Hottest-hitting Mets prospect is held back for classic reasons

No New York Mets prospect is having a better year this season than Brandon Sproat who, by the way, is creeping up to Triple-A after his dominant 13 strikeout performance on Friday. He’ll join the Syracuse Mets and another red hot prospect doing the exact opposite.

As Sproat sends minor league hitters walking back to the dugout with a shrug, Luke Ritter continues what might be the very best year of any position player on the farm for the Mets. A bit of a breakout year last season, has continued to tear apart baseballs with his bat in 2024.

Ritter was beastly in July, slashing .325/.454/.558 with 4 home runs and 19 RBI. Amazingly, the RBI total isn’t even close to his season high. He had 27 back in May while belting 5 home runs.

Mets prospect Luke Ritter has one major downfall holding him back

Pulverizing 22 home runs plus another 18 doubles, Ritter has established himself as one of the most dangerous hitters in the International League this season. Add in a .271/.374/.523 slash line which is a stark improvement on his lifetime .237/.344/.438 total, we may have ourselves a 27-year-old late bloomer.

Why isn’t Ritter up in the majors then? Although most frequently found at second base throughout his professional career, Ritter is most at home as a first baseman. The simplest explanation comes down to the lack of a need for a right-handed hitting first baseman on the Mets right now.

Ritter has seen some action at second base, third base, left field, and the DH spot along with first base. The left field trip is relatively new with only one game prior to this season at the position. It has been his second-most visited position. You just had a Dominic Smith flashback, didn’t you?

Ritter’s season performance hasn’t been flawless. He still strikes out a ton. He fanned 137 times last year in 450 plate appearances. A year prior he went down 165 times in 533 chances. This season comes as no surprise to see him with 121 strikeouts in his first 409 plate appearances.

The only openings Ritter could conceivably have are if there’s an injury to Pete Alonso or J.D. Martinez. Even then, he might be limited to only playing against lefties.

Ritter has proven a lot at the plate this season. Could the Mets have him under consideration for some type of role next year? He’s not really the type of player we’d expect David Stearns to carry on the bench. Heavy swinging-little glove bringing-another strikeout stinging, he seems more appropriately swapped for pitching help.