Steve Sica- Don't Call it a Comeback: Three Met Prospects Having a Renaissance in 2025

Minor League Baseball can be a brutal battlefield for young players with Major League aspirations. There are 30 Major League teams, 25 roster spots per squad, and hundreds of Minor League players vying for one of those coveted spots. Some are 18-year-old kids who see MiLB as a mere stepping stone on their way to the Majors. Others are grizzled veterans in their 30s—players who may have had a taste of the Big Leagues and would do anything to get back. Then there are those in between. Players still on the right side of 25 but who haven’t quite lived up to their potential. They’ve fallen off prospect rankings and are simply trying to hang on at any level in the Minors. 

One of my favorite baseball quotes comes from Moneyball:

 

 "We're all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children's game—we just don't know when that's gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we're all told." 

Three players in the Mets system are fighting to keep playing the children’s game—and they’re putting up numbers that are forcing fans and scouts alike to take notice. 

OF Alex Ramírez Back in 2022, Ramírez was a top-10 prospect in the Mets system. Just 19 at the time and hailing from the Dominican Republic, he’d put together a strong season across Low-A and High-A. It looked like he was destined to be a key part of the Mets’ future—a staple in their outfield for years to come. But things unraveled in 2023. In his first full High-A season, Ramírez batted just .221—a 60-point drop from the previous year. A promotion to Double-A Binghamton in 2024 brought even worse results: a .210 average and an OPS that fell below .600. By the end of that season, he hit free agency and was briefly out of the Mets organization—though only for two weeks before the Mets brought him back. Still, he was that close to the end of his Mets career. Back in Binghamton this season, Ramírez hit rock bottom on May 14 when his average dipped to .171 after a nine-game hitless streak. Since then, he’s caught fire—recording hits in ten of his last thirteen games, driving in ten runs over that stretch, and raising his average to .238. Highlights include a walk-off three-run homer against Richmond on May 20 and a three-hit performance on June 1. He’s also flashed his speed, stealing nine bases in that span. His 18 stolen bases on the season currently rank second in the Eastern League, just behind fellow Rumble Pony Nick Morabito, who has 19. Now in his fourth season in the Mets system, it’s easy to forget that Ramírez is still only 22. There’s plenty of time left for him to live up to the potential that once made him a top prospect.

RHP Jonathan Pintaro The definition of a late bloomer, Pintaro is 27 years old and still managed to crack the Mets’ top-30 prospect list, according to MLB Pipeline. He went undrafted out of college, spent two years in the MLB Draft League, and pitched all of 2023 in the Pioneer League. His break came in 2024, when the Mets signed him as a Minor League free agent. Starting the season in High-A Brooklyn, Pintaro impressed with a 2.50 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and a 1.167 WHIP over 36 innings. That earned him a midseason promotion to Double-A Binghamton, where his impeccable control continued—just 10 walks across 34 innings. At a level often seen as make-or-break for prospects, Pintaro held his own. He capped off the year by pitching in the Arizona Fall League, working as both a starter and reliever. In ten innings there, he posted a 3.48 ERA—impressive in a league notorious for being tough on pitchers due to the thin desert air. Back in Binghamton this season, Pintaro has remained a reliable starter. His strikeout pitch is working better than ever, with 40 Ks over his first eight starts. Whether his long-term future is as a starter or reliever remains to be seen, but Pintaro is yet another promising arm in the Mets' growing stable of Minor League pitching talent. 

SS Colin Houck: Drafted by the Mets in the first round in 2023 out of high school. Houck is a Georgia native who grew up rooting for the Braves. After a brief stint in the Florida Complex League, Houck began his first full professional season with St. Lucie in 2024. He would struggle to the tune of a .206 average, an OPS of .610 and 171 strikeouts. His stock would plummet as when 2025 began he was barely on most experts' top Met prospect lists. He’s back in St. Lucie this season, and starting to find himself. His .228 average is still below league standards, but his OPS of .765 is over 150 points better than where it was at the end of last season. He’s found his power as well, already at six home runs in 46 games. He hit just five in 112 games in 2024. His 28 RBIs rank eighth in the FSL and four triples have him second in the league. After a grim 2024, many might’ve been willing to throw in the towel on Houck, but now it seems like he’s living up to his first round potential.