Dom Hamel isn't the last former top 10 NY Mets prospect in danger of losing his job

The New York Mets recently designated pitcher Dom Hamel for assignment, but it wasn’t all that long ago that the right-hander was a top prospect in the Mets’ system. Going into 2023, he was among the Mets’ top ten prospects by MLB Pipeline. He still ranked among the top 15 heading into 2024. His DFA makes it clear the Mets are willing to cut players they haven’t seen much from the last few seasons, even if they once had prospect notoriety. The next former top Mets prospect that could, unfortunately, get the boot is Luisangel Acuna.

Acuna was sent to th Mets in the deal that sent Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline. He had an excellent 2023 campaign for the Rangers’ and Mets’ Double-A affiliates, combining for a .294/.359/.410 triple-slash, .351 wOBA, and 108 wRC+ in 569 plate appearances. Acuna walked at a 9.1% rate, with a sub-20% K%, clocking in at 18.6%. The most impressive part of Acuna’s season was his 57 stolen bases in 67 attempts.

That solid performance earned Acuna more prospect pedigree. He was the 66th best prospect in baseball going into 2024 by Pipeline, and the 76th best per Baseball Prospectus’ rankings. Acuna was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, but would have a very disappointing year at the plate, at least at Triple-A.

In 587 trips to the plate, Acuna slashed just .258/.299/.355, with a .295 wOBA, and a meager 67 wRC+. While he cut his K% down to 16.4%, his walk rate plummeted to 5.5%. Despite the poor year at Syracuse, the Mets still gave Acuna a late-season call-up to the Major Leagues, and he impressed in his first 40 trips to the dish. He collected a dozen hits, half of which went for extra bases. Three of his XBH were home runs as well. He also only struck out six times.

Luisangel Acuna's days with the Mets may be numbered.

Acuna earned an Opening Day roster spot for 2025, and while he didn’t continue that level of production we saw during September, he still turned in a respectable .292/.342/.353 line with a 101 wRC+ over 79 PA’s. He was getting on base at an above-average rate and was using that to make his speed play up. Acuna went seven-for-eight in his first eight stolen base attempts.

That earned Acuna April Rookie of the Month honors. However, since the end of April, he has struggled badly, leading to sparse playing time in the Major Leagues, and getting sent to Triple-A. Acuna has appeared in just 61 contests with 108 plate appearances, with a .460 OPS, .212 wOBA, and 33 wRC+. He has also played in 28 games with 122 plate appearances at Syracuse this season. While he has a .303 batting average and .347 on-base percentage, his overall 92 wRC+ is still short of even league-average production.

Right now, Acuna doesn’t have a clear shot at playing time next year. Brett Baty is having a breakout campaign, Jeff McNeil has had a solid rebound season, and Francisco Lindor occupies shortstop. Acuna has some experience in center field, most of which came in 2024 at Triple-A, but the Mets are more likely to pursue a better option via free agency or trade this winter. Ronny Mauricio has also out-produced Acuna this year in the Major Leagues and is arguably a better infield utility option.

Acuna’s skillset also doesn’t give him a very high ceiling. He is exceptionally fast and has been a solid glove at multiple infield positions. However, he doesn’t pack much raw power. Acuna has not walked enough, nor has he gotten enough hits to get on-base at a rate where he can use his elite speed on the basepaths.

Unfortunately, Acuna’s days with the Mets may be numbered. He hasn’t performed at an above-average level for more than a month since 2023, and he doesn’t have a route to playing time in the Major Leagues. His skillset is also not irreplaceable. The Mets already showed they don’t care about former prospect history if they need to make room on the roster. Given Acuna’s last two seasons, he will be in serious limbo this offseason.