Hayden Senger, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

If this list were written last year, Bryce Montes de Oca, Colin Holderman, and Nate Fisher likely would’ve been on it. This list of ten prospects to watch entering the 2023 minor league season will include players destined to debut for the Mets (or another team) but are currently in the periphery of prospect relevance and outside of the Top 10 or 15 Mets prospects.

Due to stand-out performances, injuries, trades, poor performance by others, or other factors,. some of these lower or unranked players will make their way to the big club to the surprise of everybody, potentially including themselves. Let’s dive in.

Hunter Parsons (Right-Handed Reliever)

Hunter Parsons had an unbelievable start to the 2022 season, opening with 15.2 scoreless innings in Brooklyn before being promoted to Binghamton on June 1. He had his ups and downs in AA last year, finishing the year with a 5.31 ERA, a league-average 23.7 strikeout percentage, and an elevated 14.7 walk rate for the Rumble Ponies. After working on his mechanics this offseason, he has seen a velocity uptick, averaging over 94 mph in his last spring training outing (2022 avg. was 92.0). He is also throwing a much-improved slider after throwing a slower, small sweeper last year at around 80 mph.

His current slider is around 83 mph with 7 inches of vertical break and -7 inches of horizontal break, a unique shape and one likely to be effective against right-handed hitters. He fared well in big-league spring training games, working 1.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts and no runs. Look for him to be in Triple-A by July.

Wyatt Young (Infielder)

Wyatt Young had an incredible start to the 2022 season as well, playing just five games in High-A Brooklyn before being promoted to Syracuse to fill a spot while the Triple-A team was down an infielder. Surprisingly, he was incredibly successful in that Triple-A stint, hitting .352 with a .883 OPS in 71 trips to the plate. When Syracuse no longer needed Young as an extra infielder, he earned himself a promotion to Double-A instead of returning to Brooklyn. He came back down to earth in Binghamton but put up a respectable .733 OPS, a 107 RPG+, and a 112 TM (Trackman) RPG+. His Syracuse TM RPG+ was 114, or 14% above league average, which takes into account his batted ball data and exit velocities.

Despite the statistical differences he had from Triple-A to Double-A, he was an above-average hitter (by over 10%) at both of the minors’ top levels, even more impressive considering it was his first full season of professional baseball. Young should be a utility starter in Triple-A by year-end.

Luis Moreno (Right-Handed Starter)

Luis Moreno is becoming more of a prospect, but after starting his 2022 season in Low-A St. Lucie, he is likely going to be in Double-A for the bulk of the 2023 season. Last year, he took massive steps forward by canning his four-seam fastball, adding a plus two-seam fastball and relying on his high spin on breaking balls. He dropped his walk rate by over 7% from 2021 to 2022 and was above league average in xERA at both the A and A+ levels.

There is still ground to be gained, however, as he posted below-average K rates, leading to an addition of a high-velocity cutter (avg. of 90.6 in his last spring training outing) that should be a swing-and-miss pitch.

Daison Acosta (Right-Handed Reliever)

Daison Acosta had a turbulent 2022 season, starting off horribly as a starter in his first game action since 2019. He had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and had good velocity in his return (low to mid-90s) but struggled to find the zone and get deep into games. After several early exits as a starter, including outings where he failed to make it out of the first inning, he had to make a change.

The Mets put him in the bullpen, where he flourished to finish the season. His confidence and mound presence were day and night after taking the back-end reliever role for the surging Brooklyn Cyclones. He finished the year with an 85 xERA, 15% better than the league average, and brought his ERA down from 7.50 to 4.84 in the last two months of the season. Expect him to start as a back-end reliever in Double-A.

Brandon McIlwain (Outfielder)

Brandon McIlwain had a great start in Brooklyn, earning a promotion to Double-A halfway through the season. While he was underwhelming in ‘Bingo with a 73 RPG+ (runs per game plus), he did hit the ball harder than the results showed, getting close to league average with a 92 TM RPG+. He is an incredible athlete, and more time spent on the baseball field can only help the former two-sport Division 1 athlete. His exit velocities have been well north of 100 mph in spring training and he is a sleeper who could continue his ascent in ’23.

Trey McLoughlin (Right-Handed Reliever)

After spending the offseason at Driveline, Trey McLoughlin showed up ready to go for minor league camp. He allowed just one run in 3.1 innings pitched this spring in four outings and saw over a one-mile-per-hour increase on his heater. He has been sitting north of 93 mph this spring after averaging 91.9 a year ago. If he can limit the long ball (9 home runs allowed in 51.2 IP in 2022) then he will continue to make steady progress level-to-level.

Hayden Senger (Catcher)

After spending the fall of 2021 in the Arizona Fall League, hopes were high for Hayden Senger entering 2022. He is a plus-defensive catcher who showed flashes of hitting that gave hope he could be in the show sooner rather than later. He regressed in Double-A from ’21 to ’22 at the plate and managed just a .675 OPS there last year. This year will be crucial for him to show that he still has potential at the plate, but being a depth option as a defensive catcher will get him opportunities. He’s a couple of injuries away from being in the big leagues, but crazier things have happened.

JT Schwartz (First Baseman)

JT Schwartz‘s 2022 season should be considered a massive win for the Mets. He stayed healthy after an injury-ridden college campaign, struggled early on and adjusted well to have a strong finish and overall product from the campaign. He was an above-average High-A hitter at the age of 22 (109 wRC+) and played in 112 games. He had a blistering second half, and if his power numbers increase, he will be a good upper minors contributor this year with MLB depth potential in the near future.

Sammy Tavarez (Right-Handed Reliever)

Tavarez is a wild card. His fastball reaches 100 mph, and his curveball is a knee-buckler, but his command is as inconsistent as it comes. (He has a 20% walk rate in the minor leagues.) He could boom or bust as he makes his way to Double-A this year, but a ridiculous .516 OPS against in 2022 shows that he has the stuff to compete at higher levels. A cutter or smaller slider could help him get in the zone more as he is primarily throws his fastball and curveball. He has over 28 inches of vertical separation between the two pitches.

Nolan Clenney (Right-Handed Reliever)

Nolan Clenney is a mid-90s right-handed reliever with an impressive mid-to-upper 80s slider. He also has great command. He struggled early on in 2022 but put up a 31.2 K% and 7.5 BB%. He’s also been at least 17% better than league average in each of his three stops in affiliate baseball. He is on the older side for the levels he’s played in at nearly 27 but is showing no signs of being slowed by the play at those levels. He should be a mainstay in the Binghamton bullpen, and as he increases slider usage, his attractiveness to the organization will only increase.