Top Early Standouts in the New York Mets’ Farm System
With the minor league season well underway, here are some early breakouts in the Mets organization.
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While the start to the 2026 baseball season has not been kind to the New York Mets, their highly regarded farm system has given the organization and fanbase something to be excited about.
The Mets had no qualms shipping away Just Baseball’s No. 45 Jett Williams and No. 71 Brandon Sproat in the Freddy Peralta deal this offseason, as their farm system still boasts seven of Just Baseball’s top 100 prospects.
Several names are already forcing their way into long-term organizational plans as they continue to show they are able to adapt and grow to their respective levels. Early returns suggest that the organizational depth is not only intact, but potentially stronger than many expected despite the departures from offseason moves.
As we move deeper into May, these are some players that the New York Mets and their fans should rightfully be excited about following their terrific starts to their 2026 campaigns.
Stats updated prior to games on May 6.
Triple-A Syracuse
OF/2B A.J. Ewing
Just Baseball’s No. 43 prospect has been swinging a scalding hot bat out of the gate in 2026. A.J. Ewing is another very strong and promising left-handed hitting outfield prospect that currently sits just beneath the big league club in Triple-A.
Ewing was selected in the 2023 MLB Draft at 134th overall, a selection that was granted to the Mets following the loss of franchise icon Jacob deGrom to free agency.
Ewing started 2026 in Binghamton, where he dominated Double-A pitching. In 18 games with the Rumble Ponies, he hit .349 with a 1.052 OPS.
The Mets, ecstatic with those results, deemed him ready for Triple-A. The speedy outfielder has not looked back. Through seven games with Syracuse, Ewing is slashing .440/.500/.560.
Across the two highest levels the minor leagues have to offer, the 5-foot-10 top prospect is boasting a 1.054 OPS, a whopping 180 wRC+ and a .471 wOBA.
While it’s still early, the 21-year-old could force the Mets to make the call if he continues to swing the bat at this level. If the Mets take another outfield blow, they may feel inclined to promote Ewing to the bigs.
RHP Jack Wenninger
The New York Mets do not lack right-handed pitching prospects, which is why they were willing to part ways with Sproat in order to acquire Freddy Peralta. Many think of Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong as the Mets’ future star right-handed pitchers, but do not overlook Jack Wenninger.
Wenninger was part of the same Mets draft class in 2023, as they nabbed him in the sixth round. The 6-foot-4 righty features a fastball that has seen an uptick in velocity. It touches the upper 90s but sits around 93-96 mph. His best pitch, however, is his filthy splitter. He also throws a respectable slider and includes a curveball in his arsenal.
The Murray State product sits at the top of the rotation for Syracuse, where the Mets have been extremely pleased with the early results. In five starts, Wenninger has logged 22.1 innings, posting a 1.61 ERA while fanning 26 batters.
The 24-year-old currently rocks a 1.25 WHIP and a .195 average against. One concern for Wenninger is his command, and in 2026, he’s walking 4.84 hitters per nine innings. The righty had trimmed his BB/9 down to 2.84, and if he can return back to those numbers, the Mets will be very pleased.
Mets fans can expect the righty to make an impact at some point in 2026. Whether he forces his way to the back end of the rotation or receives a call due to injury, Wenninger will be ready to go.
OF Nick Morabito
Another outfielder the Mets used a comp pick to draft, Nick Morabito was selected in 2022, following Noah Syndergaard’s signing with the Los Angeles Angels. The right-handed outfielder is off to a tremendous start to his 2026 campaign.
Morabito was drafted out of high school and has developed well throughout his time in the Mets’ minor leagues. He put together a solid 2025 campaign, with a .273 average and a .733 OPS down in Double-A Binghamton.
The Mets took the leap of faith that he would be able to produce and adapt to Triple-A pitching to start the season, and their decision was the right one. Through his first 30 contests with Syracuse, Morabito is slashing .284/.403/.461, with a 128 wRC+.
One of the more intriguing parts of his game is his ability on the basepaths. The speedster has already swiped 11 bags this season. That speed encouraged the Mets to throw him in center field, where he’s become a strong fielder with room to grow.
The speed and defense combo is enough to give Morabito big league looks, and the production from his bat has been the cherry on top. If the Mets embrace the youth movement in 2026, the 22-year-old Morabito could see time in New York’s outfield later down the road.
Double-A Binghamton
OF Eli Serrano
It’s been a rough season for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies of Double-A, with a clearly huge talent gap in the Mets organization from Double-A to Triple-A. Eli Serrano has been the only consistently productive hitter for the ballclub.
Serrano is entering his second full season of professional baseball and looking to bounce back following an underwhelming 2025 campaign. Serrano spent the entirety of that season in High-A Brooklyn, where he slashed just .222/.332/.358.
The Mets thought the 23-year-old was ready to see Double-A pitching despite his poor performance for Brooklyn. The lefty outfielder has proven they made the right decision with a solid start to his season.
The outfielder, who spent two years at NC State prior to his 2024 fourth-round draft selection, has posted a respectable .749 OPS and a 102 wRC+ in his first 24 games with the club.
While these numbers are not eye-popping, Serrano definitely stands out when compared to a lineup that has not put up the numbers they had hoped for.
LHP Zach Thornton
The pitching for Binghamton has also left a lot to be desired, but a bright spot in that dark area is Zach Thornton. The 24-year-old is off to a solid start, with a strong repertoire featuring a low 90s fastball, a curveball, a cutter, a changeup, and a slider, which is his bread and butter.
Thornton’s path to professional was remarkable. The southpaw spent two years at a community college in Kansas, then a year at Grand Canyon, as well as summers in the Appalachian and MLB Draft leagues. Thornton’s persistence earned him a fifth-round draft selection by the Mets in 2023.
Thornton garnered a lot of attention in the Mets organization in 2025. Across two levels of the minors, the 6-foot-3 lefty dominated to the tune of a 1.98 ERA, with a 9.66 K/9 and an incredible 1.36 BB/9.
He finished the year in Double-A, and that’s where he sits to begin the 2026 season. Thus far, Thornton boasts a 3.60 ERA and a 3.18 FIP, all while posting similar strikeout numbers to his 2025 showing.
The season has not been perfect, as he’s scattered a lot of hits, allowing a .253 average against, but he has done well to escape jams without surrendering too many runs.
The ceiling is not super high for this southpaw, but with time, he could see himself competing for the number five spot in New York’s rotation.
High-A Brooklyn
RHP Channing Austin
Similar to the Mets’ situation in Double-A, High-A Brooklyn lacks some of the high-end talent that the organization possesses at other levels. One of the under-the-radar solid performers is righty Channing Austin.
While Austin is not projected to be penciled into the New York Mets rotation any time soon, they may be hopeful he’s a late bloomer who can become a contributor with time.
The 24-year-old righty currently sits at an impressive 1.21 ERA, with a 10.07 K/9. However, the farmhand has struggled mightily with command, walking 6.04 hitters per nine.
Austin has strikeout stuff, and if he can work on improving his command, he could soon receive the call to Double-A, which would be a huge stepping stone for his development and chances at cracking New York’s big league club at some point.
Single-A St. Lucie
SS Elian Peña
It was considered a big splash when the Mets landed Elian Peña in the 2025 international signing class, as New York inked the shortstop to a deal worth $5 million.
Peña had an incredible year in Rookie ball in 2025, as many expected. He posted a .949 OPS and mashed nine homers in 55 games with the team.
The Mets have to be more than pleased with how the 18-year-old has fared in his first season with Single-A St. Lucie. All of the numbers he’s posted through 26 games have been spectacular.
Peña currently maintains a .311 batting average, an .866 OPS, and a 141 wRC+, all while swiping 10 bags early on. The left-handed hitting shortstop also sits at respectable walk and strikeout rates, despite being way younger than most of his competition and new to baseball in the United States.
The Dominican prospect will likely stick in St. Lucie for the entire season, easing him into the change in style of baseball as well as the higher quality of competition. New York will be strongly supplementing his adjustment and development, as the team’s hopes for him are high.
The Mets will be sure not to rush the youngster, but they expect he will be a key infielder in Queens in the 2030s. Peña is not currently ranked in the top 100, but with a few years of development, he could certainly land there.
1B/OF Randy Guzman
Another international signing from the Dominican Republic that’s off to a hot start for St. Lucie is Randy Guzman. He is a far different story than the aforementioned Peña, as he signed for a mere $10,000 back in 2022.
Guzman, who will likely stick in the corner outfield long term, has absolutely raked to start the 2026 season. He’s picked up right where he left off in 2025 for St. Lucie, when he saw a slash line of .333/.381/.604 in 26 games.
This season, he’s slashing .255/.377/.521, while blasting six home runs to go along with a 140 wRC+. Long term, Guzman projects more as a pure power hitter. His speed is poor, but his slugging bat should make up for that.
While the Mets have slow-played the Guzman situation, his production at St. Lucie, spanning two separate seasons, should soon earn him the call to come up north to High-A Brooklyn.
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Written by
Chris is an intern at Just Baseball, specializing in Phillies coverage. Chris is from Central Jersey and currently attends Rutgers University. You can follow him on…