3 Underrated Mets Prospects Fans Should Become Familiar With Before the Season Ends

Who's flying under the radar this season?

Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns could give one of these prospects an opportunity soon. That's why fans should brush up on what they need to know about them. | IMAGO / NurPhoto

The Mets have been bullish on their minor league rosters over the past few years. Their farm system was headlined by promising young talents such as Carson Benge and Nolan McLean. With Benge and McLean graduating to prospect status, along with A.J. Ewing, the Mets' farm system has been left feeling almost barren.

The results speak for themselves. Mets minor league teams have taken a major step back this season. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Brooklyn Cyclones, each of whom won a league title last season, are among the worst teams in their respective leagues this year. Arguably the Mets' No. 1 overall prospect, Jonah Tong, is sporting an ERA north of 5.50 well past the halfway point of the Triple-A season, leaving much to be desired.

The top-level talent may not be there right now, but the Mets' farm system is still littered with prospects whose futures are filled with potential. Some of them, like lefty pitcher Zac Thornton, have made themselves known by reaching the major leagues and having success. Others are still flying under the radar.

The Mets are expecting to add significantly to their farm system ahead of the trade deadline, which will only continue to shift focus away from the lesser-known prospects in the system. Before they begin their overhaul, there are three Mets prospects all fans should familiarize themselves with before the end of the season.

3. Daviel Hurtado, LHP

Daviel Hurtado is a 21-year-old, undersized lefty who joined the Mets in their 2023 international signing class. He struggled in his first taste of professional ball in 2024, earning a 6.32 ERA in eight starts in the Florida Complex League, but he settled down nicely in 2025 with a 2.06 ERA in 18 appearances across rookie ball and Low-A.

Hurtado has carried 2025's success into 2026. In 14 appearances between Low-A and High-A, he owns a 2.33 ERA. In just his tenure with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, he has a 1.80 ERA in 10 appearances.

Daviel Hurtado 📈

The Mets LHP is a helium name to know in their system after posting a 27.4% K rate to a 4.2% walk rate in June.

🎥 @MetsPlayerDev
pic.twitter.com/4dy7hYZSCQ

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 2, 2026

Perhaps Hurtado's greatest strength is his control of the strike zone. He owns a 0.833 WHIP on the year, and just a 0.756 WHIP with Brooklyn. He pounds the zone with a mid-90s fastball and generates whiffs and weak contact with an above-average slider and curveball. Because of these traits and his dominance on the mound the past two years, Hurtado bears watching as a pitcher that could fly through the system quickly.

2. Chris Suero, C

When Mets fans think of their prospects at catcher, Kevin Parada is the name most would think of first. Parada, despite experiencing some success in Triple-A this season, has not lived up to his potential at all as a former first-round pick. Chris Suero, on the other hand, has exceeded many of the expectations placed on him when he signed with the Mets for just $10,000 in 2022.

Suero is a catcher who dabbles at first base and in left field. Despite playing more of the unathletic positions on the diamond, Suero has great speed and is an adept base stealer. He stole 20 bases in 2024 before snagging 35 last year. He's already up to 24 this season in Double-A.

Chris Suero's speed could eventually provide the Mets' lineup with quite a boost. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arguably, his biggest weakness is his hitting ability. Suero is hitting under the Mendoza Line in 2026, and he has a career average in the .220s. He makes up for his lack of hitting skills, however, with great on-base skills and power. He has an on-base percentage hovering around .350 and a slugging percentage just south of .400 this season, both numbers on par with his career numbers.

Suero is relatively new to the catcher position, but he has a powerful arm that leads to decent pop times. If he develops his defense, that will determine his ceiling. For now, his offense and speed have him in a good position.

1. Ryan Lambert, RHP

Ryan Lambert, known as a flamethrower who can touch 100 mph with his fastball, burst onto the scene in 2025 with a 1.62 ERA in 46 games between High-A and Double-A. Coming into 2026, he was seen as a dark horse option to make the Mets bullpen out of spring training. Instead, he has spent the season at Triple-A, where he has struggled mightily with a 6.35 ERA.

That has certainly lowered his stock, and he's probably escaped the minds of the many Mets fans who gawked over him in February and March. Nevertheless, his poor ERA doesn't tell the whole story.

Ryan Lambert with some gross stuff in today's @Mets win 💪

He threw the 13 hardest pitches of today's game, including multiple 99mph fastballs 🔥@RyanLambert28 | #LGM pic.twitter.com/B6lVKj2oDb

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) February 23, 2026

Before going on the injured list on July 11, Lambert had walked 23 batters in just 22 2/3 innings this season, an unsustainably high rate. He has landed on the injured list multiple times, so that could certainly explain his wildness. He has still generated a ton of strikeouts, striking out 11.9 per nine innings this year, which is actually below his career average.

If Lambert can get healthy and keep the wildness somewhat in check, he can easily revert to a sub-2.00 ERA flamethrowing reliever, the kind no batter wants to stand in the batter's box against. His path to the major leagues isn't as blocked as it may seem, but his health is of the utmost importance.