Five-tool NY Mets prospect has become a forgotten force after 4 seasons

Four years of pro ball hasn't resulted in the kind of performance the Mets had hoped for.
Spring Breakout - New York Mets v Washington Nationals
Spring Breakout - New York Mets v Washington Nationals | Diamond Images/GettyImages

How quickly we forget, just a few seasons ago, the New York Mets had come to terms with an amateur free agent who was lauded as a five-tool player. Compared to George Springer and Byron Buxton, Simon Juan was a 16-year-old kid on a bullet train to Citi Field.

Four seasons later, he has become an afterthought in the system. While gifted as anyone who can play professional baseball is, we haven’t seen much growth at all in terms of ability. A combined .232/.305/.356 slash line in the lower minor leagues with his 2024 performance uplifting those totals most, Juan is becoming a quickly forgotten Mets prospect.

What’s going on with Mets prospect Simon Juan?

The fourth-highest signing bonus at the time for an amateur free agent, the list of those who topped him at the time hints as to how predictable this outcome might’ve been. Francisco Alvarez ($2.7M), Ronny Mauricio ($2.1M), and Alex Ramirez ($2.05M) were the three who made more on their signing bonus than Juan who got $1.9M. The Mets have since spent more, Elian Pena setting the official mark in early 2025.

Money doesn’t translate into success. Juan started off slowly, hitting .219 in his first season and only .220 in year two. Even his speed took a nosedive on the base paths with 16 stolen bases in 2022 dropping to only 1 success in 2023 in 3 tries.

Juan has been a high strikeout hitter for four seasons without much power to show for it. He struck out 111 times last season in 376 trips to the plate. A percentage just under 30%, he added only 7 home runs to go with it. This came while slashing .222/.290/.340 in St. Lucie.

Left off of most and maybe all top Mets prospect rankings, Juan is stunningly only 20-years-old and already out of the conversation as a future big league contributor. Considering we’re still waiting for the best of Alvarez, unsure of what the future holds for Mauricio, and Ramirez has been released by the Mets twice, it’s not exactly an unusual circumstance Juan finds himself in.

The Mets have had some huge successes with prospects in recent seasons, but some equally as big misfires. Juan, unfortunately, is profiling in the latter.

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