Prospect RANKINGS: Who Are the TOP 10 in the Mets System?

Prospect RANKINGS: Who Are the TOP 10 in the Mets System?

On today’s show, we’re talking prospects. I’m going to break down my list of the top 10 in the Mets system. You are Locked On Mets, your daily New York Mets podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hello to all you amazing Mets fans. You’re watching Locked On. Mets, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. I’m your host, Ryan Ficklestelestein. I’ve been covering the New York Mets on this show since the 2019 season. This is the number one daily podcast on the New York Mets. Want to find any of my written work? You can do so over at justbaseball.com where I work as the editorinchief. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’re going to get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download FanDuel today. Now, I have spent a lot of time working on my list of the top 20 prospects in the Mets farm system. I was all ready to go to break down the top 10 for a Friday Farm Report. Then, we had all the news on Thursday Major League Baseball. So, I made Friday a newsoriented show, but I wanted to give you the top 10 I promised for this week. So, that’s why we’re doing that today. later on uh next week, probably Monday or Tuesday, depending on the news cycle, I will finish off this list and break down prospects 11 to 20. But let’s dive right in to the top of this list because I think when you talk about the men’s top 10, once you get further down the list, there’s a little bit more intrigue. Who’s he gonna say? Because there’s some debate when you get a little bit further down. When you’re talking about the very top of this farm system, I think anyone is crazy if they don’t have Nolan Mlan as the number one prospect in this system right now. Mlan earned that when he pitched to a 2.06 RA in eight big league starts, struck out 57 and 48 innings. Pitch, was legitimately the Mets ace down the stretch. And going into this year, right now, currently, he is still their ace. they have to go out this off season and get someone that I think can headline that rotation in front of Mlan so he can settle into a more comfortable number two spot so there’s not so much pressure on him but right now he is the favorite to win the NL rookie of the year the Mets are in line to get that draft pick the much talked about uh draft pick the PPI the prospect promotion incentive where the Mets maintain his rookie eligibility in season maybe could have been a mistake who knows is because if Mlan came up a little bit sooner, maybe the Mets win an extra game. Other side of that coin, he was really ready when he did make his debut. And honestly, if he did pitch in October, probably would have been waste of bullets because there was no world where this Mets team was going to go on a deep run anyway. But because he still has not played 45 days in the big leagues, he will be a rookie on opening day. He will start on the roster on opening day, meaning he is eligible for the prospect promotion incentive. And if he wins the rookie of the year or finishes in the top three of the Sai Young at any point in his first three seasons in the big leagues, the New York Mets will be awarded a draft pick after the first round. So Nlan right now the top prospect in the system and I think the favorite NFL rookie of the year in 2026. Another guy that could be in the running though is Carson Benge. I got him at number two in this system. And this is a pretty easy decision for me. Carson Benj has every chance of being the Mets starting center fielder in 2026. I I think, you know, I did a show about this a couple weeks ago. He might be their best option. Although you can’t just rush him. He has to earn it in spring training to get that opportunity, but I think by June he’s up. And this is a guy that really did just have an outstanding first professional season. 60 games played in high to start the year. He hit 302 417 on base 480 slug which I’d almost say his slug was lower than it could have been because he was playing in Brooklyn a very tough ballpark to leave the yard so he only hit four home runs in 60 games but he had 18 doubles and five triples gets up to double A plays in 30 I don’t think I had the games listed on my research it was it was in the 30s maybe 38 games it was a little over a month maybe five weeks played maybe six in Bingington. He hit 317, 407 on base, 571 slug. So he upped his slug by nearly 100 points. Oops was at 978. He had eight home runs in nearly half the amount of games in double A compared to high. Had a triple, had six doubles. Goes up the triple A, does not have that much success, but he got drilled in the hand right in the middle of his stint there. He only like a week there and then he gets hit. Then he’s trying to play through it. So I I don’t really take too much from the 583 OPS in Triple A. Carson Benj is either going to start this upcoming season back in triple or in the big leagues. And what he showcased with his ability to hit for a high average, his ability to get on base and the power where I think yes, this season he had 12 home runs between high A and double A. I think there is legitimate 20 to 25 home run upside here and he can stick in center field. Now longterm, what’s the best position for Carson Benj? If he plays in right, he’s going to be a well above average fielder. In center, it might just be about league average. With what this current team needs, it’s him in center field because you have Sodto and right, NMO and left. But eventually if you can move Juan Sodto, you know, to DH or even if he somehow picks up first base, whatever it is, and Benj can slide into right and maybe somebody else can end up as your future center fielder, that’s probably the best outlook for the Mets. But I think Carson Benj at least hang in center field for a while and he’s going to be a really tough at bat and a guy that I think can be a very fast learner up at the big league level. So really excited to see how much we get of Carson Benj in the big leagues in 2026. Regardless though, I think he will be up at some point. Now the number three prospect in this system sort of rounding out what what I think is a clear top tier before you get into another group that is close but maybe a tier below is Jonah Tong. And I think people are forgetting how dominant Jonah Tong was. And I’ve seen some Mets fans really down on Tong because he wasn’t great in those five big league starts, but he was rushed to the big leagues. Only made two starts in AAA. He got the call because he was so great in AAA, a level that so many Mets prospects have gotten to and they’ve struggled with that transition. Nolan Mlan had no issues with it. Christian Scott had no issues with it. Jonah Tong only made two starts, but in those starts he did not give up a run and he struck out 17 while only walking three and 11 and two third innings pitched. That’s why he got the call because he got the triplea and was lights out at a time when the Mets were still unsure about Brandon Sprro. So Tong gets the nod. I think that he’s going to end up getting some time probably even multiple months in TripleA to start this upcoming season and that is fine. He’s still only 22 years old, but Jonah Tong has elite stuff. He pitched to a 159 RA in 20 starts in double A. Struck out 162 batters in 102 innings pitch. That was a strikeout per nine over 14. His fast ball is elite. His change up is definitely coming along. He has to get a third pitch. He has to work on his slider. Maybe he does find, you know, that curveball a little bit more. It can flash like a really good pitch at times with that 12-6 drop, but he’s just not consistent. He needs something else that he can land in the strike zone other than just the four seam and the change up. So, we’ll see what the new pitching coach, if it is Justin Willard, uh can do with Jonah Tong once he gets his hands on him. But if you can get something else, ideally something like a cutter or a slider that he can have confidence pounding the strike zone with, something that he can throw back door and steal a strike when he’s down an account. I think Jonah Tong is going to be able to keep hitters off the fast ball even more, and that’s just going to make him a pitcher that really does have frontline upside in the big leagues. It just is going to take some time. He was rushed. Don’t take that out on him. I still think this is a guy that deserves to be recognized as a better prospect than Brandon Sprro and the other arms in the Mets system and also someone who should be ranked ahead of some of the other top position players in this system like Jet Williams, AJ, and some of these other guys that we’re going to talk about in the next segment. But who’s number four? Who’s number five? Where does Brandon Sprro factor in? We’re going to go through all of that in just a minute. This episode is brought to you by Prize Picks, the daily fantasy app where making the right call can actually pay off. You and I make decisions every day. But on Prize Picks, being right means cashing in. With football and basketball bag, prize picks is the simplest and fastest way to get in on the action where you pick more or less on two to six player projections. Then you can turn your takes into real prizes all in less than 60 seconds. It’s quick, it’s easy. Honestly, it’s my favorite way of follow along with sports because you can actually combine different sports in the same lineup and if one of your picks misses, prize picks invented the flex play so you can still double your money. Download the prize picks app today and use the code locked on MLB to get $50 in lineups after your first $5 lineup. It’s code locked on MLB for $50 in lineups after your first $5 play prize picks. It’s good to be right. If you’re watching on YouTube, do me a favor and hit that subscribe button. Help us get closer to our next goal of 15,000 subscribers. We’re within 150. I really do appreciate all of you who continue to subscribe. Now, we’re going to start off this segment talking about Brandon Spro just because I left off with Jonah Tong. And one thing I wanted to note here, everyone is down on Tong because he didn’t look great in the big list. I don’t want to say everyone, but there is definitely a segment of the fan base that maybe has more doubts about Jonah Tong now than they did before he made his MLB debut, right? Brandon Sprro did pitch better in the big leagues, but if you really look at it, Jonah Tong, his first start, he had to deal with all these long stoppages because the Mets put up a ton of runs for him. Got a lot of support. It was great. Gives up four runs, but only one of those runs was earned. Did not walk any. Struck out six. So, that was a good start for Jonah Tong. second start, he gets burned by the long ball, gives up three homers that account for four runs, but he gets through six innings and he strikes out six. Not a terrible start. And I would say arguably more impressive than all but one of Brandon Sprro starts, maybe two. Then against the Rangers, against Jacob Deg Grom has the disaster. Doesn’t make it out of an inning. So that was a brutal start, but he bounces back. Five innings of one-run ball with that one run being unearned against the Padres’s. four hits, no snow walk, strikes out eight. Then his final start against the Cubs gives up five runs on two innings pitch. So even with that, Jonah Tong had two disasters. Two disasters. He had a start against the Reds where he got burned by the home run ball and then two good starts. Three of the five starts were really not that bad. A couple things go a little bit different. Who knows? Now, this is not to say Brandon Sprro was bad in the big league. It’s just he made four starts. He had one start where he went six innings scoreless, one start where he gave up three runs over, I believe it was six innings as well, and then he had two starts where he didn’t make it out of the fifth inning and he gave up three runs. So, three of the four starts he gave up three runs. Not bad. Again, he still had a good, you know, first four starts just acclimated to the big leagues in a pennant race. So you can understand, you know, why Sprro is maybe being remembered a little bit better because he didn’t have the meltdown in his four starts. I I just think that Jonah Tong proved more during the season to be the higher rated prospect than Brandon Sprro. Brandon Sprro though right now is the higher floor pitcher for the 2026 season. Like I think at this moment Brandon Sprro should go into camp in the Tyler McIll slot that we’ve seen the last couple years as far as the guy that’s seventh maybe eighth even potentially ninth depending on how aggressive you are in the offseason. But on your depth chart where it’s an outside shot that they’re going to be part of the big league rotation could be heading to AAA as rotation depth could be a long man in the bullpen. You just sort of see how spring goes. I think that’s where Brandon Sprro is. I still think he’s a really good prospect. I think the Mets have three future big league starters who should all make some form of contributions in 2026 when you have Nolan Mlan, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sprrot. And Christian Scott no longer a prospect coming off the Tommy John, but still very similar. Has not established himself as a big leager just yet. He’s another guy that should be part of the mix this season. But Brandon Sprrot’s not number four on my top 10 prospect list. He is number five. Number four is Jet Williams. But I will tell you, we also had our top 15 prospects go up at justbaseball.com. Arm Leighton is a prospect guru. Spends a lot more time on prospects than I do. I will have him on the show next week maybe or potentially the week after that depending on our schedules. But he’s going to go through his top 15. And I was shocked that he had AJ Euing at number four above Jet Williams. Personally, I already made my list before I read Arum’s uh scattering report. And he did move me a little bit on Euing. Still not enough that I would put him above Jet, and I wanted to stick to my own analysis on what I thought before I just read what Arm thinks. Um, but here’s why I still like Jet Williams more than AJ Ewing, although these guys are getting closer. And actually, you know what? Let me give you Arm’s take first on AJ Euing and then I’m going to close it out on Jet. So why Arm loves AJ Euing and he jumped from I I think maybe eight or nine on our previous top 15. He was definitely in the top 10, but he was further down the list. Wasn’t even a top 100 prospect. Now he will definitely be a top 100 prospect on our our update that’s coming believe in the next week or two. But AJ Euing, why he likes him so much is because his contact rates are above average. You could say he probably has maybe a slightly better hit tool than Jet Williams. Has good play discipline and he’s hitting the ball harder than Jet Williams. He’s a 70 runner compared to Jet as a 60-grade runner. Still 70 bases in 2025. Defensively, he is holding his own in center field. Has a chance to be an above average center fielder. So ARM is rating his top 15 based on future war output, right? Who is going to put up the most wins above replacement in six years of team control and with AJ Euing profiling as a starting center fielder and Jet Williams looking more like an average short stop but blocked there for the Mets. So more likely a second baseman when you also factor in the fact that AJ Euing can play second base. So the versatility that Jed has to play short, play second, move out and play center in a pinch. AJ Euing is a center fielder that in a pinch could play second base. So the versatility is there for both of them to play on the dirt and the grass. AJ Euing is a little bit of a better athlete at this point. When you look at the speed, when you look at the fact that he is 5 foot 11, Jet Williams is listed at five foot seven. I don’t even know if he even is that tall. So, I can see why the scouting head in Arum lean toward AJ Euing because he really is bought in on his ability to be a solid enough hitter to be able to get on base to leverage that speed in the defense that’s going to play in center. So, I’m really excited about how high he is on AJ Ewing, who for if you’re looking at the stats and you’re not you’re not aware of what he did this season in low way in 18 games, he hit 400, gets called up to Brooklyn, hits 288, steals 44 bases, uh 387 on base percentage. The slug wasn’t really there. Doesn’t have a lot of power. gets up to double A and in a little over a month was outstanding at 339 371 on base 430 slug stole 12 bases on 14 attempts. So across you know the whole season you had a guy that was hitting for average and getting on base while playing good enough defense in center field with the ability to be potentially an above average defensive center fielder. I get it. Here’s the difference for me. Across 106 games played between low and high A. You had for Asia Euing six triples. Actually, excuse me. No, this is I got my stat a little bit wrong here. 106 games played above low. I forgot which which league I was limiting. I took out the low numbers because he was hitting 400 in low way. And so I wanted to look at against the higher competition, high A and double A, what he did when it came to extra base hits. 106 games played, six triples, two homers, 23 doubles. That’s 31 extra base hits. In 96 games played, just a double A, not even talking about AAA, Jay Williams had 44 extra base hits. To me, the reason why I still think Jet Williams is a better prospect than AJ Ewing is because I think ultimately he is a better hitter. Arm says it in a scouting report that play discipline for Jet Williams is double plus. What he’s concerned about with Jet is the fact that he has slowed down a little bit as a prospect. He’s put on some weight, so he’s not quite the runner he was when he was a teenager, which is fine. He’s a little bit concerned about the fact that Jet Williams, not to put words in his mouth, but from reading the scouting report, just that that the the hit tool is maybe not where Euings could be. And how much do you really put stock in a little bit of additional game power? Because the one thing is Jet Williams is much better at lifting the ball compared to AJ. But for me, I look at a guy who is 5 foot7, double plus play discipline. I think that Jet Williams is going to get himself into great counts often. And I think what can happen for Jet, I’ve made this comp in the past, and it’s not me saying, “Hey, Jet Williams is gonna become a Hall of Famer.” Nobody expected when Jose Altuve was a prospect, that he would hit 30 home runs in the big leagues. Nobody thought that would happen. The most home runs he in a minor league season was 15 and that was the year before he debuted. Then he hit 11 home runs, excuse me, 10 home runs in 87 games in 2011 before getting promoted. And then once in the big leagues, he couldn’t leave the yard. 21 homers across parts of four seasons, 2011 through 2014. But in 2015, he hit 15 bombs. Then he hit 24 home runs two years in a row after that. He has hit 31 home runs twice now. And he’s cleared 20 home runs seven times in his career. This past season, Jose Altuv hit 26 homers, but he was in the 18th percentile in bat speed. So, I think when Arm looks at Jet Williams bat speed and his hard hit rates and isn’t necessarily seeing some of the data that makes him feel like he’s a better prospect than AJ Ewing, for me, I’m looking at just straight stats results. The guy in double A hit .281, got on base at a 390 clip, slugged at a 477 clip. You’re talking about know probably a difference in slug percentage of over 100 points compared to him and Yuing because he gets so many more extra base hits because he lifts the ball so much more. It’s great if AJ Yuing hits the ball hard, but if he hits the ball hard on the ground, he might be out, right? Jet Williams hit 10 home runs in double, gets up to triple A, really struggled, hit 209, 285 on base, but his slug was still 433 because he hit 10 home runs in 34 games. So to me, I just think that Jet Williams, if he can punish mistakes, I think that what scouts are viewing as, oh, he’s got 10 to 15 home run upside in the big leagues, I’m thinking, well, maybe it’s 15 to 20. And who knows, maybe the more and more he gets acclimated to the big leagues, the the more he understands big league pitching, continues to get himself into good counts, maybe he can leave the yard 20 plus times. He hit 17 home runs in 130 games this year. I don’t think that’s outside the realm of possibilities. Now, defensively, yes, he probably ends up being the Matt second baseman of the future, which would be less valuable than if AJ becomes their center folder of the future, but I think that there’s still a chance that AJ Ewing is more of a fourth outfielder. I think he probably, it’ll still a better chance to be a starter, but I’m just thinking long-term outlook on the Mets. Who knows? I think Jet Williams could be their starting second baseman this year and I think he’s going to hit for a high average. He’s at second base going to be an above average defender and he’s going to get on base at a good clip for sure. The question is how much does that game power really translate? I think he might surprise some people. So, I still have Jed at number four, but it was very exciting to still see how high ARM was on AJ Euing because that just means that’s another top 100 prospect in the Mets system. And obviously, like I said, I’m gonna get Arm on the show. So, me and him go back and forth on it. Should be a lot of fun once we get down to that here, um, whenever he does make his appearance on the show. But what I want to talk about to close out this podcast, the final four of my top 10, couple of sluggers, couple of pitchers. We’re going to go through them all to close things out in just a minute. Today’s episode’s brought to you by FanDuel, the NBA seasons here in FanDuel has an offer you don’t want to miss. Right on new customers. You can bet just $5 and you’re going to get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. You pick a bet, you put down five bucks. If it hits, you’re going to unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love you to Fatal because it fits. However you like to bet, whether it’s player props, building a same game parlay, even jumping in live as the action unfolds. It makes watching football or basketball even more exciting when you got a little bit of something riding on the action. 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Now, at number seven and eight in the Mets farm system, I have a couple of sluggers, Jacob Rhyr and Ryan Clifford. And you can kind of pick your poison here. With Ryan Clifford, you’re looking at more home run pop. He had 18 homers in 105 games played in double A48 OPS. Gets the AAA five home runs in 34 games. held his own actually a little bit better than Jet Williams and Carson Benj did actually gone on base at a 359 clip in 34 games in triple had a 754 OPS really not that bad less of a drop off than his teammates had when they got up to the highest level he’s still only 22 years old has a strong arm and is still playing a good amount of outfield in right field that arm’s going to play he started 51 games split between left and right 66 games at first 22 games at DH. So Ryan Clifford a very exciting prospect. If you don’t remember how the Mets got him, it was in the Justin Verlander trade. He is the last remaining piece of the Justin Verlander trade as Drew Gilbert was flipped in the Tyler Rogers trade and Tyler Rogers is now a free agent. But Ryan Clifford is definitely one of the better prospects in that system. The question is going to be is he a better slugger? Does he have a better future outlook than Jacob Rhymer who had a breakout season this year? Rhymer had the better year, I would say. He split his season. 61 games in high A, 61 games in double A. Very comparable numbers at each level. Eight homers in high A, nine homers in double A. 39 RBI’s in high A, 38 RBI’s in double A. Average within five points of each other on base percentage, within 10 points of each other. The slug was much higher. Uh, not much higher, but definitely higher in high a 502 compared to 479. hit some more doubles, but overall pretty much the same guy at each level. Put together a slash line of 282 across both stops. 282 on 282 batting average, 379 on base, 491 slug, 17 homers, 77 runs driven in. Actually even stole 15 bags on 18 attempts. He’s a third baseman. Should be able to stick there. not gonna be an above average defensive third base unless he really works on his game. But at this point, still seems like he can stay at third. I think if you are ranking Rhymer higher, it’s because you are confident that he’s going to be a third baseman. The reason why I was splitting hairs and I lean Clifford over Rymer was a couple things. For one, Jacob Rhymer is a more well-rounded hitter. is going to hit for a higher average, but Ryan Clifford is going to walk so much that I think once Rhymer gets closer and closer to the show, that average might at some point tick down a little bit. And if he is a 260 hitter instead of a 280 hitter, I think the on base percentages could be close enough that you’re really looking at the difference between a guy and Rymer who is going to hit home runs, but maybe not quite at the clip that Ryan Clifford is. And so because of that, I lean Clifford. The other thing too, yes, third base more valuable than first base, but I do like the fact that Ryan Clifford is still playing outfield. And I almost wonder if this is sort of similar to a Ryan O’Harn where he’s probably best at first, but you can stick him into a corner outfield spot. And that is something that can help your big league roster to have that versatility. So, I I do like that aspect of the fact that Clifford is still getting plenty of time in the outfield. He’s not quick, but if he can make, you know, the catches on the balls that he gets to, if he can make good enough reads and that arm plays up the way that it should, you could have a guy that theoretically could play a corner outfield spy. I think it’s still more likely first base. But if he can go out there and he can, you know, play 40 games in the outfield in the season, that brings a little more value to the table. I think they’re close, though. I I’m not mad at anyone who says Jacob Rhymer over Ryan Clifford. I got Clifford at seven and Rhymer at eight. Arm, I think, had the same thing, although I don’t remember where he had Ellien Pñena. He might have had Ellie and Pena sneak in somewhere. I don’t I don’t I don’t know. I have to go back and check his list. Uh, but I do know it was Clifford above Rhyr and the two of them were just like I have them backto back in the rankings. Then you get to nine and 10. Jonathan Sanucci and Jack Lener are the final two guys in my top 10. And again, I could have gone either way. I ultimately went Sanucci at nine, winger at 10 just because Sanucci came on so strong in double A. He pitched to a 252 RA in 10 start. Struck out 63 in 50 innings pitched. Was outstanding. He’s a lefty. Fast ball sits 9495. This was his first pro season. Jack Wener ticked up a lot in his second pro season. So, I’m still maybe leaving a little bit more room for Santo Sanucci to take up again. And look, if the velocity ticks up, I mean, and he starts sitting 96 as a lefty, good luck. And he’s got a good slider. Slider is probably his best pitch. He has to figure out that third offering, maybe a curveball, maybe a change up. Those are the pitches he’s working on. If he can get those pitches to to average levels as just different offerings to to keep hitters off the fast ball slider combination, you are talking about a guy that can stick in the rotation. If he doesn’t have a change up and a curveball, if it really ends up just being a two- pitch mix, if that bo ticks up out of the bullpen, you could have a dominant left-hander reliever, too. So, I just I I I like the different aspects of Sanucci making a big league impact. Not that Jack Wener can’t out of the bullpen, but I think Jack Wener to me is a guy that maybe needs to be a starter a little bit more, needs to have the well-rounded Arsenal. He’s getting there, though. He had a great season. 26 starts in double A, 292 RA, 147 strikeouts, 135 and 23s pitched. His velocity ticked up in it compared to 24 in 2024. where he pitched where he had a 92.5 mph average velocity on his fast ball. This past season, that fastball VO ticked up over 95 and was closer to 96 over his final 10 starts. He also dominated in the playoffs, which is really good to see. I know it’s doubleA playoffs. It’s not the intrigue. It’s not the eyeballs of the playoffs in October for Major League Baseball, but those are still games that matter, that players care about. and he really did shove in those playoff games. I think that was really encouraging to see. His splitter is probably his best pitch pairs very well with that fast ball. And a lot of times with splitters, they might pair a little bit better or they might fare a little bit better, I should have said against, you know, opposite-handed hitters. For Jack Wener, arm notes in his scouting report, splitter worked against lefties and righties. So, that was another good thing um that he was able to do this year is just use that pitch effectively against both sides. So, that’s something that helps him out a little bit. Uh again, I think you’re splitting hairs when you’re talking about Jack Warder verse Jonathan Sanui. Right now, those two guys are the next wave beyond of course Mlan, Tong, and Sprro. They’re next up. I think Wener starts this season in triple A. Sanuchcci maybe gets a little more seasoning in double A but it very well could be a similar you know plan for him as what we saw for Nolan Mlan where Nolan Mlan started this past season in double A made five five starts look great it’s like all right cool send him up the triple same thing could happen for Zanucci just sort of depends on what’s your roster looking like because you’re going to have Jack Wener in Triple A probably have Christian Scott uh not really rehabbing but I still think he maybe starts the year in Triple AA to to get his feet wet to to at least have a month or two of starts just under his belt before you throw him back into the fire in the big leagues. Jonah Tong can be part of that rotation. So spart so spots start to get taken up kind of quickly. And I do wonder if that keeps Sanucci in double A little bit longer if the Mets just have so many arms in AAA. There’s every chance that Brandon Sprro and Jonah Tong start the year in AAA. So, I I I’m curious how, you know, their seasons play out in that regard. But two guys that are definitely, you know, very very promising prospects that round out a top 10 that is as good as probably any farm system in baseball. Really excited to see where things have gone for the New York Mets in that regard. A much improved system this year. I will again be doing a full show on prospects 11 to 20. Uh, I also might even get into a couple just missed. So, we still have plenty of prospect content coming right now. Arm will be on the show at some point to go through his top 15 and some of I think the more interesting takes um from that list that he had. Again, I definitely want to talk to him about AJ Ewing. He’s very high in Jack Wener. He had those two guys flipped actually on his list. He had Wener above Sanucci. So, dealers’s choice there. Last thing before we close the show, minor leaguers the Mets have that elected free agency. I just want to run through the names. This was the biggest news item we had on Friday. Matt Allen is a minor league free agent. Had another injury plugged year. He’s going to hit the market. We’ll see if he ends up back with the Mets or he signs with another team. Imagine probably another team. Breast Montesaka no longer with the New York Mets. Those are the two names that stand out cuz those are some pitching prospects that fans really gravitated towards and they just haven’t been able to stay on the mound. Jose Azakar, Joey Minesis, Tai Adcock, Joe Lassoursa, Luke Ritter, longtime Met is going to be a minor league free agent. I wonder if Luke Ritter just goes to the KBO and mashes for a couple years. We’ll see. Omar, Deo Santos, Jace Beck, and Luis Moreno all elect free agency. So, just wanted to update you guys on that little piece of Matt’s news. That’s going to be all though for this edition of Locked on Mets. Really do appreciate all of you for tuning into the show. I’ll be back with another episode of the show on Monday. Either going back into the well on the top prospects or reacting to any news we get over the weekend. As always, thank you all for tuning in. Make sure you follow, rate, and review wherever you get your podcast. If you’re watching on YouTube, hit that subscribe button. Thank you for making my match your first listen to your first watch every day. If you want to be a lockdown mats insider, find the link in the episode description to be part of our text and service or go to subtext.coms.

Host Ryan Finkelstein breaks down the New York Mets’ top 10 prospects, revealing a farm system as strong as any in Major League Baseball.

Nolan McLean leads the rankings after his dominant 2.06 ERA debut and stands as the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year in 2026, potentially earning the Mets a valuable prospect promotion incentive draft pick.

The analysis covers elite talents like Carson Benge, who could claim the starting center field job, and pitching prospects Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, both showing frontline potential.

Finkelstein examines the intriguing debate between middle infielders Jett Williams and AJ Ewing, comparing their tools, power potential, and defensive versatility.

The rankings also feature power bats Ryan Clifford and Jacob Reimer, plus promising arms Jonathan Santucci and Jack Wenniger, who represent the next wave of pitching depth.

With detailed statistical breakdowns and scouting insights, this episode provides Mets fans a comprehensive look at the organization’s promising future beyond their current roster construction.

Tune in for the complete rankings and discover which prospects could impact the 2026 season.

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