The minor league baseball season is officially over and the New York Mets' prospects had a banner year. While many made huge leaps forward and the Mets are actively getting contributions from LuisAngel Acuna in the middle of a pennant race, one of the team's most notable prospects didn't get to make as much of a leap as the organization anticipated entering the year. Infielder Jett Williams, arguably the team's most-hyped prospect entering the year, is the focus for the final edition of Minor League Mondays for the 2024 season.
Hopes were high for Williams, the Mets' first-round pick in 2022 out of a Texas prep school, as his strong hit tool and diminutive size drew comparisons to future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve. Williams ripped through the lower levels of the minors in 2023, forcing his way to AA Binghamton down the stretch, and there were rumblings that Williams could hit his way to Queens by the end of the 2024 season.
The Mets sent Williams back to Binghamton to start the year but things took a rough turn as he hit .179 over his first 11 games before suffering a wrist injury. Attempts to rehab the issue failed, forcing Williams to get surgery that sidelined him until late August. Williams finally made it back to action and got some valuable reps at Binghamton, although the fact he only got a combined 99 at-bats before the Rumble Ponies' season ended inspired the Mets to push him to AAA Syracuse for the final week of the year to get more playing time. The move up to the International League appeared to spark Williams, who hit .364 with four doubles, a home run and eight RBI in just 22 at bats.
Scouts are excited about Williams' potential as a hitter thanks to his strong bat-to-ball skills, excellent speed, and strong eye at the plate. Williams' numbers from his full 2023 season were outstanding as he produced a .425 on-base percentage, an .876 OPS and stole 45 bases while contributing 43 extra-base hits and 81 runs scored. In terms of defense, Williams is a natural shortstop but the Mets have also exposed him to center field, which makes sense since Francisco Lindor has the shortstop position locked down for presumably the rest of the decade.
Williams, who is currently rated as the Mets' second-best prospect according to MLB.com, will likely head to the Arizona Fall League in the coming weeks to get more at-bats and make up for lost development time thanks to the wrist injury. Assuming he performs well in Arizona, Williams will likely head to big-league spring training in 2025 and start the season with AAA Syracuse so the Mets can figure out where to utilize him for a potential big-league debut later in the season. With Acuna already in the majors, Ronny Mauricio set to return from an ACL injury and Drew Gilbert pushing for an early call-up, the Mets have plenty of options on how to align their young talent going forward. Expect Williams to get plenty of reps at second base and in center field to give the Mets maximum versatility when he is ready to reach Queens, with his position in the Arizona Fall League perhaps offering some hints to the team's intentions going forward.
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