MMO Roundtable: What Storyline Are We Paying Attention To The Most This Spring Training?

It’s here – spring training is here! There’s so much to look forward to. But which storyline are we here at Metsmerized paying attention to the most?

David Melendi

I want to see the kids, too. I am most excited for Luisangel Acuna because he was so much fun to watch last September in his brief time with the Mets. I also want to see Brett Baty, Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. I am curious to see who gets the last spots in the starting rotation with Frankie Montas out and Sean Manaea down to start the year. And it’s not a storyline but I want to see Juan Soto hit a few home runs.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Johnluke Chaparro

For me, I will be focusing on how the team works with the pitching during the spring. They’ve gotten a lot of depth instead of flash and most are seen as reclamation projects. I want to see how tried and true their system is to turn players from rejects to productive major league contributors. I’m curious to see how Clay Holmes could turn into a starter or how they’ll fix up Griffin Canning or Frankie Montas. An experiment for sure but a welcome one that I’m willing to see through as a fan.

Christian De Block

Brandon Sproat will garner a lot of attention from me. The starting rotation still has depth, even with Frankie Montas going down. Can Sproat get off to a good start in Syracuse and push for a role on the big league team? If he gets to the big leagues in May/June, can he stick there? For a player with as much upside as him, he could be an important x-factor come playoff time.

Brandon Sproat, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Jorge Eckhardt

There are a couple things I’ll be paying attention to this offseason, and most revolve around the starting rotation. I want to see how Kodai Senga looks, and if he looks healthy, and I also want to see how Clay Holmes fares in his transition to a starting pitcher. Most of all though, I’m really interested in seeing who will win the final rotation spot. Senga, Holmes, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and Paul Blackburn are probably a pretty safe bet to take the top five spots (with Manaea expected back in April), but the sixth spot is now up for grabs with the injury to Frankie Montas. Will Tylor Megill get another chance? Will Griffin Canning pitch his way ahead of Megill on the depth chart? Will the Mets bring back Jose Quintana? Will Brandon Sproat shock everyone and win the spot outright? I highly doubt the last one, but you never know. There’s a lot up for grabs for the pitchers on the roster bubble, and I’m excited to see who will seize the opportunity.

Mike Mayer

Every spring training I look forward to seeing what prospects will stand out as they get their chance in big league camp. This year, the Mets’ have five prospects in major league camp in Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, Luisangel Acuna and Brandon Sproat who could vie for time in the majors later this year. Williams and Gilbert both need to show their healthy after basically lost 2024 seasons. Acuna struggled in Triple-A but flashed well in a short big league stint, can he show us which part of the his season was closer to his real talent? Clifford is arguably the biggest power bat in the Mets system and he will likely start the season in Triple-A, but can he prove to be the heir-apparent to Pete Alonso? Lastly is the prospect I believe makes the biggest impact for the Mets this season, the hard-throwing Sproat. The right-hander will be waiting in the wings at Triple-A and we know teams typically use about 10 starters to get through a 162-game season.