Minor League Mondays: When Will Nick Morabito Get A Chance In Queens?

There are a lot of problems for the Mets right now, and production from the outfield has been high among them. Losing Juan Soto for a few weeks didn't help, and even though he is back the Mets have been using him at DH a bit to protect themselves against a recurrence of his calf injury. Carson Benge is going through growing pains as a rookie while Luis Robert Jr has cooled off after a hot start, leaving plenty of outfield work for the likes of Brett Baty, Tyrone Taylor and the since-DFAed Tommy Pham.

The Mets did add Austin Slater to the mix on Monday, but perhaps it is time to explore another minor league option to add a potential spark to a group that appears to be sleepwalking through the season. Another young player on the 40 man roster who could fit the bill is outfielder Nick Morabito, who is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Nick Morabito was added to the Mets' 40-man roster this winter.

Morabito, 22, was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft for the Mets. Then-GM Billy Eppler obtained that pick after the Mets lost Noah Syndergaard in free agency, but it took a few years for Morabito to get going. 2024 was a breakout campaign for Morabito, who hit hit .312 with 59 stolen bases and an .801 OPS across Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn to earn the organization's Minor League Player of the Year honors.

That breakout carried over to 2025, where Morabito hit .273 with six home runs, 59 RBI, 49 stolen bases and a .733 OPS in AA Binghamton. The Mets wanted to see more out of Morabito and sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he performed well enough to inspire David Stearns to add him to the 40-man roster to protect Morabito from the Rule V Draft.

After a solid performance in spring training, the Mets assigned Morabito to AAA Syracuse to start the season. Morabito has done decently there, hitting .268 with four home runs and 9 RBI, but he has struck out a whopping 21 times in 82 at bats.

Velocity became a bit of an issue for Morabito last season and he is experiencing more of it with Syracuse, which is something he will need to adapt to in order to reach the major leagues. Morabito has elite speed and is a plus defender in the outfield, but the Mets clearly want to see him make more consistent contact before considering him for big league duty. The Mets have already bypassed Morabito three times in favor of more established veterans (promoting Pham and MJ Melendez in addition to signing Slater), so it does not appear that a promotion is in the immediate future for Morabito.

Scouts remain intrigued by Morabito's potential, which him rated as the team's 12th-best prospect according to MLB.com. Morabito's profile is similar to that of former Mets' farm hand Jake Mangum, who the team opted not to protect from the Rule V draft a few years ago. The Mets ended up trading Mangum in a deal that netted them relievers Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham from the Miami Marlins. Mangum made a few more stops along the way but is now settled in as a starting corner outfielder for Pittsburgh with strong contact ability, plus speed and good defense.

It looks as if Mangum appears to be the upside scenario for Morabito, whose profile feels like that of a fourth outfielder if he doesn't improve at the plate. That skill set is a valuable one to have and could allow him to serve as a long-term replacement for Tyrone Taylor, who is set to become a free agent after this season. Morabito would be more of a consideration to help the Mets now if his bat was hotter for Syracuse, but it wouldn't be shocking to see him get a look if they suffer more outfield attrition in the near future.