Mets will take time sorting out and developing their next generation of players
Mets infielders Luisangel Acuña, left, and Jett Williams during a spring training workout on Friday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.
A handful of established Mets have been taking batting practice on Field 1, behind Clover Park’s stadium, in advance of next week’s first full-squad workout.
None of them, however, spurred the fan reaction heard Friday morning.
“J-E-T-T, Jett! Jett! Jett!”
“A-cuuuun-ya! A-cuuuun-ya!”
It was a rock-star welcome for two of the marquee names on the Mets’ prospect list, these being Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuna. And the group overall significantly grew in stature with last season’s deadline trades, specifically the deals that sent Justin Verlander to the Astros and Max Scherzer to the eventual world champion Rangers.
Everybody loves the Next Big Things — certainly now, as Mets loyalists are skeptical about the team’s chances to seriously contend in 2024.
For now, they’ll have to cool their Jetts, so to speak. Williams, a centerfielder and shortstop, and outfielder Drew Gilbert — the latter acquired in the Verlander swap — are the interchangeable Nos. 1 and 2 atop the Mets’ prospect rankings, but neither will be cracking the Opening Day roster. The same goes for Acuna, who sits at No. 3 on the list. Manager Carlos Mendoza said he’ll play short and second base in camp.
None of these are available positions, obviously. But it’s a long season, stuff happens, and given the high-ceiling potential of these players, they eventually could push for consideration.
David Stearns, the new president of baseball operations, said earlier this week that his offseason approach to upgrade the roster was orchestrated to keep some longer-term pathways open for the prospects. That’s common practice around the league, and these next six weeks will give Stearns and Mendoza a better feel for where their own youngsters stand in terms of development.
“We’ve got a pretty good group that’s going to be knocking at the door,” Mendoza said Friday.
For now, the Mets have made some special accommodations just to get them into the big-league clubhouse as non-roster invitees. For the first time since Clover Park’s massive renovations, the team set up temporary wooden stalls in the middle of the oval ring of lockers, literally putting Williams and Gilbert at center stage.
Talk about having nowhere to hide. Gilbert has yet to arrive, but Williams held court with more than a dozen reporters Friday and seemed remarkably comfortable for someone who still could be a college junior at age 20. He was the Mets’ first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2022 draft, earned Organizational Player of the Year honors last season — jumping three levels to finish at Double-A Binghamton — and already handles the media like a veteran.
When I asked him about Stearns’ priority of rewarding the Mets’ younger players for how they perform down below, Williams sounded eager to test that front-office strategy.
“I think that’s awesome, that they’re always looking a step ahead,” he said. “I think it takes the pressure off when you can just go out there and play baseball, and if you do well, they’ll bring you up.
“Honestly, I’m not the person to worry about it too much. I don’t really like to think about the future — just kind of stay in the present.”
There’s no rush. Not with Francisco Lindor at shortstop and Gold Glover Harrison Bader signed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal to play centerfield, with Brandon Nimmo ready to slide over from left when necessary.
Acuna also remains in a holding pattern — now 21, he played 121 games at Double-A last season — with Jeff McNeil installed at second base.
Gilbert, 23, jumped from High-A to Double-A, where he totaled 95 games, so he’ll probably wait out the Mets’ outfield logjam at Triple-A Syracuse for at least the start of this year.
On the pitching side, Mike Vasil, Christian Scott and Dominic Hamel should be pushing for major-league starts this season, but they’ve been nudged further to the back of the line by the quantity of rotation help Stearns stocked up on this winter. As we’ve learned, however, always take the over when it comes to the number of starters used in the course of six months.
“It’s important for us to learn about some of these younger players,” Stearns said. “When you have players who pretty consistently performed at the Triple-A level, at some point, you have to be willing to give them opportunities at the major-league level, understanding it might not go perfectly. I think we will be better as an organization, but I understand the risks involved.”
The Mets rolled the dice with a couple of top prospects last year when they handed the third baseman’s job to Brett Baty, who earned the job out of spring training but then struggled terribly as the starter. They also tried to work Mark Vientos into the DH mix later in the season after he mashed at Triple-A, but he got derailed in part by inconsistent playing time and is now back in camp competing at third with Baty and trying to stick at DH. Both showed promise at this time last year and instead became cautionary tales.
“I’m trying to quiet the noise,” Vientos said upon his arrival at Clover Park. “There’s a lot of noise saying I’ll get an opportunity and I’m excited for it.”
Expect louder fanfare, and even more hype around this next generation of Mets.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
