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In 2021, the Mets decided to part ways with one of their "five aces", Noah Syndergaard. He departed to free agency and signed with the Angels.
That decision is still relevant to the Mets' five years later, because they were given a compensation pick in following year's draft. With that pick (75th overall) the Mets selected Nick Morabito. An outfielder out of Washington DC.
Over the next four seasons, Morabito would quietly rise through the Mets' prospect ranks. During his first full professional season in 2023, he batted .306 with an OPS of .828 as he split his time between the FCL and Low-A St. Lucie.
In 2024, he continued to get better across MiLB. During his first 24 games in Low-A he put up an otherworldly OPS of 1.043. That was more than enough to earn him a promotion to High-A Brooklyn, where his production continued to improve. Through 95 games with the Cyclones, he batted .294 and showed off his speed, by stealing 48 bases. 59 overall for 2024.
Morabito found himself starting 2025 in Double-A Binghamton. A level that separates the men from the boys so to speak. He had a slight drop off putting up an OPS of .733 but he maintained his consistency and finished the year with the eventual Eastern League Champion Rumble Ponies.
In 118 Double-A games he collected 119 hits, stole 49 bases, and drove in 59 runs. Overall, a good season for the 22-year-old. He continued his 2025 campaign in the Arizona Fall League.
I had the chance to see him play in the desert and he was one of Scottsdale's best hitters. Against some of the best pitchers that MiLB has to offer, he batted .362 with an OPS of .914, and in just 17 games he stole 16 bases. He also showed great plate discipline drawing ten walks while only striking out 15 times in 69 at-bats. He put up better numbers in the AFL than former Met prospects Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams had in 2024, and bested Jacob Reimer's tenure in the AFL, a prospect who is ahead of him in the Pipeline rankings. That's not to take anything away from any of those players, but it shows just how high a ceiling Morabito has.
This year, Morabito opened the season in Triple-A Syracuse, and so far, he's adjusted to Triple-A that same way he did in every other league after a promotion. In his first seven games, he's batting .333, with an OPS of .938, he has one home run, significant, because he only has 13 in his MiLB career, and already has two stolen bases.
Morabito is on the doorstep of the Major Leagues, and what makes him even more likely to be called up sometime in 2026, other than his good play, is the fact that the Mets have a shallow outfielder depth with the big league club.
Currently ranked as the #12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Morabito has a very similar style of play to higher ranked prospects like A.J. Ewing, who was also a compensation draft pick. I'd imagine we'll see Morabito in Queens before 2026 is over.
4 comments:
Morabito is getting closer and closer. I call him Nick the Quick. May he make the Mets Quickly. I’d like to see a real uptick in power in the much more HR-friendly AAA.
While I understand the thinking behind getting players with major league experience like MJ Melendez to fill out the 40-man roster, it shouldn't prevent in-house prospects from moving up the ladder when they demonstrate superior ability. When a non-prospect has had several years and not yet established himself as a regular then to me he's merely filler material. I was a little surprised when the Mets promoted Ronny Mauricio for Juan Soto's IL stint, I fully expected them to take Melendez.
How soon before Nick the Quick gets called up?
I’d give him until the All Star break. Hitting MLB pitching is a steep ramp-up. No rush…unless injuries force the issue.
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