NY Mets prospect batting over .400 is giving off Jett Williams vibes

Jett Williams became a favorite New York Mets prospect for many thanks to his ability to do a couple of things at such a high level. Killer speed, on-base prowess matched by none, and being viewed as a solution at more than one unanswered position helped push him front and center as one of the most important farmhands in the system. Last year’s basically lost season due to injury gave a few others a chance to catch up. Williams is still held in high regard and should remain so until his performance tells us otherwise.

There’s plenty of room for more players of his ilk. Down in St. Lucie, A.J. Ewing is giving off some of those same early Ewing vibes.

The club’s fourth-round selection in 2023 can usually be found in the 20s on most top prospect lists. Listed at 5-11 and 160 pounds, he’s a slender 20-year-old from Ohio off to a “pay attention to me” kind of beginning to his 2025 season.

If you haven’t started paying attention to Mets prospect A.J. Ewing, start now

It was a huge week for Ewing. It included a walk-off hit and within the same hour that Jesse Winker wasn’t able to swim home for a run versus the Minnesota Twins, Ewing put his baseball IQ and flexibility on full display by successfully sneaking his hand in there.

Any dog can have his day. But with a .429/.517/.633 slash line to begin the year through 60 trips to the plate, Ewing is showing he’s far more than just a guy having a few moments. His numbers include 3 doubles, 2 triples, and a home run. He has driven in 16 and stolen 10 bases in 12 attempts. The OBP has been helped out by drawing 10 walks versus 8 strikeouts.

Ewing was a known commodity last year, but the numbers didn’t bear out well enough for him to get much attention from fans. A successful short stint in the FCL awarded him with a promotion to St. Lucie where he’d hit .228/.345/.344 in 299 plate appearances. It wasn’t a great year nor was it a terrible one. Attributes we’re seeing more prominently display this year were present. He did walk a lot, a shared quality he has with Williams.

The similarities don’t stop there. Ewing is playing a lot of center field and second base. Center field has been his main position thus far with 66 total games at the position. Second base seems to be more of a secondary position. In the upper minors, talks of the Mets moving an infielder to center field have been plentiful with no discussion more prominent right now more than Luisangel Acuna switching at the MLB level. The opposite is happening for Ewing.

Ewing isn’t a solution this year nor should we project him for the majors next season either. The Mets’ slow and steady approach with prospects isn’t going to change. Ewing is a fascinating young player we were told was good but took a while to show it off. Young and athletic players have been lacking on the big league roster for the Mets. Let’s hope a few of them end up sticking.