Drew Gilbert, Photo by Steven Woj of Metsmerized
New York Mets president of baseball operations, David Stearns, has high hopes for many Mets prospects in 2024, including Mets’ outfield prospect Drew Gilbert. Stearns spoke with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on the New York Post Sports podcast “The Show” on Wednesday and discussed prospects like Gilbert, Jett Williams, and Luis Angel Acuna and his hopes for those players.
Jett Williams
Stearns spoke highly of Williams, calling him a “really good athlete with exceptional bat-to-ball skills and is so in control.” He said the Mets are excited about Williams and what’s to come for the player who can be flexible and play multiple positions.
Williams, the Mets’ 2022 first round draft pick, had an impressive 2023 season, working his way from Single-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton in the course of the season. Between the three levels, the 20-year-old shortstop batted .263/.425/.451, with a .876 OPS. He had 22 doubles, eight triples, 13 home runs, walked 104 times, drove in 55 RBIs and had 81 runs scored. He continues to impress the organization and is a player who could continue to work his way up quickly.
Luis Angel Acuña
Acuña was acquired by the Mets in July from the Rangers as part of the trade that sent right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer to Texas. Stearns talked about how Acuna, the young shortstop, has the ability to bounce around the field and play multiple positions at the same level. He’s a player who has quick feet and speed both offensively and defensively.
In 2023, between the Mets’ and Rangers’ Double-A affiliates, he batted .294/.359/.410, with a .769 OPS. He hit 28 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, had 52 walks, drove in 63 RBIs, and scored 93 runs over the course of the season. He also stole 57 bases and is a force on the base-pads.
Drew Gilbert
Stearns continued to praise his young players on “The Show,” giving high hopes for them. When speaking about Gilbert, he mentioned that the outfielder will begin his season at Triple-A.
Gilbert was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft out of the University of Tennessee. He was traded to the Mets in August of last season in the trade that sent right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander back to Houston and brought over Gilbert and outfielder Ryan Clifford to the Mets.
Gilbert had a strong 2023 season, batting .289/.381/.487, with a .868 OPS between High-A and Double-A.
Gilbert hit 26 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs, walked 58 times, stole 12 bases, drove in 59 RBIs, and scored 79 runs.
In talking about these players as a whole, Stearns stated, “These are a couple guys at the upper levels of our system we think have the ability to make an impact at the major league level, or at least break in at the major league level in the not-too distant future.”
