One of the biggest question marks entering the season for the New York Mets’ farm system was how their pitching depth would fare with the impending prospect-status graduations of Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. Names at the upper levels of the minor league system didn’t impress much, but that didn’t stop the lower levels of the farm system from producing talent and strong campaigns.

On the other side with their relief pitchers, the Mets saw successes up and down the farm system. Following their major trade deadline sell-off, the Mets promoted multiple of their best relievers from Triple-A, and their previously strong relief core barely missed a step during such a drastic transition. Relief success was far more common for the Mets than success from starting pitchers.

This is not a list of who the top prospects are or who is likely to see their stock rise the most heading into 2027, but rather a list that recognizes the best individual season at each position this season, regardless of prospect or draft status.

Starting Pitchers – Jonathan Santucci, Daviel Hurtado, Channing Austin, Nicolas Carreno, Emilio Obispo

The highest-rated prospect of this group, lefty Jonathan Santucci, became the second Mets starter in as many years to lead the minor leagues in strikeouts, following Jonah Tong in 2025. Over 27 starts in 2026, the 2024 second-round selection struck out 163 batters to go along with a 4.03 ERA between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. His eight Syracuse starts were a bit more of an adjustment, but Santucci was able to dominate Binghamton early and often. In 19 Double-A starts, he totaled a 3.57 ERA with an 11.91 K/9. After injury issues during his time at Duke, the Mets top pitching prospect has now started 50 games in two seasons since joining the organization.

Further down on the farm, another left-handed starter was able to begin breaking out in a major way. Daviel Hurtado followed up his strong 2025 with an even more impressive 2026 campaign: a 2.93 ERA, 9.31 K/9, and a 1.o3 WHIP in 86 innings between Single-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. Hurtado is one of the multiple prospects on this list who earned their spot with strong play, but did a ton for their prospect status in the meantime. He was able to do so in large part by ending his season on a high note: his ERA from August 1 through the end of the season sat under 3.00 after a mark of 5.14 in July. Hurtado first signed with the Mets as an international free agent in January of 2023, signing for a bonus of $640,000.

Channing Austin also signed with the Mets at a young age, but in a much different way than Hurtado did. Austin was an undrafted free agent who signed with the Mets in July of 2024, and he has impressed since his first day. His 2026 season was off to an incredible start before it ended in August after being placed on the injured list, which was a major blow after he had missed all of April, May, and most of June with the same fate. Nonetheless, his production on the mound was incredible: a 2.26 ERA over 15 starts with a 1.15 WHIP, and a 10.67 K/9; a jump of over two full strikeouts from his 2025 mark. If he can remain healthy in 2027, Austin could be a name that takes another major leap forward.

Nicolas Carreno completed exactly 100 innings of work this season, an impressive achievement for the 20-year-old lefty starter. Carreno was the return for lefty reliever Josh Walker, whom the Mets sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2024 trading deadline, and he struggled to find his footing with the Mets until he returned to St. Lucie in the waning days of the 2025 season. In 13 career appearances in Single-A, he allowed just 10 runs, and continued his strong play up to Brooklyn, where he finished his 2026 campaign. Overall, he posted a 3.42 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and K/9 of 11.16, one of the best marks of any Mets’ left-handed pitcher in their minor league system. Walks remain an issue, considering his 5.58 BB/9 this year, but his overall numbers were simply too good to ignore. A strong campaign from Carreno next year could propel him into top prospect conversations.

Emilio Obispo claimed the final spot on this list after missing the entire 2025 season on the injured list. Between St. Lucie and Brooklyn, the Dominican righty posted a 2.58 ERA with 82 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP over 80 1/3 innings. Much like Carreno, this year’s workload was a new career high for Obispo, and he was able to get through the season without hitting the injured list, another major accomplishment. The Mets signed Obispo in May of 2024 for a bonus that went unreported, likely making it fairly minimal, which allowed him to fly under the radar as he entered the organization. Like most in the minors, Obispo saw time as a starter and in relief outings, but he dominated with a 2.28 ERA as a traditional starting pitcher. If he can replicate his 2026 success, he could skyrocket up minor league prospect rankings and secure a spot on this list for a second consecutive season.

Relievers – Garrett Stratton, Bryce Jenkins, Nate Lavender

Minor league relievers are always a tricky subject, but the Mets had a trio that stood out this season. Starting with lefty reliever Nate Lavender, who has likely all but secured a spot in the Mets’ 2027 bullpen, he impressed in the offensively friendly Triple-A run environment, parlayed that success into a promotion to Queens, and dominated down the stretch for now full-time manager Andy Green’s bullpen.

Lavender spent all of 2025 as a Rule 5 draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays  on the injured list as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, making it incredibly unclear what to expect from him as he returned to the Mets’ organization. In the minors, Lavender pitched to a 3.77 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, but what was most notable was his strikeout numbers. In 2024, his last season before leaving the Mets, he struck out 11.57 batters per nine innings, an impressive mark. Last season, that mark skyrocketed to 14.65, an increase of almost three full strikeouts per nine innings. He earned this spot before the calendar turned to August, and then pitched to a 1.66 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP in the big leagues over the final two months of the season. Look for Lavender to be a major piece of the Mets’ 2027 plans.

Speaking of 1.66 ERAs, that is the mark that righty Bryce Jenkins posted over the full season for Brooklyn and Binghamton. Like Lavender, Jenkins missed an entire season to injury before, as he was sidelined all of 2024 and only managed 12 innings in 2025, making 2026 his first full season back. Most impressively, he held opposing hitters to a 0.87 WHIP and a .147 batting average against, and allowed only three homers. His best stretch came in Brooklyn from the sceond week of June through the end of July, allowing just three runs over 20 innings with a 0.80 WHIP. After the first three seasons of his professional career were derailed by injury, Jenkins broke out in dominating fashion and is a name to watch heading into 2027.

Last but not least, Garrett Stratton might have had the best season of any Mets minor league reliever this past year. Over 64 innings, he worked to a 2.51 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, 12.11 K/9, and BB/9 of 2.78. The Mets took Stratton in the final round of the 2025 draft after he struggled through his collegiate career at Rice, and he found incredible success almost immediately. His season took its full form after being promoted to Double-A Binghamton, where he allowed just five earned runs in 23 games, finishing 13 of them with seven saves. In his time between Brooklyn and Binghamton, hitters posted a .587 OPS against Stratton, which translated to a 2.02 ERA from April 4 through September 4. He saw four games of action with Syracuse to end the season, which could put him on the doorstep of Queens in the spring.