I promised all of you that, as soon as the season ended,
I would breakout and post my current Top 30 prospects.
This is performance based, not players that came to the
Mets full of promise but have only produced butterscotch pudding. A perfect
example of a player that didn’t make this list is catcher Ronald Hernandez. I still like the guy, but based
on what he did in 2025, I don’t like him “top 30 guy”.
Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah
Tong are not on this list. They have graduated.
I will post them in each of my weekly Observations and In
Focus posts… one player at a time… beginning with #30.
Today, we move to #22:
Ben Simon is a right-handed
relief pitcher for the New York Mets organization, currently in the minor
leagues.
Born on March 22, 2002, in
Princeton, New Jersey, he stands at 5'11" and weighs 197 pounds.
Drafted by the Mets in the
13th round (396th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft from Elon University, Simon
has been noted for his potential despite limited professional experience.
In 2025, he was a Brooklyn
Cyclones (High-A) player with a background as a standout at Hightstown High
School and Elon University, where he posted a 3.20 ERA with seven saves in 25.1
innings during his junior year.
Repertoire:
Fastball: Sits in the mid-90s, often touching
the high-90s, with a high spin rate that gives it late life and makes it his
primary pitch.
Power Curve: A low-to-mid-70s offering, used as
a key secondary pitch to complement his fastball.
Slider: Thrown occasionally, adding variety to
his arsenal.
Changeup: Also used sparingly, providing another
option to keep hitters off balance.
Simon throws from a
three-quarters arm slot with simple, repeatable mechanics and a loose, easy arm
action. His fastball-curve combo is his bread and butter, with the slider and
changeup as developing pitches.
In 2023, he made six
appearances (two in the Florida Complex League and four with St. Lucie),
showing promise as a reliever. He’s noted for mental toughness, having
rebounded from a challenging freshman year at Elon (8.44 ERA) to earn
All-Colonial Athletic Association second-team honors as a sophomore.
Simon has expressed enthusiasm
for the Mets’ pitching lab in Port St. Lucie, which he’s used to refine his
skills, though he values the organization’s approach of not forcing data-driven
changes on players.
MACK
– Simon is a perfect example of the success of the pitching lab. His story
should be told to every pitcher that becomes a minor league Met so they know
they can only get better.
I see Simon having a strong and long future with this
team.
RHP Ryan Lambert
Since the day the Mets drafted him in the eighth round in 2024, Lambert has profiled as the type of hard-throwing reliever who could rise rapidly to the Majors. This season, the right-hander did nothing to complicate his path, producing a 1.62 ERA split between two levels. His 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings was fifth-highest of any Minor Leaguer to throw at least 50 innings
SNY @SNYtv
The last 22 days have been painful for fans of the New
York metropolitan area baseball and football teams
Eli Serrano
OF, Age: 22, B/T: L/L, 6' 5"/201 lbs
DOB: 2003-05-01, Fairfax, USA
Drafted: 2024, Rd. 4, Pick: 8
School: NC State
New York Mets
Eli Serrano was a jack of all trades in his first pro season, posting a productive 114 wRC+ across 88 games with formidable underlying metrics across the board. He ran above-average marks in O-Swing%, Whiff%, and 90th% EV while showcasing a cannon of an arm in the outfield and solid baserunning instincts. The 2024 4th-round pick will look to sustain that productivity as he takes on the upper minors next season.
Freddy Peralta
The New York Mets are equipped with the deepest pockets
in MLB, which should give David Stearns confidence
that Peralta can be re-signed or even extended ahead of time. The Mets' offense
is a known commodity. Pete Alonso's free
agency complicates things a bit, but Juan Soto and
Francisco Lindor won't stay out of the
playoffs for long. What New York really needs is stability on the mound.
Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah
Tong all appear ready to contribute in 2026, but McLean feels like the
only lock to start 30-plus games and feature in October. Kodai Senga's mounting health issues dampen his
value. Sean Manaea took a step back in 2025.
David Peterson feels like a one-and-done
All-Star. Clay Holmes continues solidly
apace, but the Mets are missing that frontline, veteran ace to really anchor
things. Peralta could solve their problems.
Nolan McLean
The Syracuse Mets finished the season with a 77-73
record, but that wasn’t the story of the season. This year was all about the
arrival of top-level prospects, with the likes of Jonah
Tong, shortstop Jett Williams, center
fielder Carson Benge and first
baseman/outfielder Ryan Clifford joining Sean McLean and Brandon
Sproat on the Syracuse roster.
McLean stood out the most. Syracuse plays in a
notoriously hitter-friendly league, but that didn’t apply when McLean was on
the mound. After being promoted in May, he posted 2.78 ERA over 87-1/3 innings, and he continued
that level of performance during a brief but record-breaking stint in New York
where he set Mets rookie records that previously belonged to Hall of Fame
pitcher Tom Seaver.
Jose Iglesias' cryptic 3-word response to
potential Mets reunion raises eyebrows
Iglesias is set to become a free agent again this
offseason, which means there's a chance he could return to New York if David Stearns and the rest of the front office
agree about his importance in the locker room.
Iglesias did a fan Q&A via his Instagram on October
19. At one point, Iglesias was asked, "Are you returning to the
Mets?"
"Nadie
Sabe Na," Iglesias responded, which roughly translates in English
to "nobody knows anything".
Ross
Jensen @RossJensen12
Prospect of the Day!
A.J. Ewing | NYM, AA,
CF, 21 | Rank: #46
Peak Projections: 111 wRC+, 11 HR, 37 SB
Ewing had a strong breakout in 2025, slashing
.315/.401/.429, stealing a whopping 70 bases and reaching Double-A as just a 20/year
old. While there's not a ton of power yet
MLB's
Arizona Fall League @MLBazFallLeague
Heading into week three, here are your 2025 AFL home run
leaders presented by DBAT:
8 comments:
I loved Iglesias' energy and club house presence, but I don't think they should bring him back, that ship has sailed and I'd like a bench piece to be one of our youngsters
Speculation is that the Yomiuri Giants will post 1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto.
RHH .277/41-HR/93-RBI
Two gold gloves at first
I like watching ships sail
Away
I agree with Jon - bringing back Iglesias doesn't work now - it is too late to rediscover that magic. The clubhouse spark will have to come from somewhere else.
Love the young pitchers.
Iglesias is over the hill now. 36 in 2026, after a -0.7 WAR in 2025. Nah. Thanks for your 2024 OMG season, Senor.
Okamoto strikeout rate would dictate whether he is worthy of consideration or not. His hitting just .277 hints to me that his K rate might be troublesome.
Serrano is the one player that, like Lorusso the year before, got hurt in June while having a good year. I hope Serrano bounces back better. He flies under the radar, but he does fly.
Out of pocket all day - sorry
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