Five Prospects Who Could Help Out Mets in 2025

Most of the 2025 Mets roster seems set in stone, but nearly every year, some players come up from the minor leagues and have a big impact on the team’s season. In 2024, Luisangel Acuña burst onto the scene when Francisco Lindor was injured, but who will take that leap this season?

Brandon Sproat

Sproat has been ranked the Mets’ top prospect by every major outlet and made it all the way to Triple-A Syracuse in 2024 after beginning the year in High-A Brooklyn. He was recently ranked as the No. 39 prospect in the sport in Baseball Prospectus’ Top 101. While he struggled in seven Triple-A starts, he still finished the year with a 3.40 ERA and a 28.3% strikeout rate in 116 1/3 innings across three levels.

Sproat might not break camp with the Mets, but he could make his way onto the roster if another pitcher struggles or gets injured. He still has room to grow, but don’t be surprised if Sproat debuts in the bigs in 2025, whether it be as a starter or a reliever.

Ryan Clifford

Clifford’s track to the majors will likely hinge on what happens with Pete Alonso, though it appears that he’s headed elsewhere in free agency at this juncture. Clifford began the year in High-A but spent most of 2024 with Double-A Binghamton, finishing the year with a .228/.372/.421 (131 wRC+) batting line to go with 19 homers and 27 doubles over 541 plate appearances. He posted an impressive 17.6% walk rate, though he had a concerning 29.6% strikeout rate and saw his contact rate drop seven percent.

Clifford will likely need some time in Triple-A before reaching the majors, but if Alonso were to leave, the door would be open for Clifford to be the next in line at first base.

Nolan McLean

McLean has officially ditched the idea of being a two-way player as a pro, focusing solely on pitching going forward. Named the No. 74 prospect in the league by Baseball Prospectus, the 2023 third-round pick threw 109 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A last season, posting a 3.78 ERA with a 25.1% strikeout rate.

Much like Christian Scott, McLean was mostly a reliever in college but worked exclusively as a starter in 2024. McLean has brought down his walk rate, which plagued him at Oklahoma State, and he only allowed 10 homers despite a 12% home run-to-fly ball ratio. He could use some more time refining himself in the minors, but the 23-year-old could break into the majors as a reliever in 2025 thanks to his explosive fastball and wipeout slider.

Nolan McLean, Disgusting 87mph Back Foot Slider. ? pic.twitter.com/aaThFLbUnz

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 15, 2024

Drew Gilbert

Gilbert endured a disastrous 2024 season. He missed significant time with multiple trips to the injured list and posted just a .684 OPS in 247 plate appearances. Once a consensus top prospect in the sport, Gilbert dropped out of the top 101 in Baseball Prospectus’ most recent rankings. Still, he maintained an 11.2% walk rate, and his .222 BABiP indicates he may have gotten a little unlucky.

Gilbert mashed after he was traded to the Mets in 2023, posting a .984 OPS in 154 plate appearances in Double-A, and perhaps he could return to an elite level with a healthy start to his season. He’s likely to begin the year in Triple-A, but with the center field situation fluid for the Mets, Gilbert could seize the everyday role later in the season.

Jett Williams

Much like Gilbert, Williams’ season was hampered by an injury, needing wrist surgery early in the year. Overall, he played in just 33 games and posted a weak .656 OPS without hitting a single homer. Williams still maintained a strong 14.9% walk rate and made it up to Triple-A towards the end of the season.

Ranked No. 48 by Baseball Prospectus, the former first-round pick had a 145 wRC+ and stole 45 bases in 2023, and there isn’t much reason to believe he can’t play at that level again in 2025. With Francisco Lindor manning shortstop, Williams slots in best at second base or center field – two positions that could see a change of guard this season.

The post Five Prospects Who Could Help Out Mets in 2025 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.