Under-The-Radar Minor Leaguers Who May Make An Impact In 2026

A bullpen is always extremely difficult to project entering a season. As it stands now, the New York Mets only have four pitchers who should be looked upon as “locks” to make up the unit on Opening Day. Of course, for one of those four A.J. Minter is still a question due to rehabbing an injury.

Regardless, there are still going to be spots up to grab throughout sprinting training. Two intriguing candidates for that bullpen are two individuals who spent 2025 in the minor leagues. Read more about each below.

Ryan Clifford

With the loss of slugger Pete Alonso to Baltimore, the Mets have a gaping hole at first base. Free agent signing Jorge Polanco is projected to fill out some of those reps, however, there should still be many to be had. One individual who may factor into those plans at some point is first base prospect Ryan Clifford.

Clifford, who was acquired in the Justin Verlander trade with Houston, has shown strong pop throughout his time in the minors. Over his last three professional seasons, Clifford has hit 24, 19, and 29 home runs, respectively.

Specifically, last year across 367 at-bats with Double-A Binghamton he posted 43 extra-base hits and an .848 OPS. Clifford also had a 15.5% walk rate resulting in a strong .355 on-base percentage despite a middling .243 average. The 22-year-old has a strong eye and a boatload of power.

There are some concerns with Clifford, though. Throughout his minor league career he has always had massive strikeouts numbers. His strikeout rate was as high as 31% early on. Luckily, that number has slowly crept down (17.6% in 2025). Additionally, he did struggle in his first run at the Triple-A level.

Success for Clifford starts with cutting down that strikeout rate. If he can do that a tad, while keeping the strong eye and plethora of power, there’s a chance he see some major-league sometime this season.

Dylan Ross

Dylan Ross, 25, was called up at the end of the 2025 season but did not make his major-league debut. The 13th-round pick in 2022 played across three different levels of minor league baseball in 2025.

He was special for Triple-A Syracuse as he struck out 39 across 32 innings. He posted a 1.69 ERA across those 32 innings. Overall, in 2025, he posted a 2.17 ERA across 54 total minor-league innings. His 3.32 FIP and 3.25 xFIP each told a story that his strong performances were warranted.

The only issue with Ross in 2025 was his control at points. Ross posted a 14.7% walks rate which is troublesome. That figure was elevated to 17.3% with Triple-A Syracuse.

If Ross, who was extremely close to making his major-league debut in 2025, can limit that walk rate in 2026, there is a real chance the 6-foot-5 right-hander can emerge as a vital part of the Mets’ bullpen in 2026.

Ryan Lambert

Ryan Lambert, 23, was an eighth-round pick in 2024. The right-handed thrower endured his first full professional season in 2025 after finishing up his collegiate career in 2024.

Across 50 innings between the High-A and Double-A levels, Lambert posted a 1.62 ERA with 81 strikeouts. His 2.13 FIP and 2.86 xFIP further backed up how unreal he was last season.

Last season, 1,859 pitchers threw at least 40 innings in the minor leagues. Here is how Lambert ranked among them in some key statistical categories:

• ERA: 30th
• FIP: 13th
• xFIP: 49th
• K%: 7th

Bottom-line, he was one of the best pitchers in the whole minor-league baseball system last season.

At only 23 years old, and the fact he has yet to play any Triple-A baseball, there is a chance the Mets want to get him some time with Syracuse. However, it is likely we see Lambert in the big leagues at some point. With him being arguably the team’s best relief pitcher prospect, there is a real chance he emerges himself as a staple in the Mets’ bullpen by season’s end.

Jack Wenninger

Starting pitcher Jack Wenninger continues to quietly climb up the organizational rankings. The sixth-round pick in 2023 has by far the best year of his professional career in 2025.

Playing exclusively at the Double-A level, Wenninger posted a 2.92 ERA across 135 2/3 innings. He struck out 147 and only walked 42. The 13 homers he allowed worked out to a 0.9 HR/9. The 23-year-old struck out hitters, didn’t walk many, and avoided the long ball; a recipe for success at any level. His 3.36 FIP and 3.05 xFIP also further shows how his performances in 2025 were earned.

Wenninger is only 23 and he has yet to throw a pitch past Double-A. Given this, an appearance in the big leagues would seem unlikelier compared to the others on this list. However, if he puts together another strong season, a major-league impact sometime during the season shouldn’t be completely out of the question.

The post Under-The-Radar Minor Leaguers Who May Make An Impact In 2026 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.