In what appears to be a corresponding move for designating Austin Slater for assignment, the Mets are reportedly calling up outfield prospect Nick Morabito. Morabito marks the third Mets’ outfield prospect to be called up since the start of the season, and the third to have limited time at the Triple-A level.
Morabito, who ranked #15 on the Amazin’ Avenue 2026 Prospect List, is a 23-year old outfielder who the Mets drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft. At the time, the Mets going over slot
to draft Morabito seemed like a strange move, but he’s turned himself into a legitimate prospect after a somewhat mixed high school career.
Here is what our Steve Sypa said about his game ahead of the season:
Speed is Morabito’s best tool, and his ability to leg out ground balls has kept his minor league batting average and BABIP inflated. A true plus runner, he has posted 90th percentile outcomes in various speed-quantifying metrics since being drafted. He is pesky on the base paths, taking extra bases when possible, and has begun to come along as a base stealer, not just posting high volumes but better success-to-failure ratios as well.
A shortstop in high school, Morabito was drafted as an outfielder and has not played anywhere in the infield save a handful of games where he manned second base in 2023. While he has some experience in left and right fields, the overwhelming majority of his time in the outfield has come in center, where his plus speed is a major boon.
In 41 games at Triple-A, Morabito has hit .253/.364/.390 with seven extra base hits and 14 stolen bases. Morabito had a very good showing in the Arizona Fall League last autumn and had one plate appearance for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
With the number of injuries the Mets are currently contending with, it might make sense for Juan Soto to be relegated mostly to designated hitter and letting the three outfield prospects (Morabito, A.J. Ewing, and Carson Benge) man the outfield for the time being. Things may change if and when players like Luis Robert Jr. and Jorge Polanco come back and shake up the roster, but for now, we are getting a serious youth movement in Queens, especially with Zach Thorton joining the club tomorrow.
