MMO 2023 Top 30 Mets Prospects: 30-26 Led By Grant Hartwig

Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to release our top 30 prospects in the Mets organization in 2023. Today, we start with No. 30 through 26.

30. Christian Scott, RHP

B/T: R/R Age: 23 (6/15/1999)

Height: 6’4 Weight: 215

Acquired: Fifth round pick of the 2021 Draft from the University of Florida

ETA: 2024 Previous Rank: 23

2022 Stats (St. Lucie/Brooklyn): 4.45 ERA, 1.415 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, 11.8 K/9

Christian Scott has had a lot of buzz surrounding him since joining the Mets organization as a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of Florida, but that buzz has yet to really translate to success on the mound. He is being stretched out as a starter in the minors after serving mostly as a reliever with the Gators, making nine starts out of his 18 appearances this past season. He fared slightly better with High-A Brooklyn (3.80 ERA across six appearances) than he did with Low-A St. Lucie (5.06 ERA across 12 appearances), but his strikeout rate dipped and his walk rate rose after making the jump.

Scott also struggled immensely in limited action in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 10.38 ERA across four starts. Perhaps most alarming, he gave up 27 hits and four homers in just 13 innings, sending out his 2022 season on a very sour note. Scott had his fastball up to 97mph this past season with a slider and changeup in the mix, and he was able to stay healthy this year apart from a brief IL stint. Another full season in the minors will perhaps give the Mets a better glimpse into what kind of player Scott has the potential to develop into.

29. Eric Orze

B/T: R/R Age: 25 (8/21/1997)

Height: 6’4 Weight: 195

Acquired: Fifth round pick of the 2020 Draft from the University of New Orleans

ETA: 2023 Previous Rank: 25

2022 Stats (St. Lucie/Syracuse): 4.83 ERA, 1.152 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 12.3 K/9

Eric Orze made waves in his first full year in the Mets’ organization, flying through the ranks from Brooklyn all the way to Triple-A Syracuse during an impressive 2021 season. Along the way, he recorded a 3.08 ERA across 34 relief appearances with an impressively low WHIP and an outstanding strikeout rate. His ERA jumped pretty substantially to a 4.83 mark pitching predominantly for Syracuse in 2022, but his WHIP and strikeout numbers stayed consistently great.

Orze is a reliever through and through, and with the high turnover rate in the Mets bullpen entering the 2023 season, there’s a real chance he will get his first shot at major league action this upcoming year. His fastball/splitter combo has been a devastating pitch mix in the minors, but the lack of a standout third pitch and his penchant for giving up homers could hurt him once he does make that jump to the majors. He has the making of a great option as a young middle reliever with high variance on his potential major league success.

28. Jordany Ventura

B/T: R/R Age: 22 (7/6/2000)

Height: 6’0 Weight: 200

Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2018

ETA: 2025 Previous Rank: N/A

2022 Stats (FCL Mets/St. Lucie): 4.15 ERA, 1.038 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 13.5 K/9

Jordany Ventura signed with the Mets as a 17-year-old in 2018 and made waves during the 2019 season, earning a promotion to the GCL Mets by the end of the year and posting solid numbers at every stop along the way. He seemed destined to continue his rapid ascent through the organization, but he has pitched just 8 2/3 innings since 2019 due to the cancelled 2020 minor league season and rehab from Tommy John surgery.

Ventura made his return in 2022 with St. Lucie but landed on the IL with a pec strain, causing him to make just four starts this past season. His stuff was electric as ever, as his mid-90s fastball and strong off-speed offerings helped him limit baserunners and rack up plenty of strikeouts. More than anything, the still very young Ventura needs a full season of baseball to fine tune his game and put himself back on track for more breakout success in 2023.

27. Dedniel Núñez

B/T: R/R Age: 26 (6/5/1996)

Height: 6’2 Weight: 272

Acquired: Signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2016, re-acquired from the San Francisco Giants in 2021 after previously departing via the Rule 5 draft

ETA: 2024 Previous Rank: N/A

2022 Stats (St. Lucie/Binghamton): 3.00 ERA, 1.515 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, 13.4 K/9

Through his first three seasons in the Mets’ organization, Dedniel Núñez profiled as a starting pitcher with average at best strikeout stuff and shaky pitch command. What followed was a tumultuous two years in 2020 and 2021, during which he lost the 2020 season due to cancellation, was acquired by the San Francisco Giants in the Rule 5 draft, missed the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery, and was returned to the Mets.

Once he returned to the mound in 2022, Núñez looked like a changed man on the mound. His fastball was up to 99mph, leading to even more walks but also significantly more strikeouts (his K/9 jumped from 10.6 in 2019 to 13.4 in 2022). He made 26 appearances in 2022, all out of the bullpen, and served mostly as a closer, where he can most effectively utilize his overpowering fastball. As he continues to build more innings on his surgically repaired arm, the Mets can only hope that he can find better control of his pitches as he continues to develop into a flamethrowing reliever.

26. Grant Hartwig

B/T: R/R Age: 25 (12/18/1997)

Height: 6’5 Weight: 235

Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Miami University of Ohio in 2021

ETA: 2023 Previous Rank: N/A

2022 Stats (St. Lucie/Brooklyn/Binghamton/Syracuse): 1.75 ERA, 1.094 WHIP, 3.8 BB/9, 13.2 K/9

Grant Hartwig signed with the Mets as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and had an unassuming first year in the organization, posting a 3.09 ERA in eight appearances. However, once fully making the change from starting pitcher to reliever, he had a meteoric rise through the Mets’ system in 2022, starting in St. Lucie and excelling at four different levels before ultimately reaching Triple-A Syracuse. He had an impressive 1.75 ERA across 39 appearances with outstanding strikeout numbers and an elite ability to prevent hits.

Hartwig has put himself firmly on track to make his major league debut during the 2023 season, an improbable development for a pitcher that was overlooked entirely in the draft just two years ago. He deploys a healthy mix of pitches between a low to mid-90s fastball, a hard slider, and a solid changeup, and he has shown himself capable of pitching well to both righties and lefties. He stumbled a bit in the Arizona Fall League (10.00 ERA in nine appearances), but by all accounts he will be entering the 2023 season brimming with confidence and ready to make a run at a major league roster spot sooner rather than later.