The Mets system is fairly deep but lacks a true blue chipper. Many of the prospects on this list missed a chunk of time during the 2024 season, so the biggest goal for the farm as a whole in 2025 will be to stay on the field.
This article is part of a series focusing on each MLB team’s top 20 prospects for fantasy baseball heading into the 2025 season. Stay tuned for prospect breakdowns for all 30 teams throughout January here at Pitcher List, and be sure to check out all our published pieces in the series.
- NL East: Phillies
Top Mets Prospects
The Top Tier
1) Jett Williams – MI/OF, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A-Double A-Triple A): .215 AVG | .358 OBP | .298 SLG | 0 HR | 5 SB | 14.9 K% | 23.6 BB%
Williams suffered a wrist injury in 2024, so we unfortunately did not see a lot of him. The then-20-year-old only appeared in 33 games and when he did play, he wasn’t very good, hitting just .215. For the most part, we have to throw away 2024 almost completely when analyzing Williams. A quick glance shows that he made it to Triple-A, which on the surface is encouraging, but I have to imagine that was only because the Mets were trying to maximize his game action after missing so much time.
Williams also participated in the Arizona Fall League and he was better there, finishing with a .764 OPS in 22 games, while also tallying two home runs and seven steals. That’s still not the most eye-popping but it’s closer to what we saw from him in 2023 when he put up a .876 OPS between Single-A and High-A. The ceiling still remains sky-high for Williams, given his combination of youth, power, and speed, but there is a little more concern here than there was 12 months ago due to the lost season. This could be the perfect buying opportunity in dynasty leagues though, and that window will close quickly as soon as he resembles the player we saw in 2023. Expect him to start the year in Double-A.
2) Brandon Sproat – P, 24 YO
2024 Stats (A+/Double-A/Triple-A): 116.1 IP | 3.40 ERA | 28.3 K% | 9.1 BB%
Sproat is a 2023 second rounder who became one of 2024’s biggest breakout performers after not appearing in any contests following his draft season. The righty kicked off the season in High-A and quickly proved to be too dominant of an arm for that level, finishing with a 1.07 ERA in 25.1 frames. He then spent the bulk of the year at Double-A where he continued to shine. In 11 starts, the then-23-year-old recorded a 2.45 ERA, 2.88 FIP, and 26.7% K-BB rate. Those are top-notch numbers and they earned Sproat yet another promotion in August.
The right-hander hit a wall upon his promotion as all of his numbers went in the wrong direction. In seven starts, Sproat allowed 24 earned runs in 28.2 innings while striking out 21 and walking 11. He also gave up seven homers after allowing just six during his Double-A tenure, which was more than twice as many innings.
So the question is what really happened in Triple-A? Is it just a blip? Did the innings take a toll? Did hitters adjust? It’s probably a combination of all those factors, but it shouldn’t dim Sproat’s star too much. The pitcher we saw for the first two-thirds of the season was one of the best minor league arms in the game, and he should be valued as such heading into 2025. If there is more of a red flag here it is that his walk rates were all over the place (15.7% in High-A, 6.5% in Double-A and 8.5% in Triple-A). This might indicate that Sproat has a walk rate in the 9-10% range in the majors, which is certainly on the high end of acceptable. Sproat could debut in 2025.
3) Nolan McLean – P, 23 YO
2024 Stats (A+/Double-A): 109.2 IP | 3.78 ERA | 25.1 K% | 9.3 BB%
The Mets selected McLean in the third round of the 2023 draft. Coming out of Oklahoma State, McLean was a two-way player and the Mets deployed him as such until July of last year, when they ultimately decided that he would focus on pitching moving forward. That’s probably the right call after seeing him hit just .192 to start the year.
On the mound, McLean has great upside as a fastball/slider arm. His 2024 stats are impressive, especially considering that he was bouncing between both sides of the ball. Heading into 2025 with the commitment to being on the mound, it feels natural that McLean will take another leap, and he should be able to deepen his repertoire. If he’s able to do that successfully, he will be an impact starter – but if that fails he should comfortably slot in as a high-leverage bullpen arm.
4) Ronny Mauricio – IF, 24 YO
2024 Stats: N/A
Mauricio suffered an ACL tear in the Dominican Summer League in 2023, causing him to miss the entire 2024 campaign. Just how much that missed time will hurt the development of the soon-to-be 24-year-old remains to be seen, but let’s not forget that the infielder put together an impressive 2023 season.
Mauricio spent most of that year at Triple-A, where he hit 23 home runs and swiped 24 bags while triple-slashing .292/.346/.506. The Mets even gave him a cup of coffee and he held his own, hitting .248 with two home runs and seven steals in 26 games.
Mauricio has big power and can steal bases, but his aggressive approach may exposed at the MLB level. It wouldn’t shock me if his fantasy numbers end up resembling someone like Christopher Morel.
5) Jonah Tong – P, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+/Double-A): 113 IP | 3.03 ERA | 34.2 K% | 10.0 BB%
Tong was a bit of a breakout prospect in 2024, and you can see why. He put up impressive strikeout and run prevention numbers, with most of his games coming at High-A, and it’s possible he has another leap to make in 2025.
It’s possible this ranking is far too low on Tong, but with a double-digit walk rate, there is also a chance he ends up in the bullpen at some point. That being said, a strikeout rate north of 30% is too difficult to ignore and if Tong is someone’s top arm in the system I wouldn’t argue.
6) Carson Benge – OF, 22 YO
2024 Stats (A): .273 AVG | .420 OBP | .436 SLG | 2 HR | 3 SB | 20.3 K% | 15.9 BB%
We only saw Benge appear in 15 games at the professional level after the Mets took him with the 19th overall pick in July’s draft, but his performance was what you would hope for. In those 15 Single-A games, Benge hit two home runs, stole three bases, hit for a decent average, and walked a bunch. It’s a small sample in a lower level of the minors, but if you’re a Mets fan you’re happy with the performance.
This followed up a solid season at Oklahoma State, where the outfielder triple slashed .335/.444/.665 in 61 games. From a fantasy point of view, Benge doesn’t offer an elite ceiling because he wasn’t a huge base stealer in college, but he could end up being the best bat currently in the system.
7) Drew Gilbert – OF, 24 YO
2024 Stats (CPX/A): .205 AVG | .313 OBP | .371 SLG | 10 HR | 3 SB | 20.1 K% | 11.2 BB%
Gilbert’s 2024 feels somewhat similar to Williams’. Coming off of an impressive 2023 campaign, one that included Gilbert being the headliner of the Justin Verlander return package, the outfielder suffered a hamstring injury in 2024 and missed a good chunk of the season. When it was all said and done, Gilbert appeared in 62 games, most of which at Double-A, and his performance was nowhere close to what we saw in 2023.
That 2023 season saw Gilbert hit .289 with 18 home runs and 12 steals. In 2024, he barely hit above .200. It’s completely fair to question just how much the injury impacted his performance, and whether or not he was ever completely 100% upon returning.
We should see a healthy Gilbert in 2025, and his number should bounce back closer to what we saw in 2023. There is a good chance he profiles closer to a better real-life player than a fantasy one, but he is still one of the better players in the system and one of the safer bets to make it to the bigs.
Prospects Dynasty Managers Should Know
8) Luisangel Acuña – 2B/SS, 23 YO
2024 Stats (MLB): .308 AVG | .325 OBP | .641 SLG | 2 HR | 0 SB | 15.0 K% | 2.5 BB%
2024 Stats (Triple-A): .258 AVG | .299 OBP | ..355 SLG | 7 HR | 14 SB | 16.4 K% | 5.5 BB%
There is no way around it, Acuña was bad last year in Triple-A. Honestly, he was so bad that it’s difficult to look at his results and come away with anything positive. The closest thing would be the 40 steals in 131 games, but he also got caught 14 times. That’s a solid stolen base percentage, but it’s buried amongst everything else we see.
Oddly, the middle infielder did well in the majors, hitting .308 with a surprising bop. It was only 14 games, though, and his hyper-aggressive approach at the plate is not likely to hold water across a full season sample. We need to see him have some success against Triple-A arms before buying in that he can do it against big-league ones.
If he can refine the approach in some way, his stolen base ability makes him an intriguing dynasty prospect, but we just haven’t seen him have any sustained success since being traded to the Mets.
9) Jesus Baez – SS/3B, 20 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): .262 AVG | .335 OBP | .447 SLG | 11 HR | 9 SB | 16.1 K% | 8.5 BB%
Baez was breaking out before suffering a torn meniscus in early July. That ended his season, and it’s very possible that he’d be considered one of the team’s top five prospects had he finished out the year and sustained his level of play. Baez showed a good combination of contact and pop at Single-A before earning a promotion to High-A, where he only appeared in a handful of games before going down. He’s a player to watch.
10) Ryan Clifford – 1B/OF, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A+/Double-A): .228AVG | . 372 OBP | .421 SLG | 19 HR | 4 SB | 29.6 K% | 17.6 BB%
Clifford was another of the big pieces that came over in the Justin Verlander deal. He has big power (.225 ISO in 98 Double-A games last year) and walks and strikes out a lot. He gets a boost in OBP/OPS leagues, but given the high strikeout rates, it feels likely that he will end up as a strong-side platoon bat rather than an everyday player. Expect him to start the year in Triple-A.
11) Jeremy Rodriguez – SS, 18 YO
2023 MiLB Stats (CPX): .282 AVG | .355 OBP | .400 SLG | 3 HR | 17 SB | 17.1 K% | 9.7 BB%
Right now, Rodriguez is a hit-over-power shortstop who is still forever away from an MLB debut. He might fall into the category of being a better real-life prospect than a fantasy prospect, but if he grows into more power he could become a 2025 breakout. He should start the season in Single-A as an 18-year-old.
12) Jonathan Santucci – P, 21 YO
2024 Stats: N/A
The Mets used their second-round pick on Santucci in the 2024 draft and he is yet to appear in a professional game. Santucci is a lefty out of Duke, coming off his he best collegiate season where he struck out 90 in 58 frames while posting a 3.41 ERA. Santucci did issue his fair share of walks (36) so there is some relief risk here, but we’ve seen the Mets have some breakout arms the last few seasons and Santucci could be next in line.
13) Blade Tidwell – SP, 23 YO
2023 Stats (Double-A/Triple-A): 122.1 IP | 4.86 ERA | 22.6 K% | 12.0 BB%
Tidwell was lights out across seven Double-A appearances, posting a 2.41 ERA with a 22.4% K-BB rate in 37.1 innings. He was looking like another breakout arm for the Mets before stumbling at Triple-A. He tossed 85 innings there and finished with a 5.93 ERA and a 6.2% K-BB rate. Those are all career-worst numbers and given some high walk-rate numbers in the past, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up as a bullpen arm at some point. Still, we saw the flash in Double-A last season to dream for more.
14) Boston Baro – SS, 20 YO
2024 Stats (A, A+): .278 AVG | .358 OBP | .390 SLG | 4 HR | 9 SB | 18.1 K% | 11.0 BB%
Just like almost every other player on this list, Baro missed some time due to injury. He put together a solid season, most of which came at Single-A, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his power tick up in 2025 as he continues to mature and is a full year removed from his hamate injury.
15) Jacob Reimer – 1B/3B, 21 YO
2024 Stats (A/A+): .218 AVG | .358 OBP | .282 SLG | 0 HR | 0 SB | 14.7 K% | 15.8 BB%
Reimer missed almost the entire season due to a hamstring injury, so there isn’t much to take from his stats. We saw a glimpse of the hitter he could become in 2023, though, when he triple-slashed .280/.412/.392 at Single-A. Fingers crossed he remains healthy in 2025.
The Next Five
Although these prospects do not crack the top 15, dynasty managers should keep their eye on these five players:
Trey Snyder – 19 YO – Snyder has probably the best shot out of any on the back half of this top 20 to shoot up the list quickly. The Mets took him over slot in the fifth round as a shortstop with a promising bat.
Nick Morabito – 21 YO – Morabito is a speedy outfielder that performed well in Single-A and High-A in 2024, stealing 59 bases. He doesn’t offer much power.
Kevin Parada – 23 YO – Another former Top 100 prospect here and Parada offers some pop from the backstop but not much else.
Marco Vargas – 19 YO – Vargas missed a chunk of 2024. He’s probably a better real-life prospect than a fantasy one.
Colin Houck – 20 YO – The 2023 first-rounder struggled mightily in Single-A. He’s still only 20 years old, but he has a long way to go.