Mets' Top Prospect Could Contribute In Majors This Season

ESPN’s new Top 100 MLB Prospect list was released, featuring six players within the New York Mets' organization.

And above all other Mets prospects at No. 31 on the list, sits shortstop Jett Williams. 

Who is Williams? And what places him at the top of the Mets' prospect list?

The 20-year-old has had to fight the odds at every level of baseball being one of the smallest at his position, but has always outworked his counterparts and set high goals for himself, even since high school. As a senior, Williams posted a .411 batting average with seven homers and 41 RBI, proving to have a combo of exceptional contact and quality power.

Though he committed to Mississippi State as a backup plan, Williams' goal was to make it to the majors, and when he was informed he would be taken No. 14 overall by the Mets in 2022, he knew what his future held and elected to go straight to the pros to get started on his next goal.

Williams was limited to just 32 at-bats in 2022, but burst onto the scene in his 2023 campaign, posting a .263 batting average and .876 OPS with 13 home runs and 55 RBI while playing for St. Lucie, Brooklyn and Binghamton.

After checking three levels off his list in the minor leagues by the age of 20, Williams now has his sights set on 2024, where he told his agent Craig Rose he wants to get called up to the major leagues.

But does he have what it takes at such a young age and with a small frame? So far it appears so.

Williams has drawn early comparisons to current Met and star outfielder Brandon Nimmo in both style of play and maturity. The greatest strengths for Williams, who can play both shortstop and center field, are his defensive capabilities, his knack for contact at the plate and stealing bases.

Williams has elite plate discipline and knows what to swing at as well as any major-league prospect. He walked 104 times compared to 118 strikeouts, and was efficient when he reached base, stealing 45 bags in 2023.

Williams also has deceptive power for his size, collecting eight triples on top of his 13 homers in 2023. The organization likely views Williams as someone who can reach base at the top of the order consistently and put himself in scoring position at the right times.

On top of that Williams can be moved between the infield and outfield freely, making himself a swiss-army knife defensively.

If Williams were to make the jump from Double-A to MLB, which could happen with another strong campaign, New York would be bringing in the potential successor to Jeff McNeil at second base, and someone they could plug in immediately at the top of the order. If he can max out his ability to log extra base hits and unleash his power, he could quickly bud into a star in the years to come, which certainly makes him a name to look out for this season.