MACK - Top 28 - Prospects - #26 - LHSP - Daviel Hurtado

 

The excitement about the Mets' prospect pipeline has been building year over year as the team improves their domestic and international scouting.  Many of the Mets' picks are being discussed throughout baseball, so Mack has boiled it down to the top 28 to give the readers a glimpse into the team's future.  This series will run for 28 days, counting down from #28 to #1.  The entire list can be viewed by clicking "2026 Top 28 Prospects" on the top menu bar.

26  -  Daviel Hurtado

LHSP    6-1    170    Turns 21 on January 26^th

2025 – FCL Mets:    5-STARTS, 1-0, 0.47, 0.64. 19-IP, 25-K

              St. Lucie:     13-G, 7-STARTS, 0-2, 2.70, 1.37, 46.2-IP, 50-K

GROK -

Daviel Hurtado is a promising young left-handed pitcher in the New York Mets' minor league system.

He's a Cuban-born prospect, signed by the Mets as an international free agent in January 2023 at age 19.

Hurtado started his pro career in the Dominican Summer League (DSL Mets) in 2023, then progressed through the Florida Complex League (FCL Mets) in 2024-2025, and got assigned to Single-A St. Lucie Mets (Florida State League) in 2025.

He's shown solid development, including being named Pitcher of the Month for August 2025 by the Mets and St. Lucie Booster Club.

In lower levels, he's posted strong strikeout rates (around 9-10 K/9 in samples) with decent control, and he's been highlighted in Mets minor league recaps for impressive outings (e.g., low-run allowed stretches in complex league ball).

As a prospect, he's considered a sleeper or honorable mention type in Mets farm system rankings (e.g., around 45 OFP grade in some scouting reports), with high risk but upside due to his youth, athleticism, and room to add strength/muscle.

Pitching Repertoire:

Fastball: Primary pitch, sitting 91-94 mph, with peaks up to 96 mph (some earlier reports noted up to 95-98 potential). It's his go-to offering with good life from his lefty arm angle.

Curveball: A big, sharp breaker (77-81 mph), often described as a plus or high-50s grade tool—his best secondary pitch for generating whiffs and missing bats.

Slider: Complementary breaker (84-88 mph), solid average offering to add variety against right-handers.

Changeup: Developing (84-87 mph), more of a fringe/40-grade pitch currently, but part of his mix as he works on it.

He throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action, which helps create deception and arm speed.

Command has been average to plus in early looks, and the repertoire gives him a classic lefty starter profile with swing-and-miss potential once he adds velocity and consistency.