “freak” athlete. Competitive mindset.
Will probably finish this season in Binghamton, start off there again next season, and end off in Syracuse.
ETA: 2028. There’s no outfield pop here but currently projected as your next true starting Mets centerfielder.
Eli Serrano III – A+
22/years old LHH 6-5 201 RF/CF/LF
4th round pick in 2024 draft by NYM, out of NC State ($697.5K slot $656.4)
Sports family… father drafted in 2nd round by SFG… mother played basketball for Stetson… brother committed to play baseball at NC State.
HS: Pro 5 - .434 in senior year. Teammate of Ryan Clifford
2024 – St. Lucie: 63-AB, 2-HR, 7-BB, 16-K, .238/.333/.444/,778
2025 – Brooklyn (as of Monday morning):
152-PA, 125-AB, 31-H, 5-HR, 24-RBI, 4-SB, 23-BB, 31-K, .248/.375/.464/.839
Noted for strong ball-to-ball skills. Struggles with power output.
Weakness against left-handed pitchers.
Hitting: smooth, left-handed swing. Simple load and level bat path. Elite contact rate. Rarely chases pitches. Swing is long leading to swing-and-miss concerns.
Power: Significant raw power due to frame and bat speed. Projects in the 25-30 home run range. Currently still inconsistent. Needs to add muscle.
Defense: Projects as a corner outfielder (transitioned from first base in college). Average speed. Moves well wit solid arm. .988 fielding percentage and six outfield outs in 2024.
Speed: average
I project him as a possible LHH DH if power develops
ETA – ask me at the end of the season.
Pitch Profiler @pitchprofiler
TYLER MEGILL. TEN STRIKEOUTS
Check out the
whiff% last night…
Please David. Put him in the middle of your pen when
Blackburn comes home…
David Stearns literally cannot miss
(Chandler Marsh)
MACK –
Had this guy on my radar earlier this season.
Need to pit him back up there and track him…
proStuff+:
110, proxDAWG+
(Huascar Brazoban)
MACK –
This is the Mets reliever that should be in the
all-star game this season.
SNY Mets @SNY_Mets
Six
innings of two-run ball for Clay Holmes tonight
MACK –
If this team was hitting, outings like thus one
would be considered upper rotation stuff. The shame is this mash unit rotation
that continues to put up great ERA’s can’t catch a break with these Mets bats.
Take away the two runs he gave up and he still wouldn’t have earned a win in
this game.
One thing… huge increase of HR/IP from when he
was a reliever. Take them away and his ERA would be Senga-like.
Mets Batflip @metsbatflip1
BREAKING:
Mets top
prospect Elian Peña has hired Scott Boras as his
agent per Will Sammon
MACK –
O’boy….
Thomas Nestico @TJStats
Best and
Worst Fielding Run Value by Position
Thomas Nestico @TJStats
Jonah Tong is on fire in AA with a 43.4 K%, backed up with an insane 41.6 Whiff%
I covered
Tong in my newsletter and highlighted what makes his fastball such a dominant
weapon and how his revamped changeup is unlocking a new level for him!
TDStats -
tjstats@substack.com
Nolan McLean
Nolan
McLean's development has been rather unprecedented. He was drafted as a two-way
player out of Oklahoma State in 2023 and did not start pitching full-time until
mid-2024. Not even a year later he finds himself in AAA and knocking at the
door of the majors.
His
ability to spin the ball is otherworldly as he can eclipse 3000 RPM on his
breaking balls and generate a ton of movement at higher velocities. McLean's
signature pitch is his mid 80s sweeper that can each up to 20" of
glove-side movement. It is one of the few potential 80 grade offerings in MiLB.
McLean wields a pair of fastballs, a sinker and a 4-Seamer, that each sit in
the mid 90s. His sinker is his primary offering against RHH where its immense
arm-side movement and slight deviation from his arm slot plays well on the
inner third. He swaps his sinker for a 4-Seamer against LHH where its extremely
flat approach fools batters high in the zone. McLean also tosses a gyro
cutter/slider that lives in the high 80s. It's slight cutting action makes it
effective damage mitigating offering against RHH. He rounds out his incredibly
deep arsenal with a mid 80s changeup that generates above average depth with
negative iVB.
McLean is
exhibiting improved command this season and doing a formidable job at getting
ahead of batters early. His development and combination of stuff, athleticism,
command, and versatility, all in an abridged timeframe, makes him one of the
most exciting pitching prospect in MLB. There were concerns that he was more
suited for a bullpen role, but he quelled most of those worries with his
performance thus far.
Substack
-
Jacob Reimer, 3B, Mets
Age: 21
It’s hard
to forget a hitting performance like the one Reimer put on at USA Baseball’s
National High School Invitational in 2022. Back when Reimer was a draft
prospect, I remember there being a debate among the scouting community about
whether Reimer was more of a hit-over-power or a power-over-hit right/right
prep profile. He missed a huge chunk of time last year with a hamstring injury,
but since he’s been on the field as a professional it sounds like he’s neither:
he’s just a well-rounded hitter with contact skills, a solid approach and some
thump. And he’s a real hitting nerd as well. Through 33 games at High-A so far
this year Reimer is hitting .328/.419/.641 (196 wRC+ with seven home runs, 13
doubles, a 20.9% strikeout rate and an 11.5% walk rate.
Which MLB teams are actually trying?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6370765/2025/05/21/mlb-chart-haves-and-have-nots/
Powerhouses
See that
dot in the upper-right corner of the screen? They shouldn’t be hard to
identify. The Dodgers have set the standard for the sport in recent years. The Mets have actually out-spent the Dodgers during this
period, although the most expensive Mets team, the 2023 version, missed the
postseason. Both clubs have surpassed the Yankees as the sport’s preeminent
spenders.
For fans
wondering why their owners have declined to pursue big-name free agents, the
presence of the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies in this quadrant
will be galling. Not long ago, both clubs were doormats. The two clubs have
joined the sport’s upper crust in recent years, thanks to an infusion of
spending. Peter Seidler, the late Padres owner, financed the club’s
renaissance, which has led to packed houses at Petco Park. The same phenomenon
is on display at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies have become a regular
postseason entrant.
Top 50 potential MLB
free agents for 2025-26 offseason:
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets (opt out)
Age: 30
Bats: R
Throws: R
OPS+: 174
WAR: 21.8
Alonso
entered Tuesday ranked fourth in MLB with a .965 OPS. He likely will opt out
and get the long-term contract he sought last offseason before returning to the
Mets on a two-year, $54 million deal. If he doesn’t stay in New York, Alonso
would be a fit with several teams including the Phillies (Bryce Harper would
seem willing to move back to the outfield for him), Cubs (they would have to be
interested if they lose out on Tucker), Rangers and Mariners (both would
benefit from his power bat and leadership, as would the Red Sox, particularly
if they keep Rafael Devers at DH).
7 comments:
Alonso - if he leaves, big void. Someone better step up big.
Brazaban is fireman of the year so far. It is not his fault he is not closing.
Mack,
Huascar Brazoban has been a pleasant surprise for the Mets this year. Coming out of spring training it was uncertain if he would even make the team. He has certainly exceeded that thus far. An excellent trade acquisition for the GM.
DJ, he had an excellent spring training, too, did Brazoban. Remarkable 2025 for him.
Vito. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,it’s going to be a helluva year.
Pete if the Mets want him he’s staying,Cohen has a lot of money
Looked at the stats for Benge and Ewing. BABIP for Benge is .372. For Ewing it is over .440. (.431 in Brooklyn). Generally, when you see this, you say unsustainable. Lucky? Playing down and need to be promoted? Thoughts?
Steve,a lot depends on hard-hit rate, and Ewing is super fast. A Soto groundout might be a Ewing IF single.
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