1) Nolan McLean
April: 6 G (6 GS), 35.1 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 10 ER (2.55 ERA), 10 BB, 45 K, .234 BABIP (MLB)
May: 6 G (6 GS), 31.0 IP, 30 H, 24 R, 21 ER (6.10 ERA), 14 BB, 32 K, .328 BABIP (MLB)
June: 5 G (5 GS), 29.0 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 9 ER (2.79 ERA), 12 BB, 36 K, .269 BABIP (MLB)
July: 5 G (5 GS), 30.1 IP, 25 H, 11 R, 6 ER (1.78 ERA), 9 BB, 35 K, .289 BABIP (MLB)
August: 5 G (5 GS), 30.0 IP, 18 H, 8 R, 7 ER (2.10 ERA), 16 BB, 24 K, .205 BABIP (MLB)
September: 4 G (4 GS), 24.0 IP, 26 H, 10 R, 10 ER (3.75 ERA), 9 BB, 22 K,
.353 BABIP (MLB)
2026 Season: 31 G (31 GS), 179.2 IP, 140 H, 75 R, 63 ER (3.16 ERA), 70 BB, 194 K, .274 BABIP (MLB)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
With a strong September, there was a definite path for Nolan McLean to become the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner. While he didn’t struggle, he ended the season without a flourish or without hitting some favorable benchmarks (ERA under 3.00, 200+ strikeouts), and as such, I think that ship has sailed. Regardless, McLean’s 2026 was a total success in just about every measure, with the right-hander being well above-average all year except for a stretch in May. McLean might not be the best pitcher in baseball, but the Mets certainly have their ace.
2) Carson Benge
April: 27 G, 93 AB, .186/.247/.279, 16 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 21 K, 6/6 SB, .222 BABIP (MLB)
May: 28 G, 108 AB, .306/.375/.426, 33 H, 7 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 23 K, 3/5 SB, .378 BABIP (MLB)
June: 24 G, 101 AB, .277/.330/.475, 28 H, 1 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 7 BB, 24 K, 2/2 SB, .319 BABIP (MLB)
July: 23 G, 86 AB, .302/.371/.430, 26 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 22 K, 6/7 SB, .387 BABIP (MLB)
August: 26 G, 101 AB, .317/.367/.515, 32 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 7 BB, 22 K, 2/3 SB, .365 BABIP (MLB)
September: 24 G, 96 AB, .313/.394/.479, 30 H, 4 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 11 BB, 23 K, 3/4 SB, .377 BABIP
2026 Season: 156 G, 595 AB, .277/.336/.421, 168 H, 22 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 50 BB, 142 K, 22/27 SB, .341 BABIP
Season Grade: STOCK UP
Carson Benge had an incredible season, becoming the 18th rookie in the history of Major League Baseball to have a 20-20 season, setting the Mets rookie record for most hits in a year, and building a resume that is going to be putting him on the shortlist for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Who would’ve foreseen this back in April, when he was struggling? His 118 wRC+ and 4.1 fWAR/4.2 rWAR are the most by a Mets rookie since Pete Alonso’s 2019 Rookie of the Year season. Whether or not this level of play is his high-water mark or something that can be counted on remains to be seen, but there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, Benge should have a spot on the Mets roster for years to come.
3) Jonah Tong
April: 6 G (6 GS), 25.1 IP, 20 H, 19 R, 16 ER (5.68 ERA), 15 BB, 38 K, .288 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 3 G (3 GS), 12.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER (5.68 ERA), 9 BB, 17 K, .185 BABIP (Triple-A) / 2 G (0 GS), 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, .150 BABIP (MLB)
June: 4 G (4 GS), 18.0 IP, 25 H, 17 R, 13 ER (6.50 ERA), 10 BB, 16 K, .386 BABIP (Triple-A) / 1 G (0 GS), 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER (10.80 ERA), 2 BB, 4 K, .333 BABIP (MLB)
July: 5 G (5 GS), 24.2 IP, 19 H, 10 R, 10 ER (3.65 ERA), 14 BB, 29 K, .268 BABIP (Triple-A)
August: 5 G (5 GS), 26.1 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 7 ER (2.39 ERA), 11 BB, 26 K, .148 BABIP (Triple-A)
September: 4 G (4 GS), 20.2 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 9 ER (3.92 ERA), 7 BB, 27 K, .300 BABIP (MLB)
2026 Season: 23 G (23 GS), 107.0 IP, 88 H, 64 R, 54 ER (4.54 ERA), 59 BB, 126 K, .261 BABIP (Triple-A) / 7 G (4 GS), 30.2 IP, 24 H, 16 R, 13 ER (3.82 ERA), 14 BB, 34 K, .268 BABIP (MLB)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
About a year ago, Jonah Tong was the toast of the town, well into having one of the most dominant pitching performances over the course of the season that any minor league pitcher has had in the 15 years-plus that I’ve been covering the minors at Amazin’ Avenue. Then, he had a brief cup of coffee at the end of the season, and things have been all awry since then. It was reported that the Mets altered his arm slot, lowering it to ensure that, in the words of Eric Jaegers, it did not “tak[e] away from some other things”- meaning his secondary pitches- and sought to “diversify [his] arsenal” by adding a new cutter grip to his repertoire. I don’t remember where I read the tagline, but on the matter, somebody wrote something along the lines of “Jonah Tong is being reshaped to fit the Mets’ vision” rather than developed as what he already is. His fastball lost a few crucial inches of induced vertical break and became less effective. His new cutter was brutalized by Triple-A hitters. His command took a step back as compared to prior years. None of this is to say that Jonah Tong was perfect prior to the 2026 season, but the right-hander struggled for most of the year, and a lot of that seems to have been self-inflicted by the organization. He looked better towards the end of the season and ended things on a high note in his last game of the season against Washington, so here’s hoping that Tong learns from everything he went through this season and comes back in 2027 a better pitcher.
4) A.J. Ewing
April: 18 G, 63 AB, .349/.481/.571, 22 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 17 BB, 15 K, 12/13 SB, .426 BABIP (Double-A) / 3 G, 12 AB, .583/.615/.833, 7 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 0 K, 1/1 SB, .583 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 9 G, 34 AB, .235/.316/.294, 8 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 4 BB, 5 K, 4/4 SB, .276 BABIP (Triple-A) / 19 G, 63 AB, .238/.333/.317, 15 H, 0 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 BB, 24 K, 4/7 SB, .368 BABIP (MLB)
June: 27 G, 90 AB, .300/.379/.478, 27 H, 7 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 11 BB, 20 K, 4/7 SB, .359 BABIP (MLB)
July: 24 G, 97 AB, .258/.302/.402, 25 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 31 K, 6/6 SB, .381 BABIP (MLB)
August: 27 G, 105 AB, .171/.243/.219, 18 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 9 BB, 30 K, 8/9 SB, .240 BABIP (MLB)
September: 23 G, 81 AB, .309/.380/.481, 25 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 10 BB, 20 K, 3/4 SB, .362 BABIP
2026 Season: 18 G, 63 AB, .349/.481/.571, 22 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 17 BB, 15 K, 12/13 SB, .426 BABIP (Double-A) / 12 G, 46 AB, .326/.392/.435, 15 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 5 K, 5/5 SB, .366 BABIP (Triple-A) / 120 G, 436 AB, .252/.324/.376, 110 H, 19 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 46 BB, 125 K, 25/33 SB, .326 BABIP (MLB)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
At roughly 1:15 on May 10, AJ Ewing took his first at-bat of the day, digging in against Riley Cornelio and shooting a line drive double into center in front of 3,053 fans in attendance that afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium in Rochester. Two days later, on May 12, he drove in a run with an RBI triple off of Enmanual De Jesus, having already drawn three walks, in a Mets 10-2 blowout of the Detroit Tigers. It feels crazy now, but five months ago, AJ Ewing was still in Double-A. The 21-year-old has not been as consistent as his fellow rookie outfielder Carson Benge and is still much more a work-in-progress, but there’s a very good chance the team has found its long-term centerfielder.
5) Jacob Reimer
April: 20 G, 70 AB, .186/.329/.314, 13 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 13 BB, 26 K, 3/4 SB, .279 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 22 G, 80 AB, .225/.340/.413, 18 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 15 BB, 24 K, 7/8 SB, .278 BABIP (Double-A)
June: 8 G, 29 AB, .241/.313/.517, 7 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 7 K, 3/3 SB, .250 BABIP (Double-A)
July: DNP
August: 22 G, 86 AB, .302/.380/.407, 26 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 10 BB, 15 K, 1/2 SB, .357 BABIP (Double-A)
September: 10 G, 39 AB, .205/.279/.333, 8 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 16 K, 318 BABIP (Double-A)
2026 Season: 80 G, 297 AB, .232/.335/.384, 69 H, 21 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 45 BB, 87 K, 14/19 SB, .296 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Jacob Reimer just didn’t look right all year. He struggled early in the season and then missed most of June and all of July due to separate groin and hip injuries. He returned to the field in August healthy and posted numbers that are more like Jacob Reimer, but he fell apart once again at the end of the season. Since being drafted in 2022, the infielder’s career has felt like a see-saw: one year he’ll be good, then he’ll have a down year due to injuries, then he’ll recover and be good, then he’ll have a down year due to injuries. Despite 512 at-bats under his belt at the Double-A level split between 2025 and 2026 and a cumulative .252/.352/.424 batting line to show for it, I would assume that the 22-year-old is a lock to be added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the 2026 Rule 5 Draft (if that even takes place). Here’s hoping that 2027 will be an upswing year for him.
6) Ryan Clifford
April: 28 G, 98 AB, .224/.306/.429, 22 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 12 BB, 44 K, 2/4 SB, .340 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 27 G, 103 AB, .233/.308/.534, 24 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 12 BB, 34 K, 2/2 SB, .250 BABIP (Triple-A)
June: 22 G, 76 AB, .105/.218/.158, 8 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 11 BB, 36 K, 2/2 SB, .179 BABIP (Triple-A)
July: 19 G, 70 AB, .157/.272/.286, 11 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 10 BB, 31 K, 2/2 SB, .250 BABIP (Triple-A)
August: 7 G, 26 AB, .038/.138/.038, 1 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 16 K, 0/0 SB, .100 BABIP (Triple-A)
September: 11 G, 32 AB, .250/.385/.594, 8 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 10 K, 0/1 SB, .300 BABIP (Triple-A)
2026 Season: 115 G, 410 AB, .180/.277/.363, 74 H, 17 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 53 BB, 174 K, 8/11 SB, .253 BABIP (Triple-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Ryan Clifford’s season began well enough, and on June 1st, the slugger found himself hitting .229/.307/.483 in 55 games with 13 home runs, 24 walks, and 78 strikeouts, good for a 96 wRC+- not great, but a typical Ryan Clifford season in terms of batting average, walk rate, strikeout rate, and home runs. From June 1 on, he hit a staggering .113/.223/.186 in 49 games- a wRC+ of 10- leading to him being placed on the Developmental List from mid-August until September. He recovered a bit in September, but there are no two ways around it: this was a disastrous season for Clifford. Complicating matters further, there were some fairly high expectations of him in more than a few circles- with Pete Alonso not being re-signed and Clifford knocking on the door, the possibility was there that the slugger could play his way into a role at some point in 2026. Those two independent storylines merged in quite possibly one of, if not the, biggest Mets minor league disappointments of the 2026 season.
7) Will Watson
April: 5 G (5 GS), 19.1 IP, 23 H, 17 R, 15 ER (6.98 ERA), 10 BB, 19 K, .344 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 1 G (1 GS), 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER (54.00 ERA), 2 BB, 0 K, .500 BABIP (Double-A)
June: DNP
July: DNP
August: 1 G (1 GS), 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER (3.00), 2 BB, 2 K, .143 BABIP (Double-A)
September: 2 G (2 GS), 5.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER (9.53 ERA), 3 BB, 6 K, .474 BABIP (Double-A)
2026 Season: 9 G (9 GS), 28.2 IP, 37 H, 28 R, 26 ER (8.16 ERA), 17 BB, 27 K, .363 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
The 2026 season was one to forget for Will Watson. He missed almost four months due to an oblique injury, and in the games that he pitched prior to being placed on the injured list and after being activated from it, he wasn’t good either. Because of the injury, it’s hard to evaluate whether or not the right-hander was overmatched against Double-A hitters, or if he was pitching compromised because of it. Either way, 2026 was a lost year for him and he is hopefully fully healthy and ready to go in April 2026.
8) Jack Wenninger
April: 5 G (5 GS), 22.1 IP, 16 H, 5 R, 4 ER (1.61 ERA), 12 BB, 26 K, .273 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 5 G (4 GS), 22.2 IP, 19 H, 13 R, 10 ER (3.97 ERA), 13 BB, 20 K, .262 BABIP (Triple-A)
June: 5 G (3 GS), 23.0 IP, 23 H, 17 R, 15 ER (5.87 ERA), 14 BB, 22 K, .262 BABIP (Triple-A)
July: 4 G (4 GS), 18.1 IP, 18 H, 11 R, 10 ER (4.91 ERA), 11 BB, 16 K, .333 (Triple-A)
August: 4 G (3 GS), 18.0 IP, 8 H, 11 R, 10 ER (5.00), 11 BB, 26 K, .129 BABIP (Triple-A)
September: 3 G (3 GS), 10.2 IP, 16 H, 9 R, 9 ER (7.59 ERA), 7 BB, 13 K, .455 BABIP (Triple-A)
2026 Season: 26 G (22 GS), 115.0 IP, 100 H, 66 R, 58 ER (4.54 ERA), 68 BB, 123 K, .281 BABIP (Triple-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Jack Wenninger’s season began strong, but a few months into the 2026 season, the train derailed and he just was not able to get things back on track. His fastball doesn’t really have the best shape and is more of a set-up pitch than a strikeout pitch, but it certainly did its job and effectively set-up his changeup, which was a true plus pitch in 2026, limiting batters to a .175/.245/.299 batting line with a 47.6% Whiff Rate. Outside of that fastball-changeup combination though, Wenninger really had nothing. Batters hit .293/.378/.509 against his sliders; his sweeping slider (.152/.263/.273) was quite a bit better than his gyro slider (.349/.423/.602), but was used a fraction of the amount (23.3% to 8.9%). Further complicating everything was that the right-hander, who came into the season known as a pitcher with good command and control, had trouble against the more experienced Triple-A hitters who also had the ABS system on their side, and his walk rate suffered. There’s still potential in Wenninger, but the right-hander still feels like he is a change or two away from being a potential major league contributor.
9) Mitch Voit
April: 19 G, 76 AB, .224/.314/.382, 17 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 20 K, 10/11 SB, .264 BABIP (High-A)
May: 18 G, 67 AB, .224/.316/.403, 15 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 23 K, 4/6 SB, .279 BABIP (High-A)
June: 21 G, 82 AB, .305/.426/.476, 25 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 13 BB, 13 K, 12/13 SB, .328 BABIP (High-A)
July: 17 G, 65 AB, .215/.325/.323, 14 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 13 K, 10/14 SB, .235 BABIP (High-A) / 3 G, 12 AB, .417/.563/.750, 5 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 4 BB, 2 K, 2/2 SB, .500 BABIP (Double-A)
August: 19 G, 75 AB, .400/.489/.600, 30 H, 9 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 10 BB, 16 K, 4/5 SB, .491 BABIP (Double-A)
September: 7 G, 31 AB, .194/.194/.226, 6 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 K, 3/4 SB, .240 BABIP (Double-A)
2026 Season: 76 G, 293 AB, .242/.349/.396, 71 H, 12 2B, 0 3B, 11 HR, 37 BB, 70 K, 36/44 SB, .278 BABIP (High-A) / 29 G, 118 AB, .347/.430/.517, 41 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 14 BB, 24 K, 9/11 SB, 424 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
Prior to his promotion to Double-A Binghamton, Mitch Voit wasn’t having a bad season, per se, but a 103 wRC+ isn’t exactly exciting. When he was promoted to Binghamton, almost overnight, Voit became one of, if not the, most exciting players in the minor league system. In 29 games with the Rumble Ponies, he posted a wRC+ of 158- and that takes into account a little lull that he had in September; remove those 7 games, and he had a 202 wRC+ against Eastern League pitchers. Early on in the season, Voit began working with his hitting coaches to refine his decisions at the plate and to focus on swinging at good pitches and making good contact, putting extra effort into studying scouting reports and figuring out how to get pitchers to work to his strengths rather than him falling into their pitching traps. By the time the summer began, he was doing just that, and the results spoke for themselves. Some of the underlying metrics propping up his numbers are unsustainable- no player in major league history since LD% began being tracked has ever posted a 30% LD% and a BABIP over .400- so expect some likely regression in 2027, but if the infielder can continue producing even a fraction of the number he produced during the dog days of the summer, that’s money.
10) Jonathan Santucci
April: 4 G (4 GS), 17.1 IP, 13 H, 12 R, 11 ER (5.71 ERA), 11 BB, 26 K, .364 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 6 G (6 GS), 28.2 IP, 25 H, 13 R, 11 ER (3.45 ERA), 11 BB, 32 K, .323 BABIP (Double-A)
June: 5 G (5 GS), 22.0 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 7 ER (2.86 ERA), 13 BB, 25 K, .273 BABIP (Double-A)
July: 4 G (4 GS), 22.2 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 7 ER (2.78 ERA), 10 BB, 37 K, .341 BABIP (Double-A)
August: 5 G (5 GS), 19.0 IP, 21 H, 16 R, 14 ER (6.63 ERA), 17 BB, 25 K, .388 BABIP (Triple-A)
September: 3 G (3 GS), 15.1 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 6 ER (3.52 ERA), 4 BB, 18 K, .257 BABIP (Triple-A)
2026 Season: 19 G (19 GS), 90.2 IP, 68 H, 42 R, 36 ER (3.57 ERA), 45 BB, 120 K, .314 BABIP (Double-A) / 8 G (8 GS), 34.1 IP, 34 H, 23 R, 20 ER (5.24 ERA), 21 BB, 43 K, .337 BABIP (Triple-A)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
Jonathan Santucci threw 50.0 strong innings in Double-A Binghamton last season, posting a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts with 33 hits allowed, 18 walks, and 63 strikeouts, and he followed that up by throwing another 90.2 strong innings with the Rumble Ponies between April and August. When the southpaw was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, things went poorly at first, but by the time the end of the season rolled around, he righted the ship to a degree; In his first four Triple-A starts, he allowed 12 earned runs in 14.0 innings, allowing 16 hits, walking 16, and striking out 18 and in his final four Triple-A starts, he allowed 8 earned runs in 20.1 innings, allowing 18 hits, walking 5, and striking out 25. The left-hander corrected his atrocious walk rate, but in throwing more pitches in the zone, let himself get hurt by the long ball; his home run rate spiked, allowing 5 home runs in those 20.1 innings, as opposed to 1 over the course of his first four starts, and 4 over the course of all 90.2 innings he pitched in Binghamton. I think that encapsulates Santucci as a pitcher- he is most effective when pitching around the zone and getting batters to get themselves out rather than dominating them in it, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in a larger Triple-A sample size next season.
11) Elian Peña
April: 22 G, 85 AB, .353/.467/.482, 30 H, 8 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 17 BB, 16 K, 9/10 SB, .420 BABIP (Single-A)
May: 23 G, 88 AB, .216/.343/.307, 19 H, 0 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15 BB, 23 K, 6/10 SB, .283 BABIP (Single-A)
June: 19 G, 64 AB, .219/.407/.266, 14 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 18 BB, 18 K, 9/11 SB, .298 BABIP (Single-A)
July: 19 G, 79 AB, .266/.326/.405, 21 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 18 K, 2/2 SB, .322 BABIP (Single-A)
August: 12 G, 45 AB, .333/.423/.622, 15 H, 4 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 BB, 18 K, 2/4 SB, .500 BABIP / 10 G, 45 AB, .178/.296/.200, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 8 BB, 17 K, 2/2 SB, .276 BABIP (High-A)
September: 5 G, 22 AB, .136/.136/.273, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 7 K, 0/0 SB, .200 BABIP (High-A)
2026 Season: 96 G, 365 AB, .271/.388/.397, 99 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 61 BB, 94 K, 28/37 SB, .343 BABIP (Single-A) / 15 G, 67 AB, .164/.250/.224, 11 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 8 BB, 24 K, 2/2 SB, .250 BABIP (High-A)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
For large stretches of the season, Elian Peña looked meek at the plate, going up and alternating between taking too many pitches or taking bad hacks. For other stretches, he looked like a star, spraying the ball around the field and pulling fly balls for homers. None of this should come as a surprise, as the infielder spent the season playing against players who generally have been on average three to four years older and more experienced than him. His number were solid if unspectacular in a vacuum, but posting them as an 18-year-old in his first season stateside raises the bar of accomplishment Peña achieved.
12) Zac Thornton
April: 4 G (4 GS), 21.0 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 10 ER (4.29 ERA), 7 BB, 20 K, .333 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 1 G (1 GS), 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA), 2 BB, 7 K, .375 BABIP / 3 G (3 GS), 16.1 IP, 15 H, 9 R, 9 ER (4.96 ERA), 5 BB, 15 K, .256 BABIP (Triple-A) / 1 G (1 GS), 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER (8.31 ERA), 2 BB, 3 K, .231 BABIP (MLB)
June: 4 G (3 GS), 13.2 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 7 ER (4.61 ERA), 9 BB, 14 K, .333 BABIP (Triple-A) / 1 G (1 GS), 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER (1.50 ERA), 1 BB, 7 K, .333 BABIP (MLB)
July: 2 G (2 GS), 7.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER (2.35 ERA), 4 BB, 9 K, .133 BABIP (Triple-A) / 3 G (3 GS), 19.1 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER (1.40 ERA), 4 BB, 12 K, .196 BABIP (MLB)
August: 6 G (6 GS), 31.2 IP, 37 H, 13 R, 12 ER (3.41 ERA), 7 BB, 23 K, .327 BABIP (MLB)
September: 4 G (4 GS), 23.0 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 12 ER (4.70 ERA), 4 BB, 18 K, .226 BABIP (MLB)
2026 Season: 5 G (5 GS), 25.0 IP, 24 H, 10 R, 10 ER (3.60 ERA), 9 BB, 27 K, .338 BABIP (Double-A) / 9 G (8 GS), 37.2 IP, 34 H, 22 R, 18 ER (4.30 ERA), 18 BB, 38 K, .270 BABIP (Triple-A) / 15 G (15 GS), 84.1 IP, 78 H, 33 R, 32 ER (3.42 ERA), 18 BB, 63 K, .269 BABIP (MLB)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
Zac Thornton was never an afterthought, but with pitchers like Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Jack Wenninger, and Jonathan Santucci ahead of him in most pecking orders, expectations were low for the southpaw. After a pair of random spot starts in May and June, he was inserted into the starting rotation on a more permanent basis and established himself as someone the organization can absolutely count on going forward. By most metrics, he was pitching above his head and is likely to regress, but the Mets don’t need Thornton to be 20% better than the average National League pitcher for their rotation to be in a good place going forward- it certainly wouldn’t hurt, though.
13) Nick Morabito
April: 26 G, 90 AB, .256/.376/.444, 23 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 14 BB, 23 K, 7/9 SB, .297 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 19 G, 75 AB, .240/.329./.293, 15 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 BB, 23 K, 8/8 SB, .346 BABIP (Triple-A) / 5 G, 11 AB, .000/.083/.000, 0 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 9 K, 0/1 SB, .000 BABIP (MLB)
June: 23 G, 87 AB, .287/.380/.460, 25 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11 BB, 25 K, 11/11 SB, .373 BABIP (Triple-A)
July: 21 G, 74 AB, .230/.367/.311, 17 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 14 BB, 20 K, 7/7 SB, .288 BABIP (Triple-A)
August: 23 G, 90 AB, .222/.294/.344, 20 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 BB, 15 K, 9/11 SB, .236 BABIP
September: 14 G, 30 AB, .267/.353/.333, 8 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 3 BB, 7 K, 1/1 SB, .348 BABIP (MLB)
2026 Season: 114 G, 425 AB, .254/.355/.388, 14 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 57 BB, 106 K, 42/46 SB, .307 BABIP (Triple-A) / 19 G, 41 AB, .195/.283/.244, 8 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 3 BB, 16 K, 1/3 SB, .320 BABIP (MLB)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
In some ways, the 2026 season was a disappointment for Morabito, but in others, it was a success. In 114 games with the Syracuse Mets, who play in the International League where offense was plentiful this past year, he only hit .254/.355/.388 (96 wRC+) with poor underlying batted ball data and metrics. At the same time, he made the MLB roster, and despite his overall struggles in limited action with the Mets, he achieved what 99% of other kids who put on their gloves and dream of being big leaguers don’t. With his speed Morabito is a useful player to have around, but with his offensive limitations, it is hard to really expect much if anything from him.
14) R.J. Gordon
April: N/A
May: 4 G (4 GS), 9.2 IP, 17 H, 13 R, 9 ER (8.38 ERA), 5 BB, 10 K, .517 BABIP (Double-A)
June: 5 G (5 GS), 18.0 IP, 21 H, 17 R, 15 ER (7.50), 11 BB, 13 K, .317 BABIP (Double-A)
July: 5 G (5 GS), 27.0 IP, 29 H, 14 R, 13 ER (4.33 ERA), 11 BB, 26 K, .345 BABIP (Double-A)
August: 5 G (5 GS), 29.0, 21 H, 10 R, 7 ER (2.17 ERA), 10 BB, 27 K, .256 BABIP (Double-A)
September: 2 G (2 GS), 7.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER (8.22 ERA), 5 BB, 5 K, .217 BABIP
2026 Season: 121 G (21 GS), 91.1 IP, 95 H, 61 R, 51 ER (5.03 ERA), 42 BB, 81 K, .312 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK HOLDING
It was a tale of two seasons for R.J. Gordon, who missed the first month and a half of the season due to injury. In May and June, he posted a 7.81 ERA in 9 starts, averaging roughly 3 innings per game, with batters hitting .333/.409/.561 against him with a 17.3% strikeout rate and 12.0% walk rate. In July, August, and September, he posted a 3.82 ERA in 12 starts, averaging roughly 5.1 innings per game, with batters hitting .236/.309/.393 with a 21.6% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate. Gordon doesn’t exactly have premium stuff and was a bit more hittable than you’d want, but between this season and last, he has over 150 innings at the Double-A level now to solid results and is due a promotion to Triple-A next season.
15) Chris Suero
April: 19 G, 63 AB, .159/.349/.397, 10 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 18 BB, 28 K, 3/5 SB, .188 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 22 G, 76 AB, .197/.354/.368, 15 H, 4 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 15 BB, 29 K, 12/12 SB, .286 BABIP (Double-A)
June: 21 G, 76 AB, .237/.363/.487, 18 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 12 BB, 27 K, 5/6 SB, .311 BABIP (Double-A)
July: 18 G, 71 AB, .183/.318/.324, 13 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 13 BB, 25 K, 4/6 SB, .244 BABIP (Double-A)
August: 23 G, 80 AB, .250/.386/.500, 20 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 16 BB, 23 K, 9/11 SB, .278 BABIP (Double-A)
September: 10 G, 33 AB, .091/.231/.091, 3 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 BB, 12 K, 3/5 SB, .143 BABIP (Double-A)
2026 Season: 114 G, 403 AB, .201/.347/.395, 81 H, 20 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 80 BB, 145 K, 37/46 SB, .258 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK HOLDING
16) Dylan Ross
April: 1 G, 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER (27.00 ERA), 2 BB, 1 K, .500 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 11 G (0 GS), 10.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER (5.91 ERA), 11 BB, 14 K, .190 BABIP (Triple-A)
June: 9 G (0 GS), 8.2 IP, 17 H, 13 R, 13 ER (13.50 ERA), 11 BB, 14 K, .577 BABIP (Triple-A)
July: 6 G (0 GS), 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER (1.80 ERA), 0 BB, 4 K, .308 BABIP (Triple-A)
August: 11 G (0 GS), 11.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER (3.97), 7 BB, 12 K, .214 BABIP (Triple-A)
September: 7 G (0 GS), 7.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER (3.52 ERA), 6 BB, 9 K, .313 BABIP (Triple-A) / 1 G (0 GS), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA), 0 BB, 0 K, .000 BABIP (MLB)
2026 Season: 45 G, (0 GS), 44.0 IP, 45 H, 32 R, 31 ER (6.34 ERA), 37 BB, 54 K, .311 BABIP (Triple-A) / 1 G (0 GS), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA), 0 BB, 0 K, .000 BABIP (MLB)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Overall, the 2026 season was a disappointing one for Dylan Ross, who many thought could pitch his way into a non-September call-up role in the major league bullpen at some point during the season. Ross spent a considerable amount of time in Triple-A Syracuse last season, to much better results, so the down year is a bit concerning. Almost every one of his cumulative and rate stats trended in the wrong direction, and of extreme concern, his fastball-splitter combo was a shell of its former self: batters hit .329/.464/.539 against his fastball and .188/.322/.313 against his splitter, with 18.9% and 40.6% whiff rates, respectively, as opposed to 2025 when they hit .184/.304/.263 against his fastball and .024/.180/.024 against his splitter, with 18.7% and 49.4% whiff rates. Non-elite relievers have precarious lives, and Ross needs to really get back to the drawing board to improve his bread-and-butter pitches to ensure that he does not get glossed over and lost in the shuffle of veterans running it back and newly emerged talent.
17) Ryan Lambert
April: 10 G (0 GS), 8.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER (6.23 ERA), 9 BB, 12 K, .278 BABIP (Triple-A)
May: 7 G (0 GS), 7.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER (3.68 ERA), 4 BB, 13 K, .182 BABIP (Triple-A)
June: 3 G (9 GS), 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER (13.50 ERA), 2 BB, 3 K, .667 BABIP (Triple-A)
July: 4 G (0 GS), 4.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER (7.71 ERA), 8 BB, 2 K, .000 BABIP (Triple-A)
August: DNP
September: 4 G (0 GS), 3.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER (18.00 ERA), 5 BB, 2 K, .400 BABIP (Triple-A)
2026 Season: 28 G (0 GS), 25.2 IP, 21 H, 23 R, 22 ER (7.71 ERA), 28 BB, 32 K, .298 BABIP (Triple-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
If ever Ryan Lambert was going to be promoted to the major league bullpen, this year would’ve been it. He had some fun fluff pieces on him earlier in the season during spring training, and because of injuries, ineffectiveness, and just the nature of the way that David Stearns runs his bullpen, there was room for the right-hander for him to grab that brass ring if he could. Unfortunately, due to injuries and ineffectiveness, Lambert wasn’t able to grab that brass ring. He had what I can only describe as a catastrophic season, at no point looking good and tossing only a handful of halfway passable innings. I think there is room for bounceback- his fastball was effective in the zone and slider was effective, with the fatal combination of too many walks, too many baserunners, and too many home runs doing him in- and as such, Lambert presumably should still be in contention for a bullpen spot over the course of next season and will hopefully put his struggles in 2026 behind him.
18) Antonio Jimenez
April: 20 G, 77 AB, .143/.193/.247, 11 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 22 K, 3/4 SB, .167 BABIP (High-A)
May: 6 G, 21 AB, .238/.407/.286, 5 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 5 K, 2/2 SB, .313 BABIP (Single-A) / 5 G, 20 AB, .050/.136/.050, 1 H, 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 8 K, 0/0 SB, .083 BABIP (High-A)
June: 19 G, 68 AB, .191/.349/.324, 8 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 13 BB, 26 K, 8/13 SB, .268 BABIP (Single-A)
July: 18 G, 69 AB, .304/.355/.536, 21 H, 4 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 4 BB, 16 K, 5/7 SB, .340 BABIP (Single-A) / 3 G, 10 AB, .200/.333/.200, 2 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB, .286 BABIP (High-A)
August: 19 G, 59 AB, .203/.382/.356, 12 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 16 BB, 21 K, 5/7 SB, .297 BABIP (High-A)
September: 5 G, 17 AB, .235/.278/.412, 4 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 K, 0/0 SB, .333 BABIP (High-A)
2026 Season: 44 G, 107 AB, .247/.358/.414, 40 H, 9 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 22 BB, 50 K, 15/22 SB, .315 BABIP (Single-A) / 54 G, 62 AB, .160/.269/.273, 30 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 24 BB, 62 K, 8/12 SB, .213 BABIP (High-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Antionio Jimenez’ 2026 season was an abject horror story. The 22-year-old began the year with the Brooklyn Cyclones, but performed so poorly that he was sent down to Single-A St. Lucie for about half the summer. By and large, he struggled there, and when he was promoted back to Brooklyn after sustaining a streak of good performance for a few weeks, looked just as poor as he had prior to his demotion. If promoted to Double-A Binghamton next season, I could see a scenario where Jimenez actually performs a bit better, playing in a more hitting-neutral park, but at the same time, I could also see a scenario where his poor plate discipline, poor swing decisions, and poor contact ability cause him to struggle just the same.
19) Edward Lantigua
April: 2 G, 8 AB, .125/.125/.250, 1 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB, .200 BABIP (Single-A)
May: 7 G, 22 AB, .182/.300/.273, 4 H, 2 2B, O 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 7 K, 4/4 SB, .267 BABIP (Single-A)
June: DNP
July: DNP
August: DNP
September: DNP
2026 Season: 9 G, 30 AB, .167/.265/.267, 5 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 10 K, 4/4 SB, .250 BABIP (Single-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Lantigua began the 2026 season on the injured list due to a core injury, and when he finally got back on the field at the end of April only appeared in a few games before being placed on the injured list once after injuring himself while sliding. The outfielder will look to return to the field and get back on track in 2027.
20) Eli Serrano III
April: 21 G, 71 AB, .239/.371/.451, 17 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 13 BB, 22 K, 0/0 SB, .320 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 23 G, 87 AB, .161/.250/.264, 14 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 11 BB, 29 K, 4/5 SB, .224 BABIP (Double-A)
June: 10 G, 34 AB, .176/.293/.294, 6 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 9 K, 2/3 SB, .200 BABIP (Double-A)
July: DNP
August: 5 G, 20 AB, .250/.286/.600, 5 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 K, 0/0 SB, .273 BABIP (Double-A)
September: 9 G, 30 AB, .133/.257/.267, 4 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 8 K, 2/2 SB, .143 BABIP (Double-A)
2026 Season: 68 G, 242 AB, .190/.297/.351, 46 H, 15 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 35 BB, 75 K, 8/10 SB, .241 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Eli Serrano spent much of the 2026 season on the Injured List, and in the 66 games that he did get into, he was not great. This was not just the second consecutive year where Serrano has struggled with the bat, but it is also the second consecutive year where he has had problems staying on the field; he only appeared in 88 games for High-A Brooklyn last year, spending multiple stints on the IL. I was critical of his selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, and the 23-year-old has done nothing to justify the common refrain that he was a sleeper who, with a few mechanical tweaks to his swing and some physical growth, would blossom and justify the overslot bonus he got when he was drafted in the 4th round.
21) Randy Guzman
April: 22 G, 77 AB, .234/.359/.468, 18 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 11 BB, 24 K, 3/3 SB, .286 BABIP (Single-A)
May: 24 G, 89 AB, .270/.330/.461, 24 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 7 BB, 30 K, 1/2 SB, .385 BABIP (Single-A)
June: 4 G, 10 AB, .200/.385/.200, 2 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 0/0 SB, .333 BABIP (Single-A)
July: 9 G, 29 AB, .379/.486/.793, 11 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 8 K, 1/1 SB, .421 BABIP (Single-A) / 4 G, 16 AB, .438/.500/.500, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB, .583 BABIP (High-A)
August: 3 G, 12 AB, .333/.333/.583, 4 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, 0/0 SB, .333 BABIP
September: DNP
2026 Season: 60 G, 208 AB, .274/.377/.514, 57 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 28 BB, 66 K, 5/6 SB, .338 BABIP (Single-A) / 4 G, 16 AB, .438/.500/.500, 7 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB, .583 BABIP (High-A)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
Randy Guzman had an excellent 2025 season, and he built on that in 2026, hitting .274/.377/.514 with Single-A St. Lucie and then going 7-16 with High-A Brooklyn at the end of the season. Injuries, unfortunately, limited the outfielder to just 64 games, 60 with St. Lucie and 4 with Brooklyn. Guzman was placed on the Injured List twice in 2026 because of quadriceps strains, once at the beginning of June and then at the beginning of August, missing months as a result. When Guzman was on the field, he was excellent, so here’s hoping he is able to bring that positive performance with him into 2027.
22) Daiverson Gutierrez
April: 20 G, 70 AB, .171/.326/.257, 12 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 9 BB, 18 K, 1/1 SB, .216 BABIP (High-A)
May: 22 G, 75 AB, .120/.223/.187, 9 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 BB, 15 K, 1/2 SB, .136 BABIP (High-A)
June: 20 G, 74 AB, .270/.341/.459, 20 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 10 K, 0/0 SB, .281 BABIP (High-A)
July: 20 G, 72 AB, .250/.309/.417, 18 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 13 K, 2/4 2B, .259 BABIP (High-A)
August: 17 G, 59 AB, .169/.279/.271, 10 H, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 6 BB, 12 K, 0/0 SB, .196 BABIP (High-A)
September: 2 G, 5 AB, .200/.500/.200, 1 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 3 BB, 2 K, 1/1 SB, .333 BABIP
2026 Season: 102 G, 363 AB, .198/.301/.317, 72 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 40 BB, 70 K, 5/8 SB, .221 BABIP (High-A)
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
It was a rough year for Daiverson. He was a well-below-average bat, and I don’t think he was particularly good behind the plate. There were stretches where his bat looked solid, and many of the underlying metrics are positive, so there are reasons to believe in the 20-year-old. If nothing else, we all know that catcher development is far from linear, and there’s no reason to completely give up on the former bonus baby just yet.
23) Boston Baro
April: DNP
May: DNP
June: DNP
July: DNP
August: DNP
September: DNP
2026 Season: DNP
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
Baro underwent right shoulder surgery over the off-season and began a rehab assignment with the FCL Mets in late May. He was shut down after appearing in just two games, but began anew in late August with the St. Lucie Mets. In total, he went 4-34 in both rehab assignments, logging a pair of doubles, stealing 3 bases, and drawing 4 walks to 5 strikeouts.
24) Marco Vargas
April: 17 G, 66 AB, .212/.333/.303, 14 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 12 BB, 21 K, 9/9 SB, .311 BABIP (Double-A)
May: 9 G, 34 AB, .206/.325/.265, 7 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 BB, 11 K, 3/3 SB, .250 BABIP (Double-A)
June: DNP
July: DNP
August: 19 G, 78 AB, .333/.369/.513, 26 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 28 K, 11/11 SB, .479 BABIP
September: 8 G, 31 AB, .387/.457/.516, 12 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 4 BB, 8 K, 5/6 SB, .522 BABIP (Double-A)
2026 Season: 53 G, 209 AB, .282/.363/.407, 59 H, 9 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 27 BB, 68 K, 28/29 SB, .403 BABIP (Double-A)
Season Grade: STOCK UP
It was a tale of two seasons for Marco Vargas, bisected by a two-and-a-half-month layover due to an undisclosed injury. In his 27 games prior to being placed on the injured list in April and May, the infielder hit .210/.331/.290 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 12 stolen bases, and drew 18 walks to 32 strikeouts. He returned in August and hit .349/.395/.514 in 27 games until the end of the Double-A season, with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and drew 9 walks to 36 strikeouts. Vargas’ upside is limited, but it is encouraging that the 21-year-old’s hit tool appeared to have seamlessly transitioned to Double-A after being given a clean bill of health.
25) Peter Kussow
April: DNP
May: DNP
June: DNP
July: DNP
August: DNP
September: DNP
2026 Season: DNP
Season Grade: STOCK DOWN
It was a lost year for the 19-year-old Peter Kussow, who underwent labrum surgery on his right shoulder prior to the start of the season and missed the entire year as a result.
