Steve Sica- Five Rising Met Prospects you Need to Know

 The Mets’ farm system naturally got a little thinner after the trade deadline. Top-30 prospects like Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Drew Gilbert were sent packing in return for Major League talent.

That doesn’t mean that the Mets farm system is completely barren now. 

Here are five rising Met prospects that escaped the trade deadline who you might not have heard of…yet

1. INF Boston Baro: 

Probably the most popular name on this list. Baro, the Mets’ 2023 8th round draft out of Mission Viego, CA, is ranked as their 19th top prospect per Pipeline. 

At 20-years-old, Baro spent most of 2024 in Low-A St. Lucie where he batted .288 with an OPS .767. This year, he’s advanced to High-A Brooklyn where his numbers haven’t been quite as impressive with a .232 batting average and only a .634 OPS. 

One thing the Mets liked when they drafted Baro was his speed, and despite his struggles at the plate he still managed to collect 24 stolen bases in 89 games. He’s shown improvement as the season has gone on. In July, he put up season bests in almost every offensive category. 

He ended July on a high note, playing some of his best ball of the season. In the last week of July, Baro batted .444 (12-for-27), stole seven bases, struck out just once, and put up an OPS of 1.130. He’s off to another sizzling start in August going 4-for-12 in his first three games this month.

Baro, a middle tier prospect could’ve found himself wearing a different uniform at the deadline, but now, especially with the departure of Jesus Baez, Baro is one of the Mets’ most intriguing infield prospects.

INF Boston Baro batted .444 in the last week of July

2. OF Randy Guzman:

It’s alright if you’ve never heard his name just yet. He’s only been playing stateside since April, but, despite being unranked from the top-30 Met prospect lists, Randy Guzman is rising up the ranks in the Met farm system.

Like Baro, Guzman is 20-years-old and after spending two years in the Dominican Summer League putting up pedestrian numbers offensively, the Mets brought him up to the Florida Complex League where he began to turn a corner.

In 49 games with the FCL Mets, Guzman set career highs in average (.282), doubles (9), home runs (7), RBIs (33) and OPS (.845). That was all the Mets needed to see as he was given another promotion, this time to the Low-A St. Lucie Mets.

So far, Guzman has made a smooth transition with St. Lucie. In his first nine Low-A games, he has an OPS of 1.024, and is showing off some power with five doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs. 

What’s more impressive is the 20-year-olds strikeout to walk ratio. Three walks to four strikeouts in his first 36 at-bats. His progress is worth watching and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if at the end of the season, he starts cracking some top prospect lists in the Met organization.

3. INF Trey Snyder:
   
   

In the fifth round of the 2024 draft, the Mets selected their first high schooler when they picked Trey Snyder out of Liberty, MO. A similar player profile to fellow infielders like A.J Ewing, and Boston Baro, Snyder is a contact hitter with great speed.

Snyder leads the St. Lucie Mets in stolen bases with 32. While his first full professional season hasn’t been perfect for him, he’s managed to put up some encouraging numbers. His strikeout to walk ratio is what stands out most to me of what type of player Snyder, despite his .670 OPS, could be. 

In 396 plate appearances he’s struck out 77 times and walked 57 times. Snyder typically puts the ball in play, and with his speed, if he’s hitting it on the ground, he puts pressure on the defense every time.

Pipeline has Snyder ranked as the Mets’ 21st top prospect with high grades for his speed and defense. Still, at just 20-years-old, he has some time to develop and improve his numbers at the plate. Look for Snyder to likely finish out his season in Low-A, where the Mets will hope for a strong finish. If so, he might find himself in Brooklyn at the start of 2026.

4. RHP Brendan Girton 

As the Mets traded off several pitchers from their prospect ranks, names like Jonah Tong, Nolan McLearn, and Brandon Sproat were off the table. While the Mets’ 2024 10th round draft pick, Brendan Girton doesn’t come with that much fanfare, Met fans should be pleased that he remains in the organization.

Drafted out of Oklahoma State, Girton spent the first three years of his collegiate career at another Big 12 school in Texas Tech. While in college he was used as a starter and reliever. Since being drafted by the Mets, they’re opted to primarily use him as a starter. A position in which he’s excelled in.

Girton started the season with High-A Brooklyn where he still remains and is arguably their best pitcher. In 16 starts across 75 innings pitched, Girton has an ERA of 2.41, collected 90 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.071. 

The Mets have been conservative with his innings limits, as he has yet to go beyond the fifth inning in any of his starts. 

That hasn’t stopped him from putting up some impressive numbers in those limited starts. He had a perfect outing on June 14th against Ashville, striking out six in five innings. He had another perfect start a month later on July 18th against Hub City, where in just 4 ⅔ innings, he struck out a season high nine batters.

He’s quietly putting together one of the most impressive resumes of any Met pitcher in their system. Unranked for now, Girton could rocket up some lists if he continues on this trajectory.

Oklahoma native, Brendan Girton is feeling at home in Brooklyn

5. RHP Ryan Lambert:

One of the best relievers in the Mets’ system, I thought he’d be included in the Cedric Mullins trade that sent three MiLB Met relievers to Baltimore. Luckily for the Mets, Lambert remains in the organization. The 22-year-old has been shutting down hitters in his first season with Double-A Binghamton to the tune of a 2.15 ERA in 26 appearances. He’s getting hotter as the summer continues, allowing just one earned run in his last ten appearances.

With the way the Mets have used their revolving door for relievers coming up from the Minors to the Majors this season, Lambert might find his way to Queens before the end of the year. At the very least, the Mets may want to test him in Triple-A, a league not friendly to even the most elite pitchers, to see how he responds.

Selected in the eighth round of the 2024 draft, the Mets might’ve found a steal of a pick in Lambert. In two MiLB seasons, he has an ERA of just 1.79. He’s ranked as the Mets’ 20th best prospect per Pipeline, and only recently moved into that spot thanks to several key prospects being traded off the list. I’m looking forward to his development now that he’s steered clear of the trade deadline.