NY Mets prospect with unique history has to prove Winter League success was no fluke

Nametags are important in spring training. The New York Mets have invited a small nation to camp with them. While many have no shot at making it back to Flushing, showcasing some signs of improvement in spring training action can prove valuable.

This is the case with pitching prospect Carlos Guzman. Originally an infielder with the Detroit Tigers whose career began in 2015, Guzman transitioned to pitching after two years of hitting well below .200.

Guzman was one of David Stearns’ first additions, inking a minor league deal with the Mets in November of 2023. He has pitched well in Double-A over the last two seasons with sprinkles of appearances in Triple-A. Last year included a 2.95 ERA with 3 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 while with Binghamton. In a tiny 6.1 inning sample size in Syracuse, he had a 4.26 ERA with 5 walks. Getting over that Double-A hump has been a problem. His Winter League success suggests maybe there’s more there.

Mets prospect Carlos Guzman was as good as it gets in the Venezuelan Winter League

A microscopic 0.73 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 24.2 innings, Guzman pitched without fear. He walked only 3 batters along the way, too. Was it all about inferior competition? Not quite. The numbers weren’t spectacularly different from what he did in Double-A.

Guzman’s 5.1 hits per 9 with Binghamton are noteworthy. It helped him finish with a 0.89 WHIP.

It’s worth noting how Guzman actually began the 2025 season in Triple-A. The 3 earned runs he allowed in his season debut was all he’d give up. He returned to Syracuse in late August for 5 scoreless frames before going back to Double-A.

Guzman has crawled into one spring training game thus far with a scoreless inning that included 2 walks and a strikeout. It looked completely out of character from what he did in the Winter League where throwing strikes was a priority.

Last year’s Mets recycled pitchers regularly, paving a pathway for Guzman to become a candidate at some point in 2026. As open-minded as they have been, he needs to be much closer to how he pitched in Venezuela than what he has done in Syracuse.