How the 3 top NY Mets prospects called up to AAA finished their seasons

The New York Mets were quicker than usual this year with minor league promotions. While a little slower to actually call up players to the big leagues, several of their top prospects made their way up the pipeline.

In mid-August, the Mets promoted a slew of their top prospects from Double-A to Triple-A. Jonah Tong made one last leap to the majors while leaving the three hitters behind.

The distraction of a playoff berth chase/collapse had many turning away from even noticing what the kids did. Let’s check in with the minor league season officially over and some conclusions to draw about what’s next for them.

Carson Benge, .178/.222/.311 with 3 home runs and 13 RBI

The Carson Benge excitement is real and feeling ever-more-important with the center field situations in Queens. Benge hammered his way to Triple-A where he finally faced some pitching capable of giving him fits.

Benge batted just .178/.222/.311 while playing around an injury. The sample size comes from just over 100 plate appearances. As much as we’d love for him to be a serious candidate to grab the center field job to start next season, the more practical approach is to plan for something else and move Benge in there once he graduates from the minors.

Ryan Clifford, .219/.359/.395 with 5 home runs and 18 RBI

Ryan Clifford didn’t have all that much trouble adjusting to Triple-A pitching. The batting average did dip from where it was in Double-A, but below .250 seems pretty standard for this big swinger. He continued to draw his walks (but also strike out a lot) while putting up good power numbers in a limited opportunity.

Clifford’s definite future is largely dependent on the status of two big league Mets; Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos. A first baseman/corner outfielder when he has a glove on, he’ll be a potential candidate to be in the mix for some starts at both spots by mid-2026. A little more off the wall idea could have him seeing time in right field if Juan Soto potentially becomes a more regular DH or even first baseman.

Jett Williams, .209/.285/.433 with 7 home runs and 15 RBI

Size doesn’t matter, at least not when it comes to hitting home runs. Jett Williams is listed at 5’7 and 175 pounds. Someone forgot to tell him to save the power for the bigger guys. A whopping 7 home runs in 151 plate appearances is promising even if power isn’t his main forte. Speed is. For what it’s worth, he only stole 2 bases in 4 tries for Syracuse. Clifford, stunningly, had 3 in 5 tries.

As for his future, Williams feels most likely to be a second baseman with some regular appearances elsewhere. The Mets have taken advantage of his speed and given him a good dose of games in center field. Likely a utility type player to start, the case to keep him in the minor leagues to begin next year will probably end up being the desire to give him everyday chances rather than more limited opportunities in the big leagues.

There's a shared conclusion to draw with all three. None seem quite ready for the majors, but they weren't completely overmatched. It'll be interesting to see who arrives to the majors first and how clear of a path the Mets leave for each.