In a dozen games at Triple-A Syracuse, A.J. Ewing has already put together an impressive highlight reel. He tripled in his first at-bat. He made diving catches in center field on back-to-back pitches. He ripped a walk-off single last week.
The 21-year-old is coming to Queens because Jacob deGrom left. The Mets selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft out of Springboro (Ohio) High School, a pick received because deGrom went to the Rangers. He was committed to the University of Alabama, but signed with New York for a $675,000 bonus.
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Ewing’s scouting reports on Baseball Savant have improved each year. In 2024, he was a “project,” with the hope he could be a utility man who could play second base and all three outfield spots. That was fair, considering he posted a .688 OPS for Low-A St. Lucie over 71 games. He “struggled with the velocity that comes with full-season ball.”
In 2025, evaluators liked the left-handed hitter’s command of the strike zone, impressed that his chase rate was in the 83rd percentile at Low-A, a rarity for a 19-year-old. He was promoted twice that year, advanced to Double-A Binghamton, and stole 70 bases in 81 attempts. Even more encouraging, he slashed .315/.401/.429/.830 in 124 games at the three levels.
“Ewing can run into balls with solid exit velocities, and he has enough pull-side pop that he could be average in the power category in time,” read a scouting report.
This year, there is talk of Ewing becoming a five-tool player if he can hit for power. He is the No. 78 prospect on MLB Pipeline and the Mets’ No. 2 prospect behind Jonah Tong. Given recent graduations and performance, he was going to be MMO’s top prospect on the next update.
“Ewing has many ways he can contribute offensively, and, increasingly, overall on the diamond,” the most recent report reads. He has gotten even better at controlling the strike zone, cutting down on strikeouts and improving his in-zone contact rate.
He went 22-for-63 with two homers, six doubles and a triple in 18 games at Binghamton this year before he was promoted. At Syracuse, he went 15-for-46 with three doubles and that triple. He’s stolen 17 bases in 18 tries combined at the two stops and is hitting .339/.447/.514/.961 in 132 plate appearances.
Scouts grade players on a 20 to 80 scale. Ewing’s 2026 marks: hit (55), power (40), run (70), arm (50), field (60), overall (55). With the exception of power, all those numbers are up since the first report. And now, Ewing is getting called up, looking to help boost an offense that sorely needs it.
The Mets as a team are slashing .222/.287/.341, which ranks 29th/30th/30th in the majors. They have scored 139 runs in 40 games (3.5 runs per game), which is tied for the fewest runs scored with the Giants. At 15-25, they have the worst record in the league. But with 122 games left, there is still time to turn the season around. The Mets were 11 games under .500 at a later date in 2024 before rallying to make the playoffs.
Ewing will likely be in center field and has hit lefties as well or better than righties over his years in the minors so it would be surprising to see him platooned. He’s 11-for-29 with a 1.126 OPS vs. southpaws this year. The Mets have stolen 19 bases as a team, tied for 23rd in the league, so that is another area where Ewing could help.
