The New York Mets' outfield of the future includes A.J. Ewing, who continues to make a big impression.
New York Mets outfield prospect Carson Benge soaked up most of the media attention for the Mets this spring, especially when Benge made the club as the Opening Day outfielder and hit his first big-league home run in his MLB debut.
But don’t sleep on A.J. Ewing. His name was frequently mentioned with along with Benge’s when the promotion happened, but Ewing had an excellent spring training, and according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America he’s poised to have a big season.
Ewing definitely showed out in spring training. His slash line was .381/.423/.667 with a home run, three doubles and four stolen bases, and according to Eddy he was one of three hitters under 21 who had at least 30 at-bats and produced an OPS of 1.000 or better. The other two were shortstop Leo De Vries of the Athletics and Baltimore Oriole catcher Samuel Basallo, so he's being mentioned with some serious prospects.
Ewing did a little bit of everything last year in the Eastern League. He hit .315 with 153 hits, which ranked eighth across the minors. He also stole 70 bases, hit ten triples and drew 68 walks to push his OPB up to .401, which was the best mark in the Mets system.
He was originally drafted as a shortstop out of high school in Ohio in 2023, but Ewing also played in 100 games in the outfield last year. He represents the fourth-round compensatory pick the Mets got when Jacob deGrom with the Texas Rangers.
Ewing’s one weakness to date is his lack of power. He hit just three home runs in 124 games as he focuses on making hard contact and spraying line drives to all fields. But Ewing arrived at camp this year looking stronger, and that definitely got noticed.
“He’s in exceptional shape,” Mets farm director Andrew Christie said.
Christie also understands that the power will come, and he said it’s not about a new mindset or swing adjustment.
“The key for him is to not intentionally sell out for anything,” Christie said, “but to do the work that leads to bat speed gains and more well-struck balls. He’s been diligent about that.”
Ewing’s bat speed to date is 73.8 mph, which is just above the major league average, and the Mets want him to continue to do a little bit of everything at Double-A with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. That includes playing some second base to keep his versatility intact, but if Benge continues to struggle, he could easily be next man up.