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 #2:
2. OF AJ
Ewing
Turns 22 in
August 5-11 160
CF/2B/LF LHH
2025 –
A/A+/AA: 564-PA, 105-K, 68-BB, 70-SB, 315/.401/.429/.830
AA: 132-PA, 29-K, 7-BB, 12-SB, .339/.371/.430/.801
Overall
Minors: .283 AVG, 13 HR, 107 RBI, 84 SB in 221 games.
A.J. Ewing,
whose full name is Andrew Joseph Ewing, is a highly regarded outfield prospect
in the New York Mets organization.
He's already
making waves in the minors with his speed, contact hitting, and improving power.
High School -
Ewing graduated from Springboro High
School in Springboro, Ohio, where he excelled as a shortstop. He was committed
to play college baseball at the University of Alabama but opted to turn pro
instead.
Draft
Selection: The Mets selected him in the
fourth round (134th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft as a compensatory pick for
losing ace Jacob deGrom to free agency. He
signed for an above-slot bonus of $675,000 and transitioned from shortstop to
second base/outfield due to his athleticism and speed.
Strengths: Known for his "twitchy"
athleticism, elite speed (he has 84 stolen bases in 221 minor league games),
and plate discipline—he often walks more than he strikes out. Scouts praise his
contact skills and gap power, with potential for more home runs as he adds
strength this offseason. He's working on building muscle to boost his exit
velocity and handle advanced pitching.
Minor League Career –
Ewing has
progressed quickly through the Mets' farm system, starting in the Rookie-level
Florida Complex League (FCL) and advancing steadily. His 2024 season was solid
but marked by adjustment to pro ball; 2025 was a breakout year, where he
dominated at Low-A and earned a promotion to Double-A.
ETA to MLB: Projected for 2028, though his rapid rise
could accelerate that. He's seen as a potential everyday second baseman or
versatile outfielder with 20-20 (HR-SB) upside if his power develops.
Ewing's quote
to the Dayton Daily News in October 2025:
"My goal
never was to be a college baseball player... I want to get to the bigs."
11-11-2025
Tom Brennan/MM
8. OF A.J. Ewing
The 5’11”
Ewing was, to me, the Mets minor league hitter of the year.
He is going
to be a 21-year-old in 2026, and is a high-on-base, base-swiping super machine.
In 2025, between St Lucie, Brooklyn, and Binghamton, he was .315/.401/.426.
Swoosh!
He is a
no-doubt top 5 player a year from now. His lone fault to date is low
power, with just 3 blasts in 2025, but he had 36 other extra base hits, which
is impressive, and SEVENTY STEALS in just 124 games, which is a 90+ steals pace
over 162 games. Just 105 Ks in 564 PAs.
He was an
over slot 134th pick in 2024.
I ask…why
can’t he be a star infielder/OF in the majors?
SWOOSH!
X
Talks with free-agent closer Edwin
Díaz have stretched into the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, with no
deal close. New York signed former Brewers All-Star Devin
Williams last week to strengthen a back end featuring Brooks Raley and A.J.
Minter. President David Stearns eyes
other top relievers like Robert
Suárez and Pete
Fairbanks if Díaz signs elsewhere, balancing bold moves with smart
value. Fans worry about losing Díaz's proven save touch from his Mets days,
while the front office builds depth for late-game lock downs.
MACK –
This week
could determine what the 2026 Mets pen is going to look like. Stearns is going
to have to make a hard decision if the reports that Diaz is not going to sign
early are true. All the available top relievers could be gone when Diaz decides where he is going.
Rule 5 Target
-
Will Childers, RHP,
Brewers
The son of a big leaguer (Matt) and nephew of another
(Jason), Childers was a non-drafted free-agent find by the Brewers in 2023 who
split the 2025 season between the top two levels of the Miinors, saving nine
games and striking out 9.5 per nine (albeit with a 5.6 BB/9 rate). He held
hitters to a .176 batting average with a fastball that touched 99 mph and 84-86
mph breaking stuff that can miss bats.
Griff McGarry, RHP,
Phillies
McGarry has shown off premium stuff since his Stanford days,
but command has always held him back. His fastball sits 94 mph and touches the
upper 90s with excellent extension, and his slider elicited a 52 percent miss
rate, according to Synergy, in 2025. The Phillies moved him back into a
starting role this year so he could keep working on all his stuff, and he took
a step forward command-wise with a career-low walk rate ... that was still 5.3
per nine.
Codify @CodifyBaseball
No MLB player in history has more walks before their 28th birthday than Juan Soto (who won't turn 28 until next October!).
Mason Miller, 932
Jhoan Duran, 527
Justin Martinez, 498
Aroldis Chapman, 402
Emmanuel Clase, 359
Ryan Helsley, 331
Hunter Greene, 331
Enticing trades each NL East
team should avoid at the Winter Meetings
New York Mets
Mets should avoid: Trading for a
Marlins pitcher
On a related note, it would not be wise for the New York
Mets to offer what it'd take to pry Sandy Alcantara
out of Miami. Yes, they desperately need an ace, but who knows if Alcantara
will ever get back to his Cy Young form. Is it worth parting with top prospects
for him, not knowing if he'll ever pitch like he did in the past?
Beyond Alcantara, the Marlins are also dangling Edward Cabrera on the block. Cabrera is just 27
years of age, has electric stuff, is coming off his best season (3.53 ERA in 26
starts), and is under club control through 2028, so there are reasons to
consider him, but durability and reliability are clear concerns. Cabrera had
never thrown more than 100 innings in a single big-league season until 2025,
and was so inconsistent with Miami to the point where he was on non-tender
watch at this time last season.
Cabrera deserves credit for seemingly putting it all
together in 2025, but who knows if that season was a mere outlier. The last
thing the Mets can afford is to give the Marlins substantial prospect capital
for pitchers with such glaring concerns.
Brett Baty
Expert
Suggests Baty Won't Be Among Mets Infielder on Trade Market
This success, combined with a mediocre year from Mark Vientos, along with Ronny
Mauricio and Luisangel Acuńa not
making any major impacts, and the sentiment that Jeff
McNeil is likely being dealt this winter, has given Baty new life in
Queens. In fact, it suggests that his future with the Mets is safer than all
those other players
MACK –
No one
wants this guy to succeed more that I do. You don’t have to go fishing for a
new catch while you still only have to pay team-controlled money. Baty proved
during the second half of 2025 that he can hit like the big guys. Extend that over
a season and you have an all-star.
Dick Scott
https://www.mlb.com/news/2025-bender-coolbaugh-award-winners?partnerID=web_article-share
Dick
Scott, New York Mets (manager of the Triple-A Syracuse Mets) -- Sheldon “Chief”
Bender Award
Dick Scott’s career in
professional baseball began in 1981 as the 17th round draft choice of the New
York Yankees out of Ellsworth High School in Ellsworth, Maine. As a shortstop,
Scott spent eight seasons in the Yankees organization, reaching Triple-A
Columbus. After signing with Oakland as a Minor League free agent in 1989,
Scott reached the big leagues with the Athletics, playing in three games with
the eventual World Champions. Following the 1990 season and 10 seasons as a
professional player, Scott retired and immediately began a coaching, scouting
and player development career that would span the next 35 years.
Scott’s career in player development began the very next
season in 1991 as he remained in the Athletics organization as a manager with
the Rookie-level Arizona League Athletics, whom he led to a league championship
in his first season. Scott went on to manage six seasons in the Athletics
organization, with stops in Madison (1992), Southern Oregon (1993), Modesto
(1994) and Huntsville (1995-96). His 1994 Modesto club went 96-40, posting a
.706 winning percentage, which has not been topped in the Minor Leagues since.
Scott was named the Manager of the Year in his league three times (1991 in
Arizona League, 1992 in the Northwest League and 1994 in the California
League). He was named USA Today Baseball Weekly Minor League Manager of the
Year in 1994.
In 1997, Scott joined the Arizona Diamondbacks organization
as a manager at Class-A South Bend before moving into a Major League advance
scout role in 1998. Following the 2001 season, Scott became the Director of
Player Development for the Toronto Blue Jays, a role he held through the 2009
season. In 2010, he joined the Houston Astros organization as their Minor
League field coordinator.
From 2011 through 2012, he served as the New York Mets’
Minor League field coordinator before serving as their Director of Player
Development from 2013-15. In 2016, Scott joined the Mets' Major League coaching
staff as bench coach for two seasons.
In 2018, he joined the Miami Marlins as Director of Player
Development for three seasons. During the 2021-2022 seasons, he served as the
Mets’ coordinator of coaching development and instruction before being named
Manager of Triple-A Syracuse for the last three seasons.
Anthony
DiComo @AnthonyDiComo
Two Mets injury updates:
-Christian Scott (Tommy
John surgery) will be a full go at the start of spring training.
-A.J. Minter (lat tear)
is questionable for Opening Day. But if he doesn't return then, he shouldn't
need much additional time.
MACK –
I’ve been
telling all of you this about Scott since the end of last season, but… aw…
never mind.
The
Minter delay is a major setback to a current thin pen. Hopefully Steans can do
something about this before Friday.
19 comments:
FAIRBANKS
+1
I wouldn’t make Baty untouchable in trades. I’d rather trade him one year early than 1 year too late. He can be a prime piece going for a starting pitcher with a couple years of control left?
How about calming Seattle and asking for Rye NY born George Kirby? They have pitching and we have hitting.
Offer them Baty, Jett, McNiel and Sproat that should get it done?
Will you throw in a large pepperoni?
No, the large Pepperoni is for the Dodgers!
For Stearns to go as high as $22MM per year, and say there could be room for more, means he knew there was something else somewhere. Should he had just gone to $23MM? Well…. Just saying that Diaz contract is $21MM per year after the deferrals. Am I sad to lose Diaz? Hell no!!!!
Could Christian Scott replace Edwin Diaz? Or just replace Reed Garrett?
The Mets should get Fairbanks - I like Alaska
Soto's high walks show how important it is to get to the big leagues really early if possible
Gus, the Mets offered 3/66 with room for negotiations. They were told they would get a chance to match. The reason he left was because he was another disloyal wah wah baby.
There are many reports already saying he was UPSET (wah wah baby) that they signed Williams and fired Hefner. Is he the GM now.
Another disloyal, prima donna...don't let the door hit you in the ass. Not Stearn's fault.
Sorry Gus, I didn't see your last line. I agree with you brother.
Sometimes, when the money is really enough either way, ego and respect play an outsized role in these kinds of negotiations. Waiting around and assuming you’ll get a chance to pay $1 more (metaphorically) than the guy’s best outside offer paid off for Stearns with Alonso (who clearly wanted to come back) last season. But sometimes, and this might be culturally more true for Latin American players, you need to show a little more respect and appreciation for a guy who has sweated and performed for you and is part of the family. I believe that Stearns really did want Diaz back, but got too cute for his own good, which was seen as disrespect or a lack of appreciation by Diaz, who walked.
Please keep in mind the Mets paid Diaz's salary in full during the 2024 season when he was injured and unable to play. Is that not a sign of respect and appreciation?
I mean, they were contractually obligated to pay him.
Joe, I didn’t read anywhere that they were promised a chance to match. I read how his brother spoke glowingly about the Dodgers organization and how his feelings were injured over Hefner’s dismissal. I never trusted the guy. His best years were free agent years; he struggles in non save situations… he needs motivation. If there isn’t something on the line, he can’t focus. Ans the base runners -OMG!!
:-)
Disagree Adam. Stearns is doing his job. He was very clear from the beginning that Williams was a setup guy in every interview. However, Diaz found out about the signing is how he should have known that too. Or, was he afraid of competition? I’ve always said he has a ten cents brain.
Orioles finalizing 5/$155 with Pete Alonso. The other shoe drops. Good luck Pete, Baltimore has good fans too.
Wow, all fan favorites, pre Stearns are now gone. (except Lindor) So are any excuses for Stearns. Now if any shit hits the fan its all on him.
Pete left because of Citi dimensions. If his whole career was in Baltimore, he’d have so many more HRs, he’d be on a HOF trajectory. I guess Cohen wants unattractive fences. Pete did not.
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