Mets Minors 2025 Prospects: No. 27: Edward Lantigua
NO. 27: EDWARD LANTIGUA, OF
B/T: R/R Age: 18 (11/13/2006)
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 174
Acquired: Signed for $950,000 as an international free agent in 2024
ETA: 2029
2024 Stats: Dominican Summer League: .263/.397/.395/.792, 189 PA, 40 H, 1 HR, 4 3B, 9 2B, 9 SB, 37 SO, 21 BB
Edward Lantigua
OVERVIEW
Want to feel old? Lantigua was born AFTER Carlos Beltrán took that infamous Adam Wainwright curveball for a strike to end the 2006 NLCS. Ok, that was mean, I apologize. So, who is this 18-year-old outfielder?
Lantigua, MLB Pipeline’s No. 41 prospect in the 2024 international free agent class, signed with the Mets for the second-highest bonus the organization gave out, trailing just catcher Yovanny Rodriguez. An outfielder, Pipeline described Lantigua at the time as a player with “premier talent” who “is already one of the most interesting prospects on the international market.”
As international free agents do, the Dominican teen spent his first season of pro ball in the Dominican Summer League, and it was overall a positive showing. His 122 wRC+ was the highest among all Mets qualifiers and 88th out of 300 qualifiers in the DSL. It was even more impressive seeing as he was a 17-year-old, with his wRC+ ranking 45th out of 172 qualifiers who were his age.
He started the season well enough, hitting .212 with an OPS just over .700 in June, but then absolutely took off in July. In 19 games, Lantigua hit .404 with a 1.095 OPS and was named a DSL All-Star during the month. However, he finished the season about as cold as he could possibly be, hitting just .133 with a .435 OPS in 12 games in August.
Lantigua has power and is expected to hit more home runs as he fills out more. He had one of the highest pull rates of Mets minor leaguers in the DSL, and his fly ball, line drive and ground ball rates are all around the middle of the pack. His strikeout rate of 19.6% was one of the best among qualifiers, and while his walk was on the other end of the spectrum, it was still over 10% so it’s hardly anything to be concerned about. Incredibly, Lantigua also summoned the spirit of Mark Canha and was drilled 14 times, tied for sixth-most among all DSL hitters.
He spent a lot of time in center field to open up the year, starting 19 of his first 26 games out in the middle of the outfield. Over his final 21 games, however, he spent more time in the corners, receiving 14 starts in either left or right field. He’s not a burner, and he could get slower as he gets bigger and stronger, so a future in a corner outfield spot seems like the most likely outcome.
2025 OUTLOOK
Lantigua is far, far out from even sniffing the major leagues, but he could make the move stateside in 2025. Mets top 2023 DSL performer Jeremy Rodriguez made the jump to the Florida Complex League last season at just 17 years old, so 18-year-old Lantigua could follow the same path. It’s a big test ahead for Lantigua, and if he impresses again he could start moving quickly up prospect boards into the next tier of Mets prospects.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS
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