Mets Can No Longer Ignore Obvious Truth About AJ Ewing

When ESPN's Kiley McDaniel announced his top-100 prospects for the 2026 MLB season, he ranked Mets outfielder AJ Ewing as his 28th overall prospect. The Mets' 2023 fourth-round selection had only played 28 games in Double-A and was viewed by most as a back-end top-100 name. On why he rated Ewing so high, McDaniel said:

His pull and lift numbers are almost all average to above for his age, suggesting an in-game power spike could be coming soon. His raw contact and pitch selection indicators are all above average to plus, so adding in the impact of his speed is how you get to his 2025 numbers of a .315 average and .401 on-base percentage.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel

Since arriving in the big leagues, Ewing has been one of the most productive center fielders in the Major Leagues. Following a monster game on Tuesday night at Citi Field, where he picked up four hits and his sixth homer of the year, he is now up to a .790 OPS on the season with four stolen bases. After being recently moved to the leadoff spot, the Mets clearly are incredibly confident in their rookie center fielder.

With the season out of hand and the losses piling up, player development and building for 2027 are now paramount for the Mets. If the Mets are to contend again in 2027 and rebound from their awful 2026 campaign, Ewing will be one of the main reasons.

Regardless of who their next manager is, there's a great case to be made that the Mets have found their next long-term answer at two key spots: up the middle in center and at the top of their lineup card.

AJ Ewing has put himself at the top of the Mets' lineup card and the center of their future plans

After a 4-for-4 night that included a walk for his fifth time on base, Ewing now has a slash line of .276/.359/.431 with six homers and stellar defense up the middle in center. The speedster was not expected to contribute to the 2026 Mets but has become one of their most important pieces already and is a clear building block for the future. On a team with abundant needs, he might be able to satisfy a few of their desires.

Ewing is firmly the Mets' leadoff hitter and center fielder of this next generation. As he continues to develop his pull-side power, the Mets might find themselves with a gold-glove defender in center field with 20/20 potential, something that is one of the rarest combinations in the sport. Even when the Mets had Brandon Nimmo patrolling center field during his prime, his glove was not as good as Ewing's, and he only achieved the 15-stolen base plateau once. Ewing has the chance to be the Mets' best center fielder since Carlos Beltran.

How the Mets roster takes shape in 2027 is still to be determined, but the odds are it will look vastly different than it does now. However, they have their leadoff hitter and center fielder figured out. The third area Ewing can slot is becoming the Mets' main threat on the base pads.

The 2025 team, despite its legendary epic failure down the playoff stretch, was one of the best teams in the league at stealing bases. Ewing stole 70 bases in the minor leagues last year and should see his stolen base totals rise as he gets more comfortable in the big leagues.

Ewing's promotion from Triple-A after just 12 games in Triple-A Syracuse was a surprise, but his production so far has been even more surprising. In a season full of disappointment, the Mets' speedster has quickly become their biggest bright spot.

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