NY Mets prospect seems perfect to intercept more playing time than most realize

Once you make it to the 40-man roster, you should have a leg up on many of the other players within the organization. It can be a good tiebreaker, especially when you have multiple minor league options available. The big discussion at New York Mets spring training will be whether or not Carson Benge makes the team. If that's the dessert of the talking points, the conversation about Nick Morabito is a lick of the spoon.

There's no indication Morabito will steal away any playing time because of what he does in the spring. What he can do is prove his value in other ways. A history of injuries for Luis Robert Jr. in addition to a lack of outfield depth should make Morabito an option to intercept more playing time than we may realize.

Nick Morabito is profiling as a bench player which is just fine for the 2026 Mets

A lifetime .291/.381/.389 hitter since going pro, the factor holding Morabito back is the lack of power. Half of his career home runs came last year in Binghamton which is at least a positive turn. However, he has been striking out at a higher rate, too. His 115 punch outs in 118 games was noticeable in comparison to what he had been doing in years prior.

He did make up for it with other things he does well. Morabito stole 49 bases in 60 tries. He played immaculate center field defense, making 0 errors in 136 chances. Morabito is, if nothing else, the guy who’ll replace Tyrone Taylor on the 2027 Mets roster. Taylor is in his final year before free agency.

The Mets added Morabito to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. It tells us they value him enough to not let him go away for free while also understanding other ball clubs could see a purpose for him right out of the gate. He has yet to reach Triple-A, a place where he should get a full opportunity in 2026. He’s a unique prospect because of his high average, top speed abilities. Those little things Luisangel Acuna could have offered the Mets this year in a part-time role can come courtesy of Morabito just as a center fielder rather than a middle infielder.

The Mets do have questions in the outfield. Depthwise, they have everything from a once top prospect Cristian Pache to a guy coming off of a big Triple-A season but lacking much major league experience at age 33. His name is Jose Rojas.

Speed and defense in center field are what will keep Morabito in mind for opportunities throughout the year on the Mets roster. If the Mets were willing to carry Travis Jankowski for a period of time in 2026, why not Morabito?

His 108 stolen bases over the last two seasons plus a hot Arizona Fall League should make him a regular consideration for the 26th man on the roster. He’s not the kind of offensive weapon you want to keep hot in the minor leagues. Morabito can do too much else good in case of an emergency. An injury to Robert or Taylor automatically pushes him up a level. Starts may be sparse. Games logged won’t.