With spring training games officially underway, baseball is officially back. One of the best parts of the early months of camp is seeing the prospects people hear about all year and watching them play with current big leaguers. For the Mets, that includes Jett Williams, Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert, Christian Scott and Nate Lavender, to name a few.
Some top prospects have already put on a show in camp, leaving fans clamoring and pondering when they’ll see these players in Queens. Below are just a couple of players who have stood out so far in the early days of spring.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Luisangel Acuña
Acuña enters the 2024 season as one of the Mets’ top prospects. Acquired in the trade for Max Scherzer, Acuña, a shortstop by trade, will see playing time at second base. He notched his first hit on Monday and went 2-for-3 against Washington, with two singles.
Expected to start the season in Syracuse, Acuña likely will make his major league debut at some point in 2024. While there’s a position clog in the infield currently, Acuña’s emergence might force the Mets to figure out their future sooner rather than later. The speedster stole 52 bases in 2023 and hit .294/.359/.410/.769.
Speaking with reporters post-game, Acuña noted that he can see himself playing second moving forward and that he’s, “very, very comfortable” at the position.
Tyler Stuart
The 6-foot-9 right-handed pitcher made his spring training debut against the Nationals Monday in relief. He pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out and walking one. Tyler Stuart began the 2023 season in Brooklyn but worked his way up to Binghamton. Between both levels, he started 21 games, pitched to a combined 2.20 ERA, and struck out 112 batters over 110 innings pitched.
The team’s rotation took a hit when Kodai Senga went down with a shoulder injury. Joey Lucchesi, José Butto and Tylor Megill will get looks at the role. While Stuart won’t break camp with the Mets, he’s a name to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Jett Williams
After winning the 2023 Mets Minor League Player of the Year, the Mets and fans have high hopes for the 20-year-old. Like Acuña, he’s a shortstop by trade but will see time all over the field, especially in center. In Monday’s contest, Williams beat out an infield single, advanced to second and third on a wild pitch and throwing error and scored on a forced out.
Often ranked as the top prospect in the organization on almost every preseason ranking, Williams is already making a name for himself. Williams noted his goal in 2024 was to crack the big league roster at some point. After walking a Mets’ minor league-high 104 times in 2023, the odds are in Jett’s favor.
