The Mets rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate was one of the league’s best teams this season. First-time manager Jay Pecci’s squad finished 32-18 to secure first place in the Eastern Division standings and a trip to the postseason for the second consecutive season. The run for the FCL Mets ended in the winner-take-all semifinals as the FCL Braves eliminated them 7-1.

The FCL Mets roster had an infusion of young talent mainly comprised of newly drafted and signed players from high school and college making their professional debuts. It also included international players from the Dominican Summer League making their stateside debuts. Nick Morabito, Jesus Báez, and Willy Fañas were among the few prospects considered top 30 in the organization heading into the season.

Morabito, the Mets’ second-round pick in 2022 out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, returned to the FCL to begin the season after going 2-for-22 in six games last season. The 20-year-old outfielder rebounded this time and was the leading offensive performer on the team, ranking in the top five in the league in AVG (.324) and OBP (.437). In addition, he had a team-high 36 hits, posted eight extra-base hits, drove in 18 runs, and flashed his speed with eleven stolen bases in 30 games. Morabito was promoted to High-A St. Lucie after slashing an astounding .447/.509/.660 in July.

Báez was the 2022 DSL Mets Player of the Year. The Mets signed the 18-year-old middle infielder for just $275,000 in the 2022 international signing period. Báez had a good month in July, sporting a .286 batting average with eight extra-base hits, nine RBIs, and a solid .847 OPS. He gained recognition for posting strong numbers as a 17-year-old with the DSL Mets but could not follow that up in his first taste of stateside rookie ball as he finished the season with a stat line of .210/.306/.333.

Outfielder Fañas was a prominent international free agent signing during the January 2022 signing period and agreed to a six-figure signing bonus with the Mets. The 19-year-old switch-hitter hit at a .313 clip with eight RBIs to help pace the Mets offense down the stretch.  He found himself near the top of most offensive categories on the team. Around 44% of his hits were for extra bases, including three triples (2nd in FCL). So far, Fañas has struggled with the bat to begin his professional career, posting modest numbers .252./322./.692.

At the trade deadline, the FCL Mets team got a boost in talent when the New York Mets dealt relief pitcher David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for prospects Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernandez.

The Mets were thrilled to land Vargas, known for his plus bat-to-ball skills and elite plate discipline for his age, as he had more walks (48) than strikeouts (31). Vargas notched three hits in his organization debut. For the season, the 18-year-old infielder slashed .269/.434/.401 with two homers and 24 RBIs in 48 FCL games with the Mets and Marlins. On top of that, he ranked in the top five in the league in doubles (14) and OBP (.434).

Hernandez signed an $850,000 bonus out of Venezuela in January 2021. The 19-year-old switch-hitting backstop is regarded for his defense and arm but took a considerable step forward offensively. Hernandez’s on-base percentage was a robust .500 plus in 14 contests with the Mets.

Overall, he ranked among the best hitters in the league, finishing first in OBP (.476), second in wRC+ (155), walks (47), and fourth in OPS (.937) and was named an FCL All-Star.

A few Mets 2023 draft class members played for the FCL club. Appearing very briefly in the FCL were infielders Colin Houck (1st round), A.J. Ewing (4th round), and Boston Baro (8th round). Third-round two-way player Nolan McLean was also on the FCL roster.

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Houck was the Mets’ 2023 32nd overall pick out of Parkview High School in Georgia. The 19-year-old infielder appeared in nine games and hit .241 with a triple and four RBIs in 29 at-bats. Houck collected his first multi-hit and extra-base knock in the final game of the regular season.

Ewing hit .286 with three RBIs and stole a base in 21 plate appearances. Baro slashed .316/.458/.879 over seven games while juggling time at second base, third, and shortstop.

McLean starred as a two-way player at Oklahoma State and would appear in three games in the FCL before being promoted to High-A St. Lucie. The 22-year-old slugger swatted his first professional home run in his second game and went 1-for-7 with four walks in the FCL.

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Other notable hitters to play on the FCL Mets club were 20-year-old Bronx native Yohairo Cuevas (four home runs, seven stolen bases, and 1.022 OPS in 71 at-bats), 18-year-old Dominican infielder Yonatan Henriquez (16.8 walk rate and strikeout rate below 20% in 173 plate appearances), 1.9 million 2022 IFA Simón Juan (slashed .290/.371/.452 in August), and flashy defensive infielder Diego Mosquera (.272 average, 3rd on the team with 31 hits) could be names to watch during full-season ball in 2024.

The Mets’ pitching staff ranked third out of 15 FCL teams with a 4.32 team ERA. They were seventh in strikeouts (473) and issued the second-fewest hits. The starters’ combined ERA of 3.94 was second-best in the league, and some notable pitchers in the rotation were right-handers Wilson Esterlin and Jonah Tong.

Esterlin, whom the Mets signed as an international free agent in 2022, put himself on the organization’s radar as one of the top arms in the FCL, ranking first in strikeouts (57) and fourth in ERA (4.01). The 19-year-old hurler was great at limiting his opponents by only giving up 30 hits across 42 2/3 innings in eight starts among his 11 appearances.

Esterlin’s last start in the FCL was a nine-strikeout performance that earned him a promotion to Low-A St. Lucie when the FCL Mets season ended, pitching in three games out of the pen.

The 6-foot-1 Jonah Tong was a seventh-round draft pick in 2022 from Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Georgia. Tong made his professional debut in the FCL and was dominant across seven outings. The 20-year-old touched 95-96MPH and yielded a jaw-dropping 17.8 strikeouts per nine innings.  Per the Mets FCL Twitter, Tong ranked in the 95th percentile of (CSW) Called Strikes plus Whiffs rate and produced an 87th percentile groundball rate.

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Out of the bullpen, 6-foot-2 righty Juan Arnaud led the team with four wins. Arnaud was terrific at limiting opponents to a .169 batting average and had 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings despite having some control issues (7.7 BB/9).

Jose Gomez, a 19-year-old lanky right-hander pitcher from Mexico, pitched to a 1.45 ERA over 18 2/3 innings and had an eye-popping 33.3 percent strikeout rate and a 6.7 percent walk rate.

Venezuelan native Jonaiker Palacios was 5/6 in save opportunities. The 20-year-old righty posted an underwhelming 5.56 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP while striking out an impressive 11.1 batters per nine. 6-foot-4 right-hander

Cristofer Gomez pitched to a pristine 1.04 ERA with two saves and finished with a 28.8 percent strikeout rate in ten outings across 17 1/3 innings.

Some intriguing arms from the 2023 draft debuted at different points toward the end of the season. Kade Morris (3rd round) pitched one inning and gave up a hit and one run (unearned) with no strikeouts and no walks.

Jack Wenninger (6th round) tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Brett Banks (11th round) appeared in three games and posted a 3.38 ERA with a save.

The FCL Mets season was a success on the field regarding their team record, and there is much to be excited about with the next wave of promising young talent in the pipeline at the rookie level. Owner Steve Cohen has been determined to build a sustainable farm system for many years. Even though many of these prospects are years away from making an impact, the Mets will wait for the fruits of their focus on player development and helping the youngest pros reach their full potential.

MMN Top 30 Prospects

• 6-Colin Houck, 2B/3B/SS
• 7-Marco Vargas, SS
• 17-Jesus Baez, 2B/SS
• 18- Ronald Hernandez, C
• 21-Nolan McLean, RHP/3B
• 22-Boston Baro, 2B/3B
• 24-A.J. Ewing, 2B/CF

Coaching Staff

• Manager – Jay Pecci
• Bench Coach – Chris Jacobs
• Hitting Coach – Nick Ascue, Alejandro Diaz
• Pitching Coach – Garrett Baker, Miguel Bonilla
• Infield Coach – Peter Mooney
• Coach – Micah Evans
• Development Coach – Bree Nasti

Team Batting Leaders (Min 80 PA)

• G: Yonatan Henriquez – 43
• AB: Yonatan Henriquez – 140
• R: Yonatan Henriquez – 25
• H: Nick Morabito – 36
• 2B: Willy Fañas, Jesus Báez – 9
• 3B: Willy Fañas – 3
• HR: Yohairo Cuevas – 4
• RBI: Willy Fañas – 25
• SB: Nick Morabito – 11
• TB: Willy Fañas – 58
• BB: Yonatan Henriquez – 29
• OBP: Yohairo Cuevas – .444
• SLG: Yohairo Cuevas – .577
• OPS: Yohairo Cuevas – 1.022

Team Pitching Leaders (Min 10 IP)

• W: Juan Arnaud – 4
• ERA: Cristofer Gomez – 1.04
• S: Jonaiker Palacios – 5
• HLD: Estarlin Escalante, Bryce Jenkins – 2
• G: Juan Arnaud – 15
• GS: Wilson Esterlin – 8
• IP: Wilson Esterlin – 42.2
• K: Wilson Esterlin – 57
• WHIP: Jose Gomez – 0.80