Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Bill Ladson wrote this edition. |
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The chances of Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing making the Opening Day roster appears to be slim. The team is set with Juan Soto in left field and Luis Robert Jr. in center. As far as right field is concerned, there appears to be a battle between Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman, and we all know that Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty are going to get occasional starts out there. But that hasn’t stopped Ewing, the No. 4 prospect in the Mets' organization, No. 97 overall, according to MLB Pipeline, from showing his skills on the baseball field. Entering Monday night’s action against the Marlins, Ewing, 21, has appeared in seven games and is 5-for-14 (.357) with a homer and six RBIs. Ewing has been getting a lot of playing time lately because Soto is representing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Ewing’s defense is above average and has displayed the run prevention that general manager David Stearns has craved for. In the bottom of the second inning of Friday’s 2-0 loss to Miami, Brian Navarreto hit a line drive to left field that appeared to be a guaranteed hit, but Ewing made a nice diving catch to end the frame. |
“I had a good read on the play,” Ewing said. “I’ve been working really hard getting better routes to the ball, better jumps. It’s cool to see that show up in the game.” After the game, manager Carlos Mendoza was singing Ewing’s praises. “He is a baseball player,” Mendoza said about Ewing. “That play coming in was a pretty good play. Off the bat, you think it’s a base hit and he makes one hell of a play. [Ewing] then gets on base, he steals a base and puts some good swings [together]. He’s a baseball player.” Ewing didn’t want to talk about his chances of making the big-league team. He pointed out that he just finished playing the 2025 season with Double-A Binghamton. That year, he also spent time with High-A Brooklyn and Single-A St. Lucie and had a combined slash line of .315/.401/.429 with three home runs and 55 RBIs. “I’m trying to be the best player that I can. When my name is called, just be ready,” Ewing said. “I learned a lot and I’ve seen how the Mets go about their business. I’m going to take it with me into my season and do some of the stuff they have done.” The Mets were able to acquire Ewing with the 134th overall pick in 2023. They were able to get the pick after losing Jacob deGrom to free agency. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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MENDOZA IMPRESSED WITH BENGE |
With more than two weeks to go before the start of the regular season, outfielder Carson Benge, the Mets’ No. 2 prospect, No. 16 overall, according to MLB Pipeline, continues to show that he can hold his own against big-league pitching. Entering Monday’s action, Benge is 7-for-20 (.350) with an RBI. Mendoza likes what he has seen from Benge, but warns there is still a long way to go in Spring Training. “There are a lot of things out of his control, but so far, he is really having a good camp and controlling the strike zone,” Mendoza said. “I like his quality of at-bats, especially against left-handed pitching. We saw him the other day going the other way with two strikes against the lefty. [I like] the defense and the way he is running the bases.” |
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