Deep Dive on Mets' A.J. Ewing, who has quickly become one of baseball's top prospects

This time last year, A.J. Ewingwas a prospect who was considered to have some upside but ended up ranking just outside of the top 30 prospects in the Mets' system. A year later, Ewing is a consensus top 100 prospect in the sport, ranking as high as No. 28 in baseball by ESPN.

Ewing gave a glimpse into his game during the Mets' first spring training game in Port St. Lucie when he showed off his range, going back on one fly ball and into the gap on another, seemingly with ease. His above-average arm also flashed when he threw a runner out at third trying to advance from second. He also worked a professional at-bat late in the game, resulting in a sacrifice fly for the only run the Mets scored in the game. 

His performance in that game and thus far this spring has caught the eye of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. 

"There’s a lot to like there," Mendoza said. "And the defense, he made a couple of good plays, good jumps. His ability to give a good at bat, I have been really encouraged so far."

The Mets selected Ewing in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Springboro High School in Ohio with the compensatory pick they received when Jacob deGrom signed with the Rangers. Ewing was signed away from a commitment to the University of Alabama with an over slot bonus of $675,000. He posted a .751 OPS in 90 games split between the Florida Complex League and Low-A St. Lucie in his first full professional season in 2024.

Heading into 2025, the Mets assigned Ewing to repeat Low-A St. Lucie. 

"I told A.J. towards the end of spring training, 'Hey, you’re going back to PSL to start," Mets senior vice president of baseball development Andy Green told SNY’s The Mets Pod. Ewing’s response to Green: "That’s OK, I will be in Brooklyn by the end of the month."

Ewing’s proclamation came true, as he slashed .400/.506/.615 in 18 games with Low-A St. Lucie and was promoted to High-A Brooklyn before the end of April, making his Brooklyn debut on April 29.

Growing up in Ohio, Ewing exclusively played in the infield, mostly shortstop, but the Mets believed his raw athleticism would translate to the outfield as a professional. 

While it is expected that Ewing will continue to maintain versatility in the dirt playing second base, the focus for both him and the organization is going to be on working to become an elite defensive center fielder.

"He has all the athleticism to play center field at an elite level," Green said. "He has work to do to get to that level, but he has everything you look for." 

He made significant strides defensively in 2025, mostly based on his plus speed. The next step, according to Mets people, will be improving his routes and jumps. Those typically come with experience and reps. Ewing has appeared in just 132 games in center field in his life. 

When asked what his goals were to take the next step in his development in 2026, the first words out of Ewing’s mouth were about defense: "I think it’s the defensive part. I play a premium position in center field, and I think there’s a lot of value in that if I can become elite out there."

The success offensively carried over to Brooklyn, where he slashed .288/.387/.388 with 16 doubles, four triples and 44 stolen bases in 78 games before being promoted to Double-A Binghamton, which was the third minor league level he played at in 2025.

Ewing played a key role in Binghamton’s run to winning the Eastern League Championship. The interesting dichotomy in minor league baseball and player development is that players inherently must focus on self-improvement, but winning games is also important.

"Winning that (the Eastern League Championship) was awesome," Ewing said. "It creates a winning culture with us as teammates and we are friends in the clubhouse. It is about development, but you want to win because winning is what matters."

Ewing’s final 2025 season line was .315/.401/.429 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, three home runs, 55 runs batted in and 70 stolen bases in 124 games.

What may stand out is that he hit just three home runs in those 124 games. Especially in a time when there is focus on max exit velocities and home run power, that is not an emphasis on Ewing’s game.

"It is line drives all over the field," Green said. "It’s quality at-bats, and there are not a lot of players in professional baseball capable of stealing 70 bases. You’re talking about a guy who can get on base at the level he can, defend the field and steal bases, power doesn’t have to exist, but we do believe he has the attributes that eventually lead to power."

Even if home run power does not end up being a large part of his game, Ewing does show ability to impact the baseball with line drives and has shown above average exit velocities. He combines this with at least above average bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions.

Ewing is likely to start 2026 with Double-A Binghamton at just 21 years old, which will put him three years younger than the average pitcher he will face in the league. If he picks up where he left off in 2025, he should find himself in Triple-A in 2026, where he’d be nearly six years younger than the average pitcher in the International League and then just a call away from the big leagues.

He is an above-average defensive center fielder right now with the traits to be even better. He looks the part of a table-setter who hits for average and gets on base while causing havoc on the basepaths as a nearly elite baserunner.

Ewing has a chance to be a complete player who could be considered among the best prospects in baseball in the next few months.