BOSTON -- Although the Minor League season is not yet two months old, various Mets prospects have already earned promotions. Among them are some of the brightest arms and most intriguing stories in the entire organization.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ll take a look at several such promotions of note.
RHP Nolan McLean (No. 5 prospect): Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse
Perhaps even more than top-ranked prospect Brandon Sproat, McLean was the talk of Port St. Lucie this spring. Rival evaluators praised McLean’s ability to spin the ball, which he showcased to great effect during his Triple-A debut, generating multiple whiffs on both his sweeper and cutter. A two-way player in college, McLean is still relatively inexperienced as a full-time pitcher. But he’s done enough so far to make a 2025 debut seem like a real possibility
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RHP Ryan Lambert (Unranked): High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton
Whenever a team drafts a college reliever, as the Mets did with Lambert in the eighth round last year, it can often feel like a race to the big leagues. For Lambert, a quick promotion to the upper Minors seems like a decent start, after he struck out 17 of the 28 batters he faced at Brooklyn. Double-A has proven more of a challenge for the right-hander, who isn’t demonstrating quite the same control at that level. But as Lambert himself put it recently, “cool things happen” when he enters a game.
RHP Anthony Nunez (Unranked): High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton
Unable to find his footing after the Padres drafted him in the 19th round as an infielder six years ago, Nunez decided to go back to school, taking advantage of a little-known NCAA eligibility rule to play college baseball after three seasons in the pros. At the University of Tampa, Nunez reinvented himself as a pitcher, piquing the Mets’ interest. And he’s been pretty much untouchable since, earning a promotion to the upper Minors and a status bump as a legitimate bullpen prospect.
RHP Matthew Allan (Unranked): Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
At this point, Allan’s story is well known. A high school standout who became the centerpiece of the Mets’ 2019 Draft strategy, Allan subsequently underwent three arm operations and entered this season not having pitched in a professional game in five and a half years. But Allan is healthy now, throwing in the upper 90s and trying to prove that he’s still a prospect. While Mets officials have treated Allan cautiously, he’s shown enough progress to earn an early promotion. He could certainly earn another if he continues to thrive.
RHP Nate Dohm (No. 18): Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
Although second-round pick Jonathan Santucci has received more hype, the Mets are just as excited by what last year’s third-rounder, Dohm, can do. Because Dohm came from the college ranks, he didn’t need more than a brief spell at St. Lucie before the Mets were willing to promote him. Over two levels, he’s averaging nearly 11 strikeouts per nine innings as a starter.
OF/2B A.J. Ewing (No. 27): Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
Last month in this space, we profiled Ewing, a “freak athlete” who was crushing the ball at St. Lucie. That performance earned Ewing a promotion to Brooklyn, where he’s … still crushing the ball. Over his first 15 games at that level, Ewing is batting .361 with a 1.000 OPS -- enough to win him South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors. While Ewing’s ultimate ceiling remains a question, he’s answered everything he can to this point in his career.
RHP Raimon Gomez (Unranked): Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
Among the buzziest prospects in New York’s system is Gómez, whose fastball was recently clocked at 104.5 mph -- the hardest pitch by any professional baseball player this season, and the fastest Statcast has ever recorded in the Minors. (Although the system doesn’t track every Minor League game, it’s been logging data since 2021). Like Lambert, Gómez isn’t a finished product, with 11 walks over 14 1/3 innings. But that kind of velocity isn’t something that can be taught.
INF Marco Vargas (No. 14): Single-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
Remember Vargas? One of the first prospects the Mets acquired in their 2023 Trade Deadline selloff, Vargas missed much of last season due to a nagging wrist injury. Finally healthy, he mashed enough over 13 games at St. Lucie to earn a quick promotion. Vargas has since run into some resistance at Brooklyn, but he’s clearly in a better place than he was a year ago.