Mets Minor League Mailbag: Could a top pitching prospect come up as a reliever?

SNY's Joe DeMayo answers your Mets prospect questions...

Are there any prospects who were not on your preseason Top 30 that look like they could be Top 20 guys by the end of the season? - @beast8131

One name that stands out is 20-year-old outfielder/second baseman A.J. Ewing. Ewing was a fourth-round pick, No. 134 overall, in the 2023 MLB Draft. He was selected with the compensatory pick the Mets received when Jacob deGrom left as a free agent to the Texas Rangers.

Ewing had a pedestrian first two months with St. Lucie in his first professional season in 2024, but closed out August by posting a .908 OPS with three home runs and 12 RBI in 22 games. He started the 2025 campaign back with St. Lucie and hit .400 with a 1.122 OPS. He had three doubles, four triples, a home run, 20 runs batted in, and 14 stolen bases in only 18 games before the Mets promoted him to High-A Brooklyn -- where he has appeared in four games.

He is a plus athlete who has played center field, left field and second base, and has strong pitch recognition skills. With Low-A St. Lucie, Ewing had just a 16.9 percent whiff rate and a well-above average 17.5 percent walk rate. He also has good barrel control, showing consistent ability to find the sweet spot of the bat. Ewing is entering a difficult environment for left-handed hitters, but if he continues to build off what he did with St. Lucie, he is a prime candidate to jump up my list.

Is there a world where the Mets promote one of the top-rated starting pitchers and add them to the major league bullpen, specifically later in the season? - @gametime41

It absolutely is possible. When president of baseball operations David Stearns was with the Milwaukee Brewers, he did this with multiple future All-Star starting pitchers early in their careers:

- In 2018 and 2019, Corbin Burnes appeared in 62 games, with only four of them being starts

- In 2018, Brandon Woodruff appeared in 19 games, with only four of them being starts

- In 2019 and 2020, Freddy Peralta appeared in 54 games, with only nine of them being starts

Now, as Stearns has said on multiple occasions, there is quite a difference between the Brewers job and this Mets job. In Milwaukee he was not able to be as aggressive in acquiring external talent, making the utilization of internal young arms more prevalent.

With the Mets, he can make external additions with as much aggression as he sees fit to try to win a World Series. Just this past week the Mets re-signed left-hander Brooks Raley to a one-year deal with a team option as a likely second half bullpen contributor. If the season continues its trajectory, the trade deadline is likely to be a factor here, as there is always a bevy of relief pitchers moved from non-contenders.

However, looking internally, there are three notable candidates who could fit for this possibility:

The organization’s No. 1 prospect, right-hander Brandon Sproat,has found inconsistencies at the Triple-A level, but he still comes equipped with a pitch mix that could play up in short spurts, including a fastball that can touch triple digits. The Mets certainly view him as a long-term starting pitcher, and I do expect his big league debut to come this season, but could it start in the bullpen? I think that is possible.

Right-hander Nolan McLean, the No. 3 prospect, was promoted to Triple-A on Monday. Prior to that, he had gotten off to arguably the best start of any prospect in the system, posting a 1.37 ERA in 26.1 innings across five Double-A starts. A former college reliever, McLean would be no stranger to the role, where he could lean on his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and devastating sweeper, which is the best pitch in the Mets' system.

No. 12 prospect, right-hander Blade Tidwell, who was called up for his big league debut on Sunday, has had a much better season than his baseline statistics (5.00 ERA in 27 innings this season with Triple-A Syracuse) would suggest. He has a 3.17 FIP while striking out over 12.0 batters per nine and maintaining a modest 8.5 percent walk rate. He has a fastball that is up to 99 mph, and he has generated plus swing-and-miss percentages on his slider, sweeper and changeup. At times, his control will take a step back as he gets later into outings. So if the Mets feel the need for him in the bullpen, he certainly has the stuff to fit in that role.

There is plenty of season left with twists and turns to come, especially on the pitching side, so it’s important to keep an open mind. The Mets see all three of the pitchers above as future starters, but if they are deemed big league ready and that opportunity exists in the bullpen, I don’t think they’d be opposed at all.