Undrafted NY Mets prospect is more than a fun name, he’s pretty good

Throughout baseball history, there have been some players with very unique names. Dizzy Dean, Coco Crisp, Moonlight Graham, and Pee Wee Reese are just a few who go into the player name hall of fame. The New York Mets have had some awesome nicknames wear their jersey like Thor or the Polar Bear, but as far as honest-to-goodness "make you chuckle" kind of names, they're on the lighter side of history.

That might not be the case for long, though. Toiling between Single-A St. Lucie and Hi-A Brooklyn last season was a little-known 25-year-old, who, if he ever makes it to the majors with the Mets, would instantly go down as the best name in team history. Meet Hoss Brewer.

You won't find Brewer on any top prospects lists. That's because the right-handed hurler joined the Mets as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 draft. On top of that, he's a relief-only prospect, and those guys already tend to be somewhat obscure.

What isn't obscure, though, is the way he performed in 2025. He dominated at both levels, and while it's too soon to say what the future holds, he may have set himself up to be more than just an interesting footnote.

Undrafted free-agent Hoss Brewer isn't just a cool name; he's been showing some real talent in the Mets' minor league system

While undrafted free agents rarely make noise, it's even harder for a guy like Brewer to stand out in a system that is both deep and full of top-end talent like the Mets' pipeline. Most fans are dreaming about Carson Benge's future or are busy debating whether Elian Pena or Wandy Asigen will be the next Mets youngster to break into the MLB top-100. They're not worrying about deep cuts like Hoss.

But if he keeps throwing the way he did last year, it will all change. Brewer hurled 27 innings over 18 appearances in St. Lucie, struck out 32.1% of the batters he faced while issuing walks just 6.6% of the time, all en route to a 1.00 ERA.

He'd throw another 29 frames in Brooklyn, and while his strikeout rate dipped 19.7%, he still controlled the walks and posted a 3.10 ERA at the more advanced level. All in all, his combined numbers for the year had him throwing 56 innings with a 2.09 ERA.

An important caveat, the six-foot-four righty turned 25 in February, so he did accomplish that impressive showing largely against much younger competition. On the other hand, he's coming from a background where most of his collegiate experience came on the JUCO circuit, with him spending 2024 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, giving him one year of Division I baseball experience.

And although he was an unranked prospect heading into the draft, his pre-draft scouting report from Baseball America (subscription required) is encouraging. They note that he has a fastball that tops out at 95 miles per hour, as well as two secondaries, a slider and a changeup, which both produce whiffs at a reliable rate. It sounds like there's stuff there to work with.

He's obviously a long shot, but there's enough intrigue not to dismiss him out of hand. What does his future hold? Could he one day be a reliable hoss in the bullpen in Queens? Could David Stearns leverage his connections to Milwaukee and fulfill the youngster's destiny by trading Hoss Brewer to the Brewers? Time will tell, but for now, he's caught our attention for more reasons than just having a cool name.