3 Mets prospects whose stock fell hard in 2023

The 2023 season was a big one for New York Mets prospects. Guys like Christian Scott and Tyler Stuart rose up big time. The club added some new major faces to the franchises with strong pedigrees already in tow.

Not everyone had reason to celebrate this past year. Three Mets prospects in particular saw their stock fall big this past year.

1) Alex Ramirez

Alex Ramirez found his way onto the 40-man roster before the November deadline to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. It was a curious move by the Mets who may have assumed a team would select the 20-year-old outfielder and stash him on their bench for a year. Even if he isn’t ready to face major league pitching, a team like the Kansas City Royals could always benefit from having a speedy glove. They also would have the sort of patience it would take to have an unready youngster on the roster.

A “center fielder of the future” candidate for the Mets, additions to the farm system plus a rough season in High-A have put a damper on many of those expectations for Ramirez. After piecing together such a fun and successful 2022 campaign, the 2023 performance stung even harder.

Ramirez slashed .221/.310/.317 this past season with Brooklyn. The drop from a .281/.346/.436 season with almost half of it also taking place in High-A came as an unpleasant surprise for those who still believed Ramirez was on his way toward a major league fast-track. Put on the brakes. His stock is down right now.

One bad year isn’t going to necessarily brush Ramirez aside for good. He doesn’t turn 21 until early next year. Adding him to the 40-man roster, however, does start a clock on him. Were the Mets playing defense with the move or was it a vote of confidence he’ll get back to hitting again?