The New York Mets have had a middle-of-the-pack level farm system for some time now, although they’ve been able to produce prospects who have made impacts in Queens over the past several years, most notably Francisco Alvarez.
This year, it’s more of the same with a handful of consensus Top 100 prospects like Brandon Sproat, Carson Benge, and Jett Williams leading the way, but no true breakout prospect at the top of the board.
The closest thing to it is Sproat, whom we got a look at with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets on Wednesday as part of a doubleheader.
Brandon Sproat, RHP — New York Mets
The team’s second-round pick in 2023 out of Florida — one year after he declined to sign with the Mets after being taken in the third round — the 6-foot-3, 215-pound power righty has quickly emerged as the organization’s best pitching prospect, slotting in ahead of FSS alum Nolan McLean.
Sproat was up to 97 on a chilly day in a mostly empty ballpark against the Scranton RailRiders, and gave up some hard contact early to ultimately give up a first-inning run, but was mostly effective otherwise in a somewhat abbreviated look, only able to get through 4 1/3 frames with 79 pitches. He flashed a sweeper, slider, and changeup throughout the outing and is reportedly in consideration for a spot start with the big league club next week, which would be his MLB debut.
At his best, it’s likely a No. 2 or 3 starter ceiling, but there’s still a lot of refining to do here, particularly as this is just his second full professional season.
Dominic Hamel, RHP — New York Mets
Hamel is considered a fringe Top 30 prospect in the system by most, and is coming off a nightmare year in Syracuse in which he went 5-9 with a 6.79 ERA and 124 K’s in 124 2/3 innings in his first foray in 3A.
A 26-year-old righty, Hamel showed predictably fringy stuff over his outing in Wednesday’s opener, one in which he racked up seven strikeouts in just four innings, but also allowed four runs on three hits and two walks. He showed mostly a 91-93 fastball with a heavy dose of changeups and sliders mixed in, using the latter to record some early K’s. Having gone unselected in the most recent Rule 5 Draft, it’s hard to see a path to the next level with the Mets, although it’s fair to wonder if a move to the bullpen might unlock a tick or two of velo out of his 6-2, 206 frame.
Brett Baty, INF — New York Mets
Baty is no longer a prospect, having recorded nearly 600 at-bats at the big league level since his 2022 debut. Still just 25 years old, the production has never matched the talent, however, and it’s what led to yet another trip back to the minors, although this one may be brief, as he was a late scratch from the S-Mets lineup on Thursday.
Baty brings some positional versatility in the field, having moved off his primary spot of third base to play multiple spots, and still brings a typical corner profile bat from the left side. Despite some occasionally awkward movements given his long levers, he remains a solid defender at the hot corner as seen in the clip below, and is far from running out of opportunities just yet, given the tools.
Drew Gilbert, OF — New York Mets
Gilbert is an FSS original, starring at the inaugural National Tournaments in 2017 before going on to do the same at International Week one year later as a two-way player. He briefly dabbled with that role as well in college at Tennessee before moving exclusively to hitting, and ended up going 28th overall to the Houston Astros in 2022, landing with the Mets organization a year later via trade.
Listed at 5-9, 195, Gilbert has overcome the “too small” concerns back in his amateur days a thousand times over, and features a nearly stocky upper half these days. He saw his stock fall significantly after a nightmare 2024 season in which he battled nagging injuries and hit just .215 in his first full Triple-A campaign. Primarily a center field who can fit at the corner spots as well, the path to the next level is murky at the moment, but both a loaded toolbox and youth (24) remain on his side.
Gilbert is lauded for his off-the-charts makeup and character, as well as his hustle and “gamer” nature on the field. If he can hit consistently and show he’s 100 percent healthy, he’ll force his way into a big league role.
Since 2003, he has covered multiple World Series and has worked high-profile events ranging from the MLB All-Star Game to the World Baseball Classic. In addition to his role working for the Future Stars Series that he's held since 2017, Ashmore currently serves as the beat writer of the Double-A New York Yankees affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, as well as national hockey writer and New York Jets game day beat reporter for The Trentonian.
A regular contributor to Baseball America, Ashmore has worked seven Super Bowls, 11 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA Playoffs, College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Frozen Four, Daytona 500, major UFC events and much more as he approaches 3,200 games covered in his career.
An avid card collector and sim racer, he lives with his wife, Sarah, their son William, and their beloved dog, Bailey, and cat, Smokey.
