While the weekend sweep in Tampa Bay was discouraging for the New York Mets, there is still optimism to be found in the minor league system. A lot of the team's top prospects have performed well to start the season, a fact that has caught the attention of Mets' owner Steve Cohen.
The trend has seen a lot of pitchers move up levels, with Christian Scott making his major league debut over the weekend and Jonah Tong earning a promotion to High-A Brooklyn last week. Tong will now be joined by one of his former teammates in St. Lucie, outfielder Nick Morabito, who is the subject of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.
Morabito, who will turn 21 tomorrow, was the Mets' second-round pick in 2022 out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. The selection was a compensatory pick the Mets received after Noah Syndergaard signed with the Los Angeles Angels the previous winter, which has made Morabito a player of great interest to the team's fan base.
The Met slow-played Morabito's development last season, having him spend most of the year in rookie ball before a late-season bump to the Florida State League. Morabito did well in that scenario, hitting .306 across both levels with a solid .421 on base percentage and 21 stolen bases in 57 games.
With an eye towards maintaining his progress, the Mets opted to have Morabito repeat Low-A ball to start the season and he tore the cover off the ball. In 24 games for St. Lucie Morabito hit a ridiculous .397 with a 1.047 OPS and 11 stolen bases. Morabito also delivered five extra base hits, including this home run early in April to help St. Lucie tie the game at 4.
The sizzling performance helped Morabito earn Florida State League Player of the Month honors for April and a promotion to Brooklyn from the Mets. The biggest tool in Morabito's tool box is his speed, which is rated at 70 on the 20-80 scale on MLB.com's scouting report. That speed is a huge asset for Morabito, allowing him to leg out a lot of infield hits, become a stolen base threat and play a capable center field.
The question surrounding Morabito's future is whether his hit tool will develop against more advanced pitching, something that will get put to the test immediately in Brooklyn. Morabito's speed and defense combo gives him a floor as a fourth outfielder but his potential to be a starter will depend on if he can continue to develop his approach at the plate. The eye is there as Morabito has drawn his share of walks but being able to adjust to off-speed pitching will be the biggest key to his future.
The Mets have been aggressively promoting their prospects, which helped Morabito earn his ticket to Brooklyn, where he should spend a large portion of this season. If the hot hitting continues in Brooklyn a late season cameo in Binghamton can't be ruled out but Morabito should plan on enjoying his summer in Coney Island.
With a shortage of outfielders in the upper levels of their farm system there is an opportunity for Morabito to quickly rise in the team's prospect list. There isn't immediate big league pressure on Morabito but don't be shocked if he gets a look from the big club during major league spring training next February.