There were a lot of notable breakouts in the Mets’ system last year. Nolan McLean went from an interesting arm in the back third of the top-101 to a potential top-of-the-rotation and the putative favorite for the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year. Jonah Tong started in a similar place and ended up only a little behind McLean, still clearly in need of more polish also one of the best pitching prospects in the game. Carson Benge is now a top-10 or top-20 prospect that’s likely to break camp as the starting right fielder and might be the second favorite for NL ROTY. Will Watson and Josh Wenninger (and also Zach Thornton, before he got hurt) took huge jumps to land in the 75 – 125 range globally. Jacob Reimer and Ryan Clifford took big steps forward.
Amidst all of this, it seems that A.J. Ewing’s significant improvements are being overlooked. Sure, he only hit 3 HR this past season and spent most of his season in the low minors (primarily Brooklyn), and that’s not as flashy as some other performances. What he did do is post a 147 wRC+ across three levels while stealing 70 bases, walking 12% of the time, all while adapting to both a revamped swing and a defensive transition from the infield to center. Oh and he did all of that as a 20-year-old who was originally drafted as an over-slot prep pick in the 4th round and who posted a 102 wRC+ with a nearly 30% strikeout rate in Single-A in 2024.
Ewing now profiles as a 70 or 80-grade runner, one who is a reasonably safe bet to be a plus defender in center and who can play some on the dirt to boot. He’s shown a penchant for great swing decisions, avoiding the passivity issues that plague many other hitters in the Mets system while maintaining strong in-zone contact rates. As for the lack of power, it’s more an issue of intent that anything else right now; Ewing actually hits the ball quite hard, but a lot of that contact goes the other way and/or at low angles (read as – a lot of hard, low line drives). It’s generally easier to teach a guy who already hits the ball hard how to spray it around a bit better rather than the inverse, so it’s fair to project more over-the-fence power in the relatively near future for Ewing.
That’s a hell of a player. As is, the speed, defense, and contact give him a likely floor as a solid regular in center field. If he can actualize more of his power – get to a 10 – 15 or 15 – 20 HR guy rather than the pure contact maven he is now – we’re talking about a potential All Star. He’s also probably closer to the majors than you realize after closing out the season with a successful (though flawed, evidence by the degradation of his walk and strikeout rates) 28 game stint in Double-A with a 133 wRC+.
This is another instance where the actions of the Mets front office are potentially indicative of how optimistic we should be. Ewing popped up in multiple trade rumors this offseason (often times a sign that a player is actually being dangled or asked about), but it was Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat who headed to Milwaukee for Freddy Peralta. The Mets also elected to go with a year-to-year option in center field with Luis Robert rather than make a longer-term commitment, leaving Ewing some runway in the near-to-medium term. And of course, Ewing’s defensive projection aligns very well with the run prevention philosophy that David Stearns espoused early in the offseason.
All of this should paint a big green up arrow next to Ewing in your mind. He’s clearly the 3rd or 4th best prospect in the system, a top-50 prospect in baseball per Baseball Prospectus, and a player who could make an impact as soon as this year. Even with the risk associated with all prospects, that’s the kind of guy you get excited about.