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 (maybe) 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 #6:
6. SP Zach Thornton
LHSP 6-3 170
24/yrs in July
5th
round pick 2023 – Grand Canyon U. (Guess Where?)
2025 – A+/AA: 14-ST, 6-2, 1.98,
0.81, 72.2-IP, 78-K, 11-BB
Zach Thornton
is a highly regarded left-handed starting pitcher in the New York Mets' minor
league system.
At 23 years
old (born January 17, 2002, in Winona, Minnesota), he's emerging as one of the
organization's most promising arms, particularly noted for his elite command,
control, and ability to dominate lineups without elite velocity.
Standing at
6'3" and 170 pounds, Thornton profiles as a potential back-of-the-rotation
starter at the MLB level, with scouts praising his deceptive delivery.
Thornton grew
up in Lawrence, Kansas, and honed his skills in summer collegiate leagues
before transferring to Grand Canyon University (NCAA Division I) for his junior
year in 2023. At Grand Canyon, he earned All-WAC second-team honors as a
starter, posting a 3.87 ERA over 88.1 innings with 91 strikeouts and just 18
walks—showcasing the command that would define his pro career.
The Mets
selected him in the fifth round (159th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft, signing
him for $350,000. Prior to the draft, Thornton had a decorated JUCO career at
Barton Community College, where he was named first-team all-conference,
conference Pitcher of the Year runner-up, first-team all-region, and third-team
All-American as a sophomore in 2022. He also pitched in the Appalachian League
(Elizabethton River Riders) and MLB Draft League (Mahoning Valley Scrappers),
boosting his stock with scouts.
Thornton's
pro debut in 2023 was solid but unremarkable: he split time between the Florida
Complex League Mets and Single-A St. Lucie, going 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 22
innings.
The real
breakout came in 2025, where he dominated across High-A Brooklyn (South
Atlantic League) and Double-A Binghamton (Eastern League).
Overall Stats
(as of injury in August 2025): 8-2 record, 1.53 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 24.4% K-BB%
rate (16th-best among minor leaguers with 12+ starts), and a sub-2.00 FIP. He
ranked among the top 16 minor league pitchers with an ERA under 2.00.
High-A
Brooklyn (April-May): 3-0, 0.44 ERA in four starts (20.2 IP), with 24
strikeouts and just 2 walks. Earned South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month
for April.
Double-A
Binghamton (May-August): 5-2, 2.13 ERA, including gems like 6.2 IP of one-run
ball (8 K's, no walks) and a career-high 7 IP shutout (3 H, 6 K, 0 BB). Named
Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for May 19-25.
His 2025
season quietly placed him among the Mets' top pitching prospects, behind
headliners like Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat but ahead of many in raw
effectiveness.
Thornton's
arsenal isn't built on velocity but on deception, location, and sequencing. His
delivery—described as "all movement"—creates late life on his
pitches, leading to high whiff rates despite modest speeds. He commands all
four offerings well, rarely exceeding 90 pitches per start.
Fastball
- Four-seam with
significant induced vertical break (16.1 inches) and spin rates of 2,200-2,400
RPM for deception. Sits low-90s, tops out at 93-94 mph. Primary pitch (50-60%
usage); plays up due to arm action and command. Generates swings-and-misses
despite average velo.
Slider - Mid-80s sweeper with sharp
horizontal break; his go-to out pitch against righties. 25-30% usage; above-average command allows
him to bury it low-and-away. Complements fastball well.
Curveball - 12-6 breaker for depth and change
of pace; used to steal strikes early in counts. 10-15% usage; effective for
tunneling with fastball-slider.
Changeup - Fading action to jam lefties;
developing but inconsistent. 5-10% usage; more of a show-me pitch, but
improving
Cutter (emerging) - Hard horizontal slice
added in 2025 for variety against contact hitters. Low usage (~5%); helps
shorten plate appearances and set up other pitches.
Scouts note
his fastball-slider combo as plus, with the full mix giving him a "crafty
lefty" profile similar to a young Jamie Moyer but with better strikeout
upside. Areas for growth: Adding velocity (he's young and projectable) and
refining the changeup for same-handed matchups.
Outlook -
Thornton embodies the Mets' emphasis on polished college arms under David
Stearns. If he stays healthy, he's on track for a big-league debut by 2027,
potentially as a reliable No. 4-5 starter.
Mack – this is another of those great Mets minor league
starters that get little press, due to the emphasis on The Three Amigos
(McLean, Tong, Sproat). Don’t be surprised if he sneaks into the open day 2027
roation as an SP4-5.
Jeff Duda @INTLBaseball24
Jorge Loyola, who is participating in Japan’s winter
league, is from Peru and played for them in U23 World Cup qualifiers. The
biggest arm to ever come from Perú. His fastball nearly touches 105 MPH(!)
Running From The OPS @OPS_BASEBALL
We saw a full season out of Jacob Reimer in
2025, and the 21-year-old certainly didn't disappoint. He slashed
.282/.379/.491 with 17 HR, 32 2B, an .870 OPS, and a 157 wRC+. He has an
advanced eye at the plate and pairs it with excellent swing decisions. This
system is loaded!
MLB Prospects to Watch as Potential
Centerpieces in Winter Meetings Trades
CLICK
HERE
RHP Jonah Tong, New York Mets
San Diego Padres v New York Mets
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
B/R Prospect Rank: No. 3 NYM, No. 34 MLB
Stats (AA/AAA): 22 GS, 1.43 ERA, 0.92 WHIP,
47 BB, 179 K, 113.2 IP
Scouting Report: Despite making his MLB debut
on Aug. 29 and spending the rest of the season in the majors, Tong still led
all minor league pitchers with 179 strikeouts.
He has an elite fastball, plus changeup and a
high-spin curve, all delivered from an over-the-top arm slot that is
reminiscent of Tim Lincecum.
Tong had a 7.71 ERA in 18.2 innings in the
majors, but he flashed upside with 22 strikeouts and a more palatable 4.31 FIP.
Why He Could Be Traded: The Mets have three
exciting young arms in Tong, Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat, but it's unlikely they will trust all three
to hold down rotation spots in 2026.
With the front office clear in win-now mode,
that could mean flipping one of those arms to address a need elsewhere, like
center field.
Former Phillies closer connected to Mets
in MLB free agency
CLICK
HERE
Seranthony Dominguez
As a free agent again this winter, the
31-year-old should have a decent market. When examining potential landing spots
for the veteran, Josue De Jesus of
Rising Apple believes that Dominguez could be an option for the New York Mets,
a team rumored to be interested in adding a few bullpen arms.
“Bullpen volatility is a constant in
baseball, making Seranthony DomÃnguez a fascinating Tier 5 target for the Mets’
relief corps. The hard-throwing righty pitched 62.2 innings across 67 games in
2025, registering a solid 3.16 ERA and an encouraging 1.28 WHIP. He continued
to rely on elite strikeout ability, punching out 79 batters, which translates
to an exceptional K/9 rate of over 11.3 for the season.
“However, DomÃnguez’s history is marred by
injury-related shutdowns and command inconsistencies, explaining his Tier 5
status. His career ERA stands at a strong 3.50, backed by a phenomenal 10.6
career K/9,” he wrote.
If there was one issue for the Mets a year
ago, it was on the mound, and that’s something they will have to fix.
Unprotected
From the Rule 5 Draft
https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/most-surprising-prospects-left-unprotected-rule-5-draft/?s=03
Hayden Mullins (LHP) – Boston Red Sox
2025 Stats: 22 G (21 GS), 101.2 IP, 2.21 ERA,
3.44 FIP, 123 K
Hayden Mullins is going to make a major
league organization pretty happy when they get to submit the card to draft him
in the Rule 5 this year.
The left-handed pitcher continued to rise up
Red Sox prospect rankings as the season went on in 2025, putting up a 10.9 K/9
by season’s end. He is the traditional lefty, in that he lives in the low-90s
with his fastball, topping out around 95 mph, but he does possess a strong
slider/change-up combination that works off the same plane, creating unique
deception to opposing hitters.
Even if he is not able to stick in the back
of a rotation in the big leagues, Mullins would serve well as a bulk arm in a
team’s bullpen.
