The son of Sammy Serrano Jr., who played for Stetson University in the mid-90s and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 2nd round of the 1998 MLB Draft, Eli Serrano III followed in his father’s
footsteps and pursued baseball. The Fuquay Varina, North Carolina native initially attended Patriot High School in Nokesvlle, Virginia, here his father was the head baseball coach, but transferred to the Pro5 Baseball Academy in Apex, North Carolina in his junior year. A former teammate of Ryan Clifford, Serrano hit .434 in his senior season in 2022. Considered a highly sought prospect due to his large, athletic frame, bat-to-ball skills, and power potential, he ultimately went undrafted in the 2022 MLB Draft and attended North Carolina State University.
Overview
Name: Eli Serrano III
Position: OF
Born: 05/01/2003 (Age 23 season in 2026)
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 200 lbs.
Bats/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2024 MLB Draft, 4th Round (North Carolina State University)
2025 Stats: 88 G, 324 AB, .222/.332/.358, 72 H, 21 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 50 BB, 77 K, 9/12 SB, .266 BABIP (High-A)
Serrano made an immediate impact in his freshman season, appearing in 53 games and starting 49 of them as the Wolfpack’s primary first baseman. He hit .292/.389/.470 in total, with 12 doubles, 7 home runs, 2 stolen bases in 3 attempts, and drew 24 walks to 37 strikeouts, earning ACC All-Freshman team honors. He had a similar season in 2024. Shifted from first base to center field, Serrano appeared in all 61 games the Wolfpack played and hit .285/.380/.431 with 9 doubles, 0 triples, 9 home runs, 7 stolen bases in 8 attempts, and drew 32 walks to 37 strikeouts.
A draft-eligible sophomore, the Mets selected Serrano in the 4th round of the 2024 MLB Draft and signed him for $697,500, just a bit over the MLB-recommended slot value for the 111th overall selection, $656,400. He was assigned to the St. Lucie Mets in mid-August and appeared in 17 games for them, hitting .238/.333/.444 with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 1 stolen base, and 7 walks to 16 strikeouts.
The outfielder was assigned to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones to begin the 2025 season and spent the entire year there, his season limited to 88 games due to an injury in late May that kept him off the field for a few weeks and then an injury in late August that ended his year prematurely. In the 88 games he played in, Serrano hit .222/.332/.358 with 21 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 9 stolen bases in 12 attempts, and drew 50 walks to 77 strikeouts.
Serrano, who is an impressive 6’5”, stands square at the plate, holding his hands high and wrapping his bat behind his head. He interchangeably uses a toe tap or light leg lift timing mechanism and has a very minimal load and weight shift. His long levered, left-handed stroke generally stays level through the zone and produces plenty of loud contact.
Thanks to his tall frame and long arms, Serrano has a great deal of plate coverage with his swing, but still needs to learn more selectivity and stop putting poorly hit balls in play simply because he is able to extend his arms and get wood on them. Left-handers have exploited all throughout his college career and in his brief time as a professional; against southpaws, Serrano hit .186/.290/.279 this past season as compared to a more palatable .235/.346/.387 against right-handers. When he makes solid contact, Serrano is capable of putting a charge in the ball, with multiple batted ball events resulting in 100+ MPH exit velocities. He does not expand the zone much, swinging and missing on outside pitches, so it is not that he is being fooled by away pitches, but rather, he needs to learn to take more questionable or bad pitches.
Serrano shows solid batting practice power, but he has yet to really manifest that in-game, and pulling and lifting the ball more solves that issue. With a 45.2% pull rate, 25.4% up-the-middle rate, and 29.4% opposite field rate, Serrano has room to optimize his batted ball data; likewise with a 26.1% line drive rate, 40.6% ground ball rate, and 33.3% fly ball rate, the outfielder shows a clear avenue for improvement.
Coming into the season, Serrano did not have a clear defensive home; he spent all of his 2023 freshman season as a first baseman and all of his 2024 sophomore season in centerfield. The Mets drafted Serrano as an outfielder and have penciled most of his playing time in at center, with a bit of time in left field and right field as well. While he is not speedy in the traditional sense, thanks to his long-legged gait giving him plenty of range, Serrano has been adequate in the outfield, but he is still very raw. He reads the ball off the bat well enough but needs to improve his routes to the ball. His arm is a bit stretched in right but is a bit stronger-than-average for center field. Serrano should be given every opportunity to improve his center field defense, but should he not, a corner outfield spot is likely his long-term home.
