5 Breakout Seasons from Mets Minor Leaguers

The 2025 season was a breakout for the entire Mets minor league system, seeing some of the best development of minor league players it has ever seen. To pick just five of the many breakouts throughout the system will inevitably leave out some deserving names, but we’ll give it our best shot.

We’re talking about true breakouts, too. Carson Benge was great, but he was a first-round pick. Jonathan Santucci was great, but he was a second-round pick. Jacob Reimer was great, but he’s been a Top 15 prospect in the system before.

Here, we’re looking for players who, at best, snuck their way onto Top 30 lists, and in most cases hadn’t once appeared on one before this season.

A.J. Ewing

A.J. Ewing is the only hitter on this list, not because the Mets had a bad offensive season in the minor leagues—they had a good one—but because most of the hitters to have strong seasons were already at least somewhat known. A.J. Ewing was easily the hitter who exceeded expectations the most.

He started 2025 in Single-A, quickly earned a promotion to High-A, survived the curse of being a left-handed hitter on Coney Island, and finished his year in Double-A. He hit at every level, and finished the year with an overall slash line of .315/.401/.429/.830 over 124 games. He even hit .339 with an .801 OPS in 28 Double-A games after being promoted there one day after turning 21.

He’s not a power threat at this point and likely won’t ever be a big one, but he could eventually grow into enough pop to hit 15-ish home runs a year. He has an aesthetically pleasing left-handed swing, is very fast (stole 70 bases in 2025), and made real strides as a center fielder. The Mets have also given him some reps at second base—not a ton but enough to feel confident in him playing the position if needed. He likely won’t be a factor in 2026, but 2027 is very much on the table. At the very least, a utility player with his speed who can play both the infield and outfield is a nice piece to have.

Jack Wenninger

The Mets’ pitching development in 2025 was a sight to behold, and of the arms to not crack the big leagues yet, Jack Wenninger might have been the best. A sixth-round pick in 2023, his first full season in 2024 was so-so. He struck out a ton of batters, but still finished with an ERA over four. In 2025, he fully blossomed into a legitimate starting pitching prospect who, in another organization, might be the best in the system.

In 135 2/3 innings, Wenninger posted a 2.92 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 147 strikeouts and 42 walks. He missed bats, limited free passes, and overall just pitched really well. While his fastball is good (and got faster in 2025), it’s not a standout pitch; his splitter is his best offering. It’s a wicked split, and the star of a well-rounded arsenal that also includes a sinker, slider and curveball. After spending all of 2025 in Double-A, he’s a real big league option for 2026. If anything, if he pitches well in Triple-A, it’s more likely than not that Wenninger makes big league starts for the Mets next season.

Will Watson

Will Watson started his college career in Division III. He then went to a JUCO. Then to the prestigious University of Southern California after turning down his hometown Seattle Mariners after being drafted by them in the 20th round. Then, a year later, he was a seventh-round pick by the Mets.

In his first full minor league season, he threw 121 1/3 innings with a minuscule 2.60 ERA, reaching Double-A after starting the year in Single-A. He walked more than ideal, but struck out a ton as well. The stuff—a high-powered, high-IVB fastball, cutter, slider and nasty changeup—is legit. He’s already broken out, and is talented enough that a second “breakout” into true national relevance is more than on the table in 2026.

R.J. Gordon

There was no shortage of pitching breakouts for the Mets in 2025, and that includes 2024 13th-round pick R.J. Gordon. In his first taste of professional baseball, Gordon casually threw 128 2/3 innings with a 3.36 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 147 strikeouts and 46 walks. He’s not the most overpowering of the Mets pitching prospects, but the results were electric. He was great in High-A to start the year, earned a promotion, and continued pitching well in Double-A. The fact that the Mets turned a 13th-round pick into a very real starting pitching prospect speaks volumes about their pitching development and how far it’s come in just two seasons under David Stearns.

Brendan Girton

For my money, there was no Mets minor league pitcher who blew past expectations in 2025 more than Brendan Girton. After posting an era over seven in his final college season, Girton completely re-tooled his arsenal, going from leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball to adding a sinker, splitter and slider. In his first full professional season, the 2024 10th round pick threw 87 innings with a 3.10 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 101 strikeouts and 40 walks. He’s far from a finished product, but the stuff is real, and the strides he made in 2025 while actively developing multiple new pitches are opening.

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