3 surprising prospects with a chance to shine at Mets spring training

New York Mets spring training will have a spotlight on several of the team’s big time prospects. We’re going to see plenty of Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, and everyone else in St. Lucie. Finally with some young pitching we’re hopeful makes an impact on the big league club as soon as this year, there’s plenty of reason to get excited about the start of exhibition action.

The Mets will have a mix of prospects and veterans they signed from elsewhere invited to camp as non-roster invitees. Among them are these prospects who will have a chance to shine.

1) Hayden Senger

Catching prospect Hayden Senger isn’t even “the other” guy on the farm. With Kevin Parada and recently signed international prospect Yovanny Rodriguez also vying for a spot behind the plate at Citi Field. Senger is already 26 and not considered an especially promising prospect. He hit just .188/.307/.295 in Double-A last year. Any sort of quality production from him will indeed come as a surprise.

Senger is much more of a gifted defender than he is a hitter. He gunned down 31% of attempted base thieves last year with Binghamton. Some of the success from the pitching prospects can be attributed to him the same way Tomas Nido has received praise in the past for his handling of Mets pitchers.

One hot spring won’t suddenly turn Senger into a contender for anything more than a big league backup position. Now 208 games under his belt at the Double-A level, he has hit just .224/.317/.344 with 256 strikeouts in 811 plate appearances spanning 208 games.

A hanging curveball or a fastball with no bite down the middle of the plate in the spring could give him his moment to shine. Most likely destined for a future coaching gig somewhere down the line, his focus is a self-less one and involves getting the most out of the young Mets pitchers—many of whom he will work with further in spring training.

2) Eric Orze

Back in 2021, Eric Orze quickly rose up the minor league ranks from High-A to Syracuse. He got better at each level. In just his first professional season, Orze was one stop away from the major leagues.

Unfortunately, he hit some sort of a wall the following season. The 3.08 ERA he had in 2021 ballooned to 5.13 in 2022 at the Triple-A level. He wasn’t any better in 2023, pitching to a 5.31 ERA in 61 innings of work.

The Mets haven’t quit on Orze yet. The fifth round pick from 2020 was too good, too quickly for it to be fake news. He can still strike batters out at a high rate, averaging 12 per 9 in 2023. The problem was his control. Now the owner of a still acceptable 3.9 walks per 9 in his career, it rose up due to the 6 per 9 in 2023.

Walks were Orze’s main issue. The previous season, it was home runs. He served them up at a rate of 2.1 per 9 during his time in Triple-A.

Finding the balance between fewer walks and limiting the home runs will be the goal for Orze and the coaches in 2024. It can start in spring training when he’ll be able to make himself a future contender for a bullpen spot.