Mets 2025 Prospects: No. 13 Boston Baro
No. 13 Boston Baro, 2B-SS-3B
B/T: L/R Age: 20 (8/23/2004)
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 170
Acquired: Eighth round of 2023 draft out of Capistrano Valley HS (Mission Viejo, CA)
ETA: 2027
2024 Stats: St. Lucie: .288/.368/.399/.767, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 8 SB, 41 BB, 66 SO, 370 PA Brooklyn: .205/.286/.318/.604, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB, 5 BB, 10 SO, 49 PA
Overview
Boston Baro impressed in his first full pro season, drawing a comparison to Jeff McNeil from one scout while finishing second in batting average and on-base percentage in the Florida State League and fourth in OPS in 84 games for Low-A St. Lucie. He earned a late-season promotion to Single-A Brooklyn, where he played 11 games to finish the year.
It was a major step forward in his development from 2023 when he only had the chance to appear in seven games in the Florida Complex League after being drafted, going 6-for-19 with five walks and two doubles. The Mets signed Baro for $700,000, a big bump from the $192,900 slot value for an eighth round pick, but the Southern California native had an offer to play at UCLA.
“Standing in the box at 6-foot even, Baro runs a loose and easy operation as a left-handed hitter, starting with a slightly open stance while looking to jump on balls,” reads a 2025 scouting report on Baseball Savant. “He didn’t expand the zone often in the FSL and found the barrel well on pitches inside the zone, helping the belief he’ll be at least an average hitter.”
“I definitely take pride in my bat-to-ball skills and my approach when I am down in the count with two strikes and being picky early in the count with 0 or 1 strike,” Baro told MMO’s Mike Mayer in a November 2023 interview. “Working on picking up what pitch is coming early helps a lot with it. For example, knowing whether the slider has more sweep or depth, I know where I need to look for it to start.”
Baro was a shortstop in high school, but will likely get more reps at second and third base moving forward in the Mets organization, according to Baseball Savant. He has “shown good defensive actions,” per the scouting report, and has the arm strength to play third. Last year he started 34 games at third base, 24 at short and 18 at second.
“There’s an athleticism to him that’s going to bounce around the field very well,” Mets vice president of player development Andy Green told MLB.com last June. “What position he ends up at? They’re all out there for him, and he’s capable of doing it. And he’s got that kind of Southern California relaxed vibe going through minor league baseball. He’s just learning along the way and playing hard along the way.”
2025 Outlook
Baro is expected to start the year at Brooklyn, where he will look to hone his hitting skills. He has added muscle and while he is not expected to hit for power, “there’s still a good amount of projectability in his frame,” per Baseball Savant. “He could shoot balls harder if he’s a late bloomer as some scouts expect.”
ESPN’s Keith Law said Baro’s “pitch and ball/strike recognition were both very advanced for a teenager” (a 19.9 percent whiff rate at St. Lucie) and that he “has the foundation to be the best prospect in the system in a year if he adds some strength and holds all of those other skills.”
He’ll also probably grab a slice at Joe’s Pizza.
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