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?

2) Calvin Ziegler

The second-round pick of the Mets in 2021, Calvin Ziegler is starting to become a bit more forgotten. He went 0-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 2022 in his first 16 starts. This past year, he only tossed a single inning. Ziegler did strike out all 3 batters he faced, though. 

Ziegler wasn’t so lucky outside of the one frame he tossed. While recovering from elbow surgery, he tore his quad. It erased any chance of him returning in 2023.

The Mets have had some rotten luck when it comes to early draft picks. Matt Allan has pitched even less than Ziegler in his professional career. The first and third round draft picks from 2021 surrounding Ziegler have some curious stories, too. This was the year the Mets and first-round selection Kumar Rocker failed to come to an agreement. It looks to be the right choice with him suffering some health ailments as well. Third-rounder Dominic Hamel has stayed healthy yet he has slowly become more buried in the farm system.

Ziegler was the lone high school draft pick made by the Mets in the 2021 draft which, right now, looks like a strangely successful one. Christian Scott came in the fifth round with Mike Vasil getting taken in the eighth. Intriguing minor leaguers who had some solid seasons in 2023, Rowdey Jordan and Matt Rudick, came to the club with the 11th and 13th picks respectively. Then there was Nate Lavender taken in the 14th round.

Poor health is what has knocked Ziegler’s stock down. It’s the one thing every good player needs to remain relevant. So far, he hasn’t had it.