Met Prospects Ready to Make an Major League Impact in 2026

Carson Benge might be batting at Citi Field by next Summer.
Photo courtesy of Chris McShane

By, Steve Sica

The Mets’ farm system is rich with talent. More so now, than it has been in years. It’s ranked in the top-10 across most expert boards and several prospects are set to start contributing to the big league club in 2026.

We got a taste late in the 2025 season with how much of an impact these prospects can play with the Mets. Nolan McLean, called up in mid-August quickly became the uncontested ace of the staff as the team headed into a pennant race in September. Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat didn’t burst onto the scene quite like McLean, but still showed flashes of promise and pitched their way to wins in a couple of big games down the stretch for the Mets.

In 2026, these three pitchers should still have a home with the Major League team, if not on Opening Day, certainly as the season goes on. Let’s take a look at three more prospects who could also join them in Queens. 

1. Jett Williams SS/OF:

You could argue that if not for an injury plagued 2024, Jett would’ve been a Met this past season. Instead, he started the 2025 season in Binghamton where he spent 96 games. Jett impressed with the Rumble Ponies batting .281 with an OPS of .868. He collected 29 doubles, mashed 10 home runs, drove in 37 runs, stole 32 bases, and walked 62 times in 421 plate appearances.

That was enough to earn him a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse in mid-August. While his first few weeks in Triple-A were a struggle, he turned a corner in September and ended the MiLB season on a high note. In the last month of the season, Jett put up an OPS of .827 with five home runs, and 11 RBIs in 18 games.

Jett is currently ranked as the Mets’ #3 prospect per MLB Pipeline. He was ranked as high as #1 during the 2025 season. Jett brings quickness, contact, and great plate discipline to every level he’s played so far. Drafted by the Mets with the 14th overall pick in 2022, he’s been steadily coming along within the organization with an MiLB career OPS of .827 in 294 games. He’s also ran his stolen base total up to 90 overall, and has walked 206 times to 290 strikeouts. Great numbers for a soon to be 22-year-old.

Drafted as a shortstop, Jett’s path is obviously blocked for a while by a guy named Francisco Lindor. So the Mets have moved him around the field and he’s now become a versatile fielder. He’s played games at shortstop, second base, and center field. The Mets do have a potential need at second base and outfield as we head into the 2026 season.

Jett is fast, can hit for average and would be a spark plug for the Mets’ offense when he’s called up to The Show. We’ve been hearing about him since he was drafted in the first round three years ago. Coming into his fourth season in the organization, 2026 will be the year that Jett becomes a Met.

2. OF Carson Benge:

Coming into the 2025 season, I never thought I’d say that Carson Benge would be MLB-ready by 2026. But how things change over the long course of the MiLB season. Drafted by the Mets just last year with the 19th overall selection, Benge began his first full professional season with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

In just 60 games, the 22-year-old Benge proved he was ahead of the High-A competition. He batted .302, had an OPS of .897, slashed 18 doubles, and stole 15 bases. Like Jett, Benge has tremendous plate discipline for his age. With Brooklyn he had 41 walks to 50 strikeouts. 

Double-A came calling and Benge didn’t miss a beat. In fact, he performed even better in the MiLB “prove it” league. He batted .317, had an OPS of .978 and bashed eight home runs with 18 RBIs. His walk to strikeout ratio was 18/23. In a league where the average age of players is a year and a half younger than him, Benge wore out Double-A pitching all summer long, helping the Rumble Ponies to the best record in the Eastern League. He wouldn’t stick around for their championship run, as just 32 games into his Binghamton campaign, he was called up to Triple-A Syracuse.

It was in Triple-A that Benge would finally taste the struggles of Minor League ball. He batted just .178 in 21 games and missed a little over a week due to injury. While this was a disappointing way to end his stellar season, it’s nothing more than a bump in the road for the Mets #2 prospect. Benge rocketed his way up the Mets’ system and prospect list. He’s not only regarded as the Mets best offensive prospect but he’s become the envy of the league as one of baseball’s top outfield prospects going into the 2026 season.

Benge brings a wide variety of weapons to the table. He can hit for contact, power, he can run, he can work a count, and understands how to to wait for his pitch. I don’t think we’ll see him in Queens before July of next year, but don’t be surprised if the Mets call him up for hopefully another pennant chase come August and September.

3. 1B/OF Ryan Clifford:

Clifford came to the Mets organization in a deal that sent Justin Verlander to the Astros during the 2023 trade deadline. His partner in that deal, Drew Gilbert, was dealt to San Francisco this past July. Clifford has managed to stick around and has cemented himself as a top prospect in the Met organization. 

Unlike Jett and Benge, Clifford will strikeout often, but he also has more power than the previous two prospects mentioned. Clifford is a Kyle Schwarber prototype hitter. Can just as easily strikeout or hit the ball 450 feet in any given at-bat without a lot in between. He does have a good eye at the plate as he drew 85 walks between Double-A and Triple-A, and he led all Met prospects in home runs with 29 as well as RBIs with 93.

There’s more “what if’s” surrounding Clifford than there is with Jett and Benge. Should the Mets reach a deal, long-term with Pete Alonso, Clifford’s path to the Queens could be blocked, unless they’re willing to eventually transition Alonso to DH. That might open the door for Stearns to throw Clifford on the trading block, if he hasn’t already. 

Should the Mets and Alonso not reach an agreement, it’s more than likely that the team would rather go after a first baseman in free agency rather than look internally. What would that look like? Josh Naylor is just 28 years old and one of the marquee bats available this off season. If the Met go big and land Naylor, they should sign him on a long term deal, leaving Clifford stranded in Triple-A. 

If the Mets can’t land a player like Naylor, they might offer a short-term deal to a less coveted player. That could open the door for Clifford as the organization will patiently watch his development over his first full season in Triple-A next year. Clifford hits for power, is still just 22 and like all prospects, offers years of cheap, team control. That Mets have kept him around this long, and Stearns does favor signing veteran players short-term while the farm system develops, a move that’s starting to play out with the starting pitching staff this past season. Right now, Clifford’s path is unclear, by February, we might have a better sense of what the future holds for him.