Off-season content is already in full swing on the Brick Wall! Like during the regular season, I will be posting a few articles a month for free here on Imaginary Brick Wall with the vast majority of the content over on the Patreon. We are deep into Dynasty Team Report season, while the first Sneak Peek of the 2025 Top 1,000 Dynasty Baseball Rankings hit last week. Deep Positional Rankings are also right around the corner. But first, here is the New York Mets 2025 Dynasty Baseball Team Report (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk):
CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-A TOP 25 SNEAK PEEK OF THE 2025 TOP 1,000 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-END OF SEASON 2024 TOP 322 PROSPECTS RANKS
-END OF SEASON 2024 438 DYNASTY RANKS
-TOP 57 2025 FYPD RANKS with full scouting reports and prime projections
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: END OF SEASON MAILBAG!
-SPREADSHEETS
-OFF-SEASON CONTENT! – Dynasty Team Reports (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk) , Deep Positional Rankings, Predicting Future Prospect Lists, Fall/Winter League Updates, Top 100+ FYPD Ranks, Top 500+ Prospects Ranks, Top 1,000 Dynasty Ranks & so much more!
Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon
Baltimore Orioles—Cleveland Guardians—Miami Marlins—Milwaukee Brewers (free)—Minnesota Twins—Oakland Athletics—Pittsburgh Pirates—San Diego Padres—Tampa Bay Rays—Washington Nationals (free)
Hitters
Mark Vientos – NYM, 3B, 25.3 – I was all over Vientos last off-season as a major target like it was my job (wait … it was my job), writing, ” Vientos is one of the premier up and coming power hitters in the game, and he gets valued like he’s barely worth discussing.” His truly elite power was staring me right in the face, and when he finally got the opportunity in 2024, he unsurprisingly went gangbusters. He jacked out 27 homers in 111 regular season games, and then he ripped 5 dingers in 13 post-season games. The 91.2/96.0 MPH AVG/FB EV and 14.1% Barrel% fully back up the power. He was also better than expected at the hot corner, playing a serviceable 3B. The contact rates and plate approach weren’t good, but they did actually take a step forward from 2023 with a 29.7/7.3 K%/BB%. That isn’t good enough to say he is now one of the elite power hitters in the game, really putting him in that 2nd tier of power hitter. He also didn’t steal a single bag, and while you don’t roster him for steals, the difference between a guy who nabs like 7 bags vs. zero starts to add up in your lineup. The time to acquire Vientos was last off-season, so I can no longer call him a true target, but his 2024 season was certainly real, and if he can continue to improve the plate skills, he has the potential to join the elite tier of power hitters. – 2025 Projection: 78/34/93/.252/.321/.520/1
Francisco Alvarez – NYM, C, 23.4 – Alvarez just went through an almost textbook sophomore slump season. He followed up his 25 homer rookie year in 123 games with a disappointing sophomore campaign, jacking out only 11 in 113 games, including the playoffs. The underlying stats back up the mediocre numbers with a 12.8% Barrel% in 2023 vs. a 6.7% in 2024, but the sophomore slump isn’t about getting unlucky, it’s about the game of adjustments. And even with the down power year, he actually put up a better wRC+ this year (102) than he did last year (97), so it was also about Alvarez working on becoming a more complete hitter himself. This is just the normal ebb and flow of a young player’s career, and with Alvarez going through those growing pains as a 21-22 year old on the major league level, I’m not even the slightest bit concerned. His power can’t be held down for long with a 114.8 MPH Max EV which was in the top 5% of the league, and his 88.8/94.2 MPH AVG/FB EV was still really good. He also made some incremental improvements to the contact rates, bringing the whiff% under 30% to 29.6%, to go along with a his solid 28.9% Chase%. Alvarez is still right on track to be one of the top hitting catchers in the game for the next decade. I’m smelling a big year 3 where he really puts it all together. 2025 Projection: 68/25/82/.246/.323/.458/2
Pitchers
David Peterson – NYM, LHP, 29.7 – Peterson has been an enticing breakout candidate for a few years now, and now that he’s finally broken out, I don’t want anything to do with him. Life can be funny like that. The 2.90 ERA in 121 IP looks great, but I just can’t buy into that at all with a 4.58 xERA and 19.8/9.0 K%/BB%. It was more of the same in the playoffs with a 2.92 ERA and 14.0/14.0 K%/BB% in 12.1 IP. K/BB is still King when it comes to pitchers, and those K/BB numbers just aren’t something I can buy into. Now having said all that, there are definitely some things to like beyond the ERA. His 25.5% whiff% was above average, and he’s missed a ton of bats in his career, so the low strikeout rate was definitely on the unlucky side. That should rise in 2025. His 93.1 MPH 4-seamer put up a near elite 28.7% whiff%, the 91.9 MPH sinker keeps the ball on the ground with a 0 degree launch, the slider misses bats with a 33.9% whiff% and the change and curve are solid pitches too. His 9% BB% was a career high, and he had a 5.9% BB% in his final 50 IP of the regular season. As I finish off this blurb, I think I might actually be talking myself into Peterson more and more. You know what, I take back what I said earlier about not wanting anything to do with him. If his price rises too high due to the ERA, I won’t get him anywhere, but if he slips through the cracks, I don’t mind taking some cheap stabs at him. 2025 Projection: 8/3.92/1.30/140 in 145 IP
Tylor Megill – NYM, RHP, 29.8 – Peterson and Megill seem to be on the exact same career timeline. Both have been frustrating “sleeper” picks over the last years, but pitcher development can be a fickle B, and neither would be the first to take until their late 20’s to stay healthy and figure it all out. Unlike Peterson, Megill didn’t have a super impressive ERA at 4.04 in 78 IP, but his K% and whiff% were super impressive. He put up a 27.0/9.5 K%/BB% with a 28.6% whiff%. That is pretty rarified air. The heavily used fastball was absolutely fire at 95.7 MPH, and it put up an elite 29.2% whiff%. He also threw an insane 8 pitch mix, which is just fun. The splitter is a mostly new weapon which he should clearly go to more with a .158 xwOBA and 42.9% whiff% on 7.5% usage. The cutter, slider, sinker, and curve all serve their purpose and gives him a variety of secondaries to go to depending on situation. I’ve definitely been burned by Megill before, but haven’t we all, which should keep his price in a very, very reasonable range. With how I’m expecting him to be valued, he’s almost a no brainer late round target in every draft. 2025 Projection: 7/3.94/1.29/148 in 135 IP
Bullpen
Edwin Diaz NYM, Closer, 30.11 – Diaz returned from a torn ACL that kept him out for all of 2023, and other than a small mid-season hiccup with a right shoulder impingement, he was mostly back to his dominant self. He put up a 3.52 ERA (2.48 xERA) with a 38.9/9.3 K%/BB% in 53.2 IP. The fastball sat 97.5 MPH and put up an elite 36.6% whiff%, and the slider is double plus with a .223 xwOBA and 39.4% whiff%. It does sometimes feel like he has a few more “hiccups” then he should, but that could also just be the inherent small sample nature of being a reliever. He’s in the elite tier of the elite tier. 2025 Projection: 4/2.98/1.01/98/31 saves in 60 IP
New York Mets 2025 Top 10 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings
1) Jett Williams – NYM, SS/OF, 21.5 – Jett’s season was a straight disaster. He underwent surgery on his right wrist just 11 games into the season and he didn’t return until the end of the August. Wrist injuries are known killers for hitters, so it’s not surprising to see he wasn’t great after returning from the injury either with 0 homers and a .656 OPS in 33 games on the season. I would call it a completely lost year, but if there is one small silver lining to take out of it, it’s that he was actually really good in his final 6 games at Triple-A. He had a 192 wRC+ with a 89.6 MPH EV. I know it’s just 6 games, but it shows how the 5’6” Jett can truly pack a punch. He also proved the GB rates (around a 32% GB%) and the plate approach (23.6/14.9 K%/BB%) won’t fall apart in the upper minors. Also keep in mind he was just 20 years old this year. Lift, speed, plate approach, and sneaky pop is a potent fantasy combination, and with Williams’ injury induced down year, I’m sensing some major buy low opportunities this winter. This is an electric player, size be damned. 2025 Projection: 16/2/10/.238/.305/.385/5 Prime Projection: 96/19/66/.264/.345/.438/32
2) Brandon Sproat – NYM, RHP, 24.6 – Baseball likes to make it as hard as possible to evaluate minor league players, and pitchers in particular. They love to use minor leaguers as guinea pigs, which I get, but life would be a lot easier if things were at least a bit more standardized among all levels. There was literally different rules for calling balls and strikes at Triple-A in the first 3 games of a series (fully automated) vs. the last 3 (umps call it with a automated challenge system). Then they switched the rules mid-season to just the automated challenge system with the umps calling them the rest of the time. Every level also uses different balls. Triple-A uses the MLB ball, while lower levels don’t. Enter Brandon Sproat, who utterly dominated at Double-A with a 2.45 ERA and 33.2/6.5 K%/BB% in 62.1 IP, only to completely fall apart at Triple-A with a 7.53 ERA and 16.3/8.5 K%/BB% in 28.2 IP. Was it the ball? Was it the strikezone? Was it the better competition? Was it that he was reaching a career high in IP? Was it a combo of everything? I don’t know exactly, but what I do know is that the stuff was still nasty. The 4-seamer sits 96.6 MPH and he has 2 potentially plus secondaries in his slider and changeup which both miss bats and induce weak contact. He also throws a cutter, curve and sinker, giving him a very diverse pitch mix. His control was below average throughout his college career, and it also was poor at the start of the season at High-A, so there is still some control/command risk in here even though he took a big step forward in that department overall. Does it worry me a bit that his numbers tanked so hard when he used the MLB baseball for the first time? It does. But at the end of the day the stuff don’t lie, and Sproat has monster stuff. 2025 Projection: 3/4.08/1.32/87 in 90 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.63/1.20/189 in 170 IP
3) Luisangel Acuna – NYM, SS, 23.1 – Acuna was in the midst of an extremely lackluster season at Triple-A with a 69 wRC+ in 131 games, but maybe he was just getting bored, because he gave his dynasty value a shot to the arm in his cup of coffee in the bigs. He jacked out 3 homers with a 91 MPH EV, 15% K% and 165 wRC+ in 40 PA. He might not be as good as his older brother, but the electric Acuna blood most certainly runs through his veins with a near elite 29.5 ft/sec sprint speed and a plus 73.5 MPH bat speed. He’s only 5’10”, and the 87.3 MPH EV at Triple-A wasn’t as impressive, but there is real juice in his bat, especially as he continues to get stronger. He’s a game changer on the bases with 40 steals at Triple-A, and he’s put up strong contact rates at every level, including the majors. He only had a 2.5% BB% in the majors, but he really didn’t chase a concerning amount with a 30.8% Chase%. The Mets are a wild card this off-season, so I hesitate to try to project their lineup right now, but he can play SS, 2B, and CF, which means he can basically play any position on the field, so that versality will keep his bat in the lineup if he’s producing. He looks like a mighty enticing dynasty asset right now. 2025 Projection: 73/12/61/.256/.309/.394/23 Prime Projection: 84/16/69/.272/.328/.426/30
4) Ronny Mauricio – NYM, 2B, 24.0 – I’m fighting off the prospect creep of “out of sight, out of mind,” because even when you are aware of that mind virus, it can still take a hold of you. Mauricio missed all of 2024 after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL that he suffered after a non contact injury on the bases in Winter Ball. It was deju vu all over again with Edwin Diaz tearing his knee in the WBC the off-season before that, but Diaz came back to basically full strength this season, and Mauricio can do the same in 2025. He hit the ball very hard with a 90.7 MPH EV in 26 games in the majors and a 91.1 MPH EV at Triple-A, he loves to run with 7 steals in the majors and 24 steals at Triple-A, and he gets the bat on the ball with a 18.2% K% at Triple-A. That K% jumped to 28.7% in the majors, he chases a ton, he hits the ball on the ground a lot and despite loving to run, he’s not a burner. He doesn’t really have the speed to lose, so the knee injury is definitely concerning in the stolen base department at the least, and the latest news is that the knee isn’t healing as fast as hoped. I definitely have the pull to drop him down the rankings, but I’m fighting it with everything I have, because at full strength, Mauricio has a very fantasy friendly skillset. 2025 Projection: 37/10/46/.248/.304/.419/8 Prime Projection: 75/22/77/.267/.325/.454/16
5) Ryan Clifford – NYM, 1B/OF, 21.8 – After hitting only 1 homer in 31 games in New York’s tough High-A ballpark (although he didn’t hit any homers on the road either), Clifford got the call to Double-A as a still 20 year old and lived up to his big power profile. He jacked out 18 homers with a 133 wRC+ and 28.9/15.6 K%/BB% in 98 games. Even at High-A he put up a 124 wRC+, which is the sign of a good player who can still produce when the homers aren’t coming (or it’s a sign that High-A pitchers just didn’t want to pitch to him with a 23.5% BB%). Clifford was one of my favorite targets in his first year player draft class because he looked like a sure bet to become an exciting power hitting prospect, and that is exactly what he’s become. The strikeouts are too high to really put him into that elite tier, but I wouldn’t rule out him improving there at a still young 21 years old. Even if he can’t, the power will play on any level. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 78/31/90/.239/.324/.491/4
6) Christian Scott – NYM, RHP, 25.9 – Scott underwent a hybrid Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure in late September which will knock him out for all of 2025. I don’t know if it’s worse that he needed both or if this kind of elbow surgery is just evolving, but I’m going to assume it’s the latter … or is it the former? … no, it’s the latter … am I the only one who takes way too long to figure out which is the former and which is the latter? Either way, Scott straddles the line between the type of pitcher I like taking the Tommy John discount on and ones I don’t. He wasn’t quite an elite pitching prospect, but he wasn’t far off from it, and he didn’t fully established himself on the MLB level yet, but he was starting to set a pretty strong foundation. He put up a 4.56 ERA with a 19.8/6.1 K%/BB% in 47.1 IP in his MLB debut. Plus control of a highly used, above average 94.2 MPH fastball is his bread and butter. He combines that with a potentially plus sweeper, above average splitter, and decent slider. None of the secondaries missed enough bats in the majors to keep up the 33.5% K% he put up at Triple-A, and the fastball isn’t quite a good enough pitch to make up for it. He can be a plus control mid-rotation starter even if the secondaries don’t miss a ton of bats, but he’ll have to unlock more if he wants to beat that projection. And now also tack on risk from the elbow surgery. Don’t forget about him, but I’m not sure I’m going out of my way to get him either. 2025 Projection: OUT Prime Projection: 10/3.93/1.22/150 in 150 IP
7) Jonah Tong – NYM, RHP, 21.9 – Here is what I wrote about Tong in the in-season Dynasty Baseball Rundowns after his first start at Double-A on September 5th, “Tong got the call to Double-A, and if there were any questions about how his stuff would translate against upper minors hitters, there aren’t questions anymore after he went 6 IP with 0 hits, 0 ER, and a 9/0 K/BB. Talk about making a statement. The low to mid 90’s fastball will play just fine. Here he is blowing a fastball by Spencer Jones. Granted, I think I could strikeout Spencer Jones right now, but still. It wasn’t just Jones, it was everyone. Showing that level of dominance in the upper minors was a big hurdle to clear.” … He wasn’t as good in his 2nd start at the level (and final start of the season) with 3 ER and a 5/4 K/BB in 3.1 IP, but we already knew that below average control is a weakness in his game. Seeing the stuff so clearly fully translate was exciting. The breaking ball is absolutely filthy, the bat missing fastball can be a plus pitch despite the mediocre velocity, and he rounds out the arsenal with a cutter and changeup. If he can improve him control/command, Tong could be a beast, and even if he can’t, he can be a high K, mid rotation starter. I’m definitely in on him. ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 11/3.71/1.27/174 in 155 IP
8) Carson Benge – NYM, OF, 22.2 – Selected 19th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, the 6’1”, 181 pound Benge is lean, loose and mean at the dish with a quick and athletic lefty swing that most certainly looks the part. He slashed .335/.444/.665 with 18 homers, 10 steals, and a 16.8%/16.1% K%/BB% in 61 games in the Big 12. He then stepped right into pro ball and impressed with 2 homers, 3 steals, a 20.3/15.9 K%/BB% and a 152 wRC+ in 15 games at Single-A. It came with a solid 88.3 MPH EV and a 51.2 GB%, so a bit of a mixed bag there. He’s the type that does everything well on a baseball field with bouncy athleticism, bat speed, power, mature plate approach, and he even pitches too. He profiles as an average to above average across the board player with the upside to beat that projection. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 84/20/77/.267/.334/.440/16
9) Drew Gilbert – NYM, OF, 24.6 – A hamstring injury knocked out 3 months of Gilbert’s season, and he couldn’t get comfortable until the final month where he went bonkos with 9 homers, 2 steals, and a 16.2/10.3 K%/BB% in his last 29 games at Triple-A. It was more of the same in the AFL with 3 homers and a 5/8 K/BB in 11 games. But the batting average didn’t follow behind with a .200 BA in the AFL and a .222 BA during that hot streak at Triple-A, and I’m not sure it’s purely bad luck. He only had a 85 MPH EV at Triple-A to go along with a 46.9% FB%, which is a recipe for a low batting average. The Mets ballpark also isn’t the right park for that kind of profile with it being one of the worst parks for lefty homers this year. He’s had less extreme flyball rates in the past, but with the mediocre at best EV’s, I don’t think it’s going to matter much, and while he runs a bit, it doesn’t seem like he will rack up steals. He’s close to the majors and he can definitely end up a solid fantasy player, but it’s not someone I’m going after unless it’s a deeper league. 2025 Projection:.25/5/29/.235/.301/.395/3 Prime Projection: 76/18/74/.251/.322/.428/13
10) Jonathan Santucci – NYM, LHP, 22.3 – Selected 46th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Santucci had the type of talent to be in position to possibly be a top 10 pick with a huge season, but inconsistency dropped him into the 2nd round. He shows flashes of being a potentially impact MLB starter, but the control/command isn’t there and 58 IP in his career high due to injuries. The stuff is filthy enough to thrive without great command, putting up a 3.41 ERA with a 35.0%/14.0% K%/BB% in 58 IP in the ACC. He’s 6’2”, 205 pounds with an athletic lefty delivery, mid 90’s fastball, plus slider, and average to above average change. There is a lot of risk here, both injury and control, but he’s a high upside college arm who should come at a very reasonable price in drafts. I don’t mind him as a “let him come to you” target in drafts. Don’t reach. Let him fall into your lap. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 10/3.81/1.32/168 in 155 IP
Just Missed
11) Jesus Baez – NYM, SS, 20.1
12) Jeremy Rodriguez – NYM, SS, 18.9
13) Blade Tidwell – NYM, RHP, 23.10
14) Nolan McLean – NYM, RHP, 23.8
15) Nate Dohm – NYM, RHP, 22.3 – Selected 82nd overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Dohm looks like a nice little college sleeper arm right now with his budding 3rd year breakout cut way short with a forearm strain. But he returned in May with his stuff all the way back, and the results were back to full form in shorter outings as well. He dominated in the innings he did pitch on the season with a 1.23 ERA and 32.7%/3.5% K%/BB% in 29.1 IP. He’s a big boy at 6’4”, 210 pounds, and he has legit stuff with mid 90’s heat, a nasty breaking ball, and a changeup which flashes nasty. He fills up the zone as well. The injury adds risk, but it also tanked Dohm’s value to almost non existent levels. He might even be a sleeper for 30 teamers, and I see legit impact potential in here. – ETA: 2026 Prime Projection: 9/4.03/1.30/146 in 150 IP
Dynasty Baseball Thought/Strategy of the Day (which may or may not be related to the team I’m covering that day)
Jumping off from the Brandon Sproat blurb, does any sport tinker with the ball, the rules, the uniforms, the size of the equipment (bases), etc … more than baseball? I’m not even saying that I hate it. It’s kinda fun honestly that they are willing to try new things out for the betterment of the game, and overall, I think the changes they have made have been a net positive. So while I’m down for it, it makes preparing for every new season a whole lot more complicated. In last year’s Chicago Cubs Team Report Strategy Section, I wrote in part, “Jumping off from the Bellinger blurb, MLB changes the baseball every damn year, and I’m not even 100% sure they are truly in complete control of every change, as my understanding is that they manufacture new balls for every season. The juicier 2023 ball allowed mediocre exit velocity bats to come alive and be impact MLB hitters, but those type of hitters hold more risk coming into 2024 because we can’t be sure how the ball will play until we actually see it.” And right on cure, the ball was less juicy, and Bellinger went from 26 homers in 130 games in 2023 to 18 homers in 130 games in 2024. How will the ball play in 2025? Who the hell knows. I don’t even think MLB knows. Along with Sproat, Quinn Mathews was another big breakout who saw their numbers drop off a cliff with the MLB ball at Triple-A. The ball isn’t the only change for these young pitchers, so it’s hard to just isolate that one factor. Joining a new team, new league, new city, new home ballpark, and it being the very end of a long season are also complicating factors. My instinct is to not ignore the drop off in production, but also not to put too much weight on it. Sproat and Mathews are still extremely exciting pitching prospects, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my mind. Keeping up with all of the different balls and rule changes are just part of the game now.
Previous Dynasty Team Reports on Patreon
Baltimore Orioles—Cleveland Guardians—Miami Marlins—Milwaukee Brewers (free)—Minnesota Twins—Oakland Athletics—Pittsburgh Pirates—San Diego Padres—Tampa Bay Rays—Washington Nationals (free)
CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY PATREON FOR TONS OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ALL OFF-SEASON, INCLUDING:
-A TOP 25 SNEAK PEEK OF THE 2025 TOP 1,000 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS
-END OF SEASON 2024 TOP 322 PROSPECTS RANKS
-END OF SEASON 2024 438 DYNASTY RANKS
-TOP 57 2025 FYPD RANKS with full scouting reports and prime projections
-HALP’S DYNASTY BASEBALL PODCAST: END OF SEASON MAILBAG!
-SPREADSHEETS
-OFF-SEASON CONTENT! – Dynasty Team Reports (Top 10 Prospects/Interesting MLB guys/Strategy Talk) , Deep Positional Rankings, Predicting Future Prospect Lists, Fall/Winter League Updates, Top 100+ FYPD Ranks, Top 500+ Prospects Ranks, Top 1,000 Dynasty Ranks & so much more!
By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@DynastyHalp)