The New York Mets have prospects everywhere right now, and most of the attention is focused on pitchers Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, along with outfielder Carson Benge. But the next wave of prospects is currently with the team in spring training, and Tim Britton of The Athletic did a snapshot piece about what they’re working on that’s more than worth a look.
Ryan Clifford, 1B/Outfield
Clifford has profiled as a power-hitting first baseman to date, but that might be changing based on his progress as a prospective outfielder. He started 51 games in the outfield for Triple-A Syracuse last season, so there’s a foundation to work from if the Mets decide to do a position transition.
“Just continue to try to become more explosive,” Clifford said about his ongoing outfield development. “I don’t have the highest top speed, obviously, so the first couple steps are really important to me.”
What’s interesting about this is the discrepancy between Clifford’s power numbers when he switches to the outfield. According to Britton, he got 21.4 home runs as a corner outfield last year and 23.6 from first base as Clifford hit a total of 29 between Double-A Binghamton and Syracuse.
Jacob Reimer, 1B/3B
Jacob Reimer had a breakout season last year, posting a slash line of .282/.379/.491 with High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, and he’s been working on adding bat speed.
“My bat speed is right around average for the league. I want to be above average,” he said. “Having more time at the plate can help my decisions even more, can help my damage even more.”
To get there, Reimer spent time at the Mets hitting lab during the offseason, where he worked on overloading and underloading, which involves hard swings with both a heavier and a lighter bat with a side focus on injury prevention.
In the field, Reimer wants to improve as a third baseman. Most scouts have him penciled in at first, but he thinks he can add some versatility to his prospect profile.
“I understand it, obviously,” Reimer said of that speculation. “It’s fair. But I want to show that I can definitely go out there and be an elite-level defensive player.”
Nick Morabito, OF
Morabito has been overshadowed by Benge to a large extent, but his strong 2025 season earned him a spot on the 40-man roster. He’s trying to hit the ball in the air more to improve on his near-54 percent ground ball rate, and in the outfield it’s all about improving his first step so he can be viable in center field as well as a corner position.
“I want to take it to another level to be elite out there,” he said.