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3 top NY Mets prospects who’ll be MLB studs, 2 who’ll be good in a lesser role

The Mets have some noteworthy prospects heading into 2025. But these three could end up being stars, while these other two top prospects could still be an important cog tot he roster, but in a lesser role.
ByNoah Wright|
Feb 12, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets shortstop Jett Williams (90) plays his position during a Spring Training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets shortstop Jett Williams (90) plays his position during a Spring Training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Drew Gilbert will be a good major leaguer but in a lesser role

Another prospect the Mets acquired at the 2023 trade deadline was Drew Gilbert, whom they acquired from the Houston Astros for Justin Verlander. Gilbert came off a strong 2023 season, during which he owned a .868 OPS, .389 wOBA, and 133 wRC+ in 513 plate appearances for the Astros’ High-A and Double-A affiliates and the Mets’ Double-A Binghamton team. This strong season led to Gilbert being a consensus top-100 prospect heading into 2024.

However, 2024 was mostly forgettable for Gilbert. He missed a good chunk of the season with hamstring issues. When he was able to play, the production wasn’t nearly as good as the previous season. Gilbert batted .215/.313/.398 with a .319 wOBA and 85 wRC+ in just 247 plate appearances at Triple-A Syracuse. His exit velocity sat at just 85 MPH, while his barrel rate came in at a mediocre 4.3%.

While last season hurt Gilbert’s stock, there were still some positives. He hit ten homers and had a .178 ISO at Triple-A. His K% was also just 20.6%, and he drew walks at a 10.1% rate, which was about league average. These were also similar to his 2023 rates, as he struck out 18.9% of the time with a walk rate of 11.3%, albeit in a much larger sample size of 513 plate appearances.

Gilbert’s defense in the outfield is considered above-average by Baseball America, and he pairs that with a plus arm. That already gives him a high floor. Gilbert is also left-handed and hit right-handers much better than left-handers in 2024 (albeit in a small sample size.) He had a .758 OPS against opposite-handed pitching. At the very least, Gilbert could be a 4th outfielder or platoon player, even if his bat doesn’t come all the way around.

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