The Mets’ Former Top Prospects Need To Prove Their Worth

To build a sustained winner, you have to be able to develop young talent.

The New York Mets, while not doing many things right of late, have actually done a great job of stockpiling promising prospects. Since the beginning of 2024, the Mets’ farm system has jumped from No. 13 to No. 7 in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

While prospect rankings give a good idea of how teams may look in the future, winning actual major league games is dependent on those players living up to their billing.

Unfortunately for those in Queens, several highly-touted former top prospects simply have not played to their potential. Especially with the team grossly underperforming and star shortstop Francisco Lindor on the shelf, it’s time for these guys to wake up.

The Mets Are Undermanned

As of May 11, the Mets are one of only two teams in the NL to not have a hitter with at least 20 runs batted in (RBI).

However, four of the guys that you would expect to eclipse that mark have missed a large part of the young season. In addition to Lindor, who went on the shelf in late April with a calf injury, outfielder Juan Soto missed nearly three weeks and Jorge Polanco seemingly has not been fully healthy all year. Luis Robert Jr. has also been out since late April with a back injury.

The top five hitters in New York’s order on Opening Day have been in the lineup together just six times in 35 games. 

Additionally, Jared Young went down just as he was starting to heat up in a utility role. More recently, shortstop Ronny Mauricio fractured his thumb while serving as Lindor’s replacement. 

While the Mets have certainly struggled on the field, they have also had no luck on the injury front.

The Young Guys Have To Hit

Part of president of baseball operations David Stearns’ plan to re-tool the Mets this winter involved their glut of young infielders performing up to expectations.

Before his injury, Mauricio was finally given a lengthy runway to prove himself at his natural position. Despite a walkoff hit in his first at-bat of the year, Mauricio went just 7-for-32 at the plate with 12 strikeouts and no walks.

Now, he is out of the equation, and the Mets must once again readjust.

Mark Vientos looked like a budding star in 2024, slugging 27 home runs with an .837 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), but he has not come close to reaching those heights since. Vientos hit just .233 last season and has not been much better this season, even with a recent hot streak. 

By default, Vientos is the most logical replacement for Pete Alonso as a slugging, right-handed first baseman. However, Vientos has not shown the ability to repeat success over the course of a full season.

Brett Baty enjoyed a solid breakout season last year and figured to fill in as the Mets’ superutility man with Jeff McNeil now playing for the Athletics. Baty accumulated three wins above replacement last season, according to Baseball Reference, and hit 18 home runs. In the second half of 2025, he slashed .291/.353/.477 for an OPS of .829 and drastically improved his defense at third.

Even with Bo Bichette taking over as the starter at the hot corner, Baty has gotten regular playing time early this season, logging time at first, second, third, right field and as a designated hitter. But he just has not gotten going, hitting .207 with a .586 OPS.

Finally, Francisco Alvarez was the most highly touted of all the Mets’ recent top prospects, being named Just Baseball’s No. 5 overall prospect in the sport in 2022.

Last season, it looked as though Alvarez had at long last broken out; he finished with a 121 OPS+ after a strong second half. However, he has not replicated that early this year, hitting just .236 with a .696 OPS through 36 games.

Between Vientos, Baty and Alvarez, manager Carlos Mendoza is looking at a third of his lineup that has simply not hit this year. While Soto’s return from injury alleviated some scoring woes, Lindor and Polanco’s absence is still noticeable, especially since the young guys have not produced.

Will This Continue?

While all three of Vientos, Baty and Alvarez have been given ample opportunities to prove themselves, it is hard to believe that they are each as bad as they have been this year.

In the last few weeks, Vientos has begun to swing the bat better. Over his most recent 15 games, the 26-year-old, who has played mostly first base, is 13-for-54 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and a .768 OPS.

With the strides that Alvarez made offensively a season ago, his struggles feel like more of an early-season slump than an indication of anything majorly problematic.

Baty is the one who should concern the Queens faithful. In 126 plate appearances, he has struck out 33 times to just 11 walks. While he has always been a streaky hitter, his chase rate has jumped from 24.9% last year to 28.7% this year.

His bat speed is still strong, which means that when he connects, the ball can fly. But in a year in which he was supposed to build on a strong breakout, Baty’s inability to control at-bats has made him an easy out.

Unfortunately for Mauricio, his injury is just another roadblock to an extended opportunity at the major league level.

With the moves that Stearns has made to commit to his youngsters, there is not much of a solution unless some of these guys start producing. It seems unlikely that all three of Vientos, Alvarez and Baty will all prove to be complete busts, but time is ticking on a Mets team that has struggled to get going all year.