Every year, the Mets have a prospect (s) who opens eyes and shoots up the national pundits’ lists with their performance. It’s certainly possible we’ll begin to see this from the Mets more consistently as David Stearns and Steve Cohen team up to build a better farm system as a whole.
In 2024, right-hander Jonah Tong went from having only 21 pro innings to his name and most of the talk surrounding him being about injuries to becoming arguably the Mets’ top pitching prospect outside of Brandon Sproat and on one Top 100 MLB prospect list.
Infielder Jesus Baez had buzz around him following his 2022 debut in the DSL because of the batted ball data, but then struggled with production in 2023 when he had just a .640 OPS in the FCL. Baez crushed the ball to start last season with the Low-A St. Lucie Mets (.782 OPS in a pitcher-friendly atmosphere) before earning a promotion to High-A Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old suffered a season-ending knee injury only eight games after his promotion. He was impressive enough in the games he did play to land in Baseball America’s pre-2025 Top 100.
Eli Serrano III. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
My Favorites to Break Out
Eli Serrano III – OF
Loved the pick when the Mets took the draft-eligible sophomore last year with their fourth rounder. The tall left-handed hitter has a smooth stroke that produces above average exit velocities. He has already shown an advanced approach at the plate, leaving his power as his weakest trait. That said, I’d expect to see Serrano cut down on his groundball percentage this season and begin lifting the ball to the pull side more often.
The high school teammate of fellow Mets prospect Ryan Clifford has played center and right field for the Mets after playing outfield and first base in college at NC State. Serrano currently has enough speed and athleticism to stick in center field, though he could end up being more of a right fielder as he fills out. His arm strength would play in right field if that’s where he ends up long-term.
Serrano is off to an incredible start with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, with eight hits (two home runs) and seven walks in six games. On Tuesday, he hit a big-time home run to right center field in a park known for suppressing left-handed power on a day when the real feel was 24 degrees at first pitch.
By the end of 2025, I believe Serrano will be in Double-A Binghamton and on the Mets’ top-10 prospect list.
Will Watson – RHP
I’ve seen multiple Mets’ top 30 prospect lists that don’t even have Watson on it, and honestly, I’m bummed at myself for only ranking him No. 30 on my initial 2025 list. The Mets are hoping to go the Christian Scott route with Watson of turning the right-hander from primarily a reliever in college to a starter in pro ball. Even when he did start in college, as he did in his last nine appearances, the results weren’t that impressive, with a 4.43 ERA and fewer than nine strikeouts per inning. Watson saved his best for last, with a career-high six innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts in his final college start in a win over ranked Oregon in the Pac 12 tourney.
Watson has shown off a mid-90s fastball (up to 97 mph in his first outing this year) with above-average carry. His best secondary is a changeup with impressive armside run that will pair well with his fastball. He looks to be throwing his slider a bit harder (85-87 mph) than he was in college and has added a cutter to his arsenal. In his first outing of the season, Watson threw four-hitless innings with seven strikeouts.
As with Scott, the big question for Watson will be how quickly he can build up after maxing out at only 50 innings in college. The stuff is there for Watson to be successful in the lower minors, so I believe he will end the season in Double-A Binghamton and end up a top 10-15 prospect in the Mets system come September.
Matt Allan. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Just Stay Healthy
Matt Allan – RHP
Over 2,000 days- that’s how long Matt Allan went without throwing a pitch in a professional game. Allan returned to the mound last week with the St. Lucie Mets, and the early results from the 2019 third-round pick were impressive. The pandemic-lost season and multiple arm surgeries meant Allan didn’t pitch in a game from 2020 through 2024. He popped up late last year when he was throwing in Port St. Lucie and reportedly hitting 99 mph this spring in camp.
We know the pedigree with Allan—a first-round talent—and the potential if he can stay healthy. For a guy who missed four seasons, he’s still not that old (24 next week)—he’s even younger than the Mets’ top prospect, Brandon Sproat.
Allan hit 97 mph with his fastball and struck out five in 2 2/3 scoreless innings in his return to the mound. If Allan stays healthy, he will shoot up the Mets’ top 30 prospect list and quickly get himself back in the conversation of being a potential big leaguer. It will be interesting to see how many innings Allan throws this year, with him having thrown only 10 1/3 innings since he was drafted. Will the Mets keep having him start like he did with St. Lucie or move him to the bullpen?
Raimon Gómez – RHP
Despite throwing only seven innings over the last two seasons, the right-hander still pops up in some top 30 prospect lists because of his big-time fastball and slider combo. The 23-year-old tossed seven innings in three starts for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2023 before he needed Tommy John surgery. Gómez pitched for the St. Lucie Mets earlier this week and looked much like the guy he was before the injury–big fastball, but wild. He struck out three over 2 1/3 innings with two walks and two wild pitches. He was up to 101 mph with his fastball in the outing.
Again, this is all about staying healthy and how many innings a guy with only 67 innings pitched over three seasons can pitch this year.
Keep An Eye on These Folks
Chris Suero – C/1B/LF
The Bronx native reminds me a bit of former Mets prospect Endy Rodriguez as a player who didn’t catch much when they were younger, but even when they did, they still had the athleticism to play left field and first base. Suero can run a little bit, too. His 20 stolen bases last season ranked fifth among minor league catchers, and he’s passable defensively in left field. He gets on-base at a high clip and has shown pull-side power, but has trouble with non-fastballs that has led to a high strikeout rate. The 21-year-old is starting the 2025 season in Brooklyn. He was our No. 21 prospect heading into the season.
Every Pitcher the Mets Drafted in 2024
It’s clearly early in the process, yet it looks like the vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross, director of amateur scouting Drew Toussaint, and company were able to get a plethora of interesting arms in the 2024 draft. Second-rounder Jonathan Santucci (starting in Brooklyn) and third-rounder Nate Dohm (starting in St. Lucie) are the big highlights, and I mentioned Watson above.
They also got righties Brendan Girton (10th RD), Ethan Lanthier (12th RD), and R.J. Gordon (13th RD), who will work as starters in 2025 and have good fastball traits. Add to that the 100-101 mph fastball from Ryan Lambert (8th RD) and the high-spin fastball from Frank Elissalt (19th RD) coming out of the bullpen.
Daiverson Gutierrez – C
When I talked to folks in baseball about players who improved the most in 2024, Gutierrez was one of the names that kept coming up. The same thing happened this spring when I asked who stood out in minor league camp. The 19-year-old catcher posted an OBP just under .400 last year across three levels and showed improvement on the defensive side. He looks to be starting at catcher this year, most days for the St. Lucie Mets, and I expect we will begin to see him display more power as the season goes on. He was our No. 23 Mets prospect heading into the season.
Boston Baro/A.J. Ewing – UT
Two versatile 20-year-old players the Mets took in the 2023 draft who have performed well at the dish to start their careers. Ewing, a fourth-round pick, played middle infield in high school and is now playing more center and left field for St. Lucie. Baro, an eight-round pick, had played second base, third base, and shortstop to begin his pro career and has played only shortstop this year for Brooklyn.
Ewing has above-average speed and more raw power than Baro, though Baro has the more advanced approach at the plate and has the higher floor of the two players. Baro was our No. 13 prospect, and Ewing came in at No. 28 before the season started.
