The two prospects the Mets dealt in the Peralta trade, Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, also made Pipeline’s list at No. 51 and No. 100, respectively. That would have given the Mets a club-record six prospects on the Top 100 ranking.
Instead, the Mets have Peralta, four remaining Top 100 prospects, and a farm system that’s still notably strong despite its losses.
No Mets prospect looms as important as McLean, who debuted last August, produced a 2.06 ERA in eight starts and would have stated Game 1 of a National League Wild Card Series had the team advanced to the playoffs. Entering his first full big league season, McLean is all but a lock to begin the year in the Mets’ rotation; he’ll also be part of Team USA’s World Baseball Classic pitching staff.
COMPLETE METS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Tong, meanwhile, figures to compete for a job behind him and other Mets starters, though the Peralta addition increases the odds he’ll start the season back at Triple-A Syracuse. Last year, Tong dominated that and other levels en route to a September promotion, but he mustered just a 7.71 ERA in five big league outings.
One of the most intriguing names on the entire Top 100 list is Benge, the Mets’ first-round pick in the 2024 Draft who seems to have an open runway to compete for a starting job this spring. Although Benge boasts just 24 games of experience above Double-A, he breezed to that level while bashing 15 home runs and stealing 22 bases in his full-season professional debut. This spring, Benge will compete with Tyrone Taylor and perhaps Brett Baty for the Mets’ left-field vacancy.
Rounding out this wave of top-rated Mets prospects is a versatile position player in Ewing, who has some similarities to his ex-teammate Williams. Ewing is a similar small-bodied, twitchy athlete whose calling card is his speed; he stole 70 bases over three levels last season thanks in part to a .401 on-base percentage. This year will be critical for Ewing, who should reach Triple-A Syracuse for the first time. If he can maintain his success, he’ll profile as a future leadoff man for the Mets.
