After minor league seasons largely spent working back from injury, both Boston Baro and Calvin Ziegler appeared in the October 4 Arizona Fall League game. Baro roped a 99.7 mph single to drive in a runner while Ziegler threw a scoreless inning in relief.
Boston Baro was taken in the eighth round of the 2023 Draft as an over-slot high school signee. He is an athletic defender with a good hit tool and limited power that could develop into a utility player. Unfortunately, since being drafted, Baro has largely struggled in the minors, with his best season in 2024, mustering only a .748 OPS. He struggled heavily in 2025 and was injured for most of 2026. Ideally, Baro will utilize the Arizona Fall League to springboard into a healthy 2027 campaign.
Calvin Ziegler was taken in the second round of the 2021 Draft and has pitched a full season once, in 2022. Since then, he has been injured each season, including a torn quad and Tommy John surgery, but has persevered. He came back at the end of 2026, and his stuff looked better than his results. He did not strike anyone out in his sole inning of relief, but his velocity was there. The best thing to come out of the AFL would be for Ziegler to end it healthy and ready for 2027.
Ziegler joins Peyton Prescott and Irving Cota in a successful first pitching performance in the AFL while Baro joins Cole Mathis in getting his first AFL hit. So far, the Mets prospects have won both of their AFL games.
