Where These Mets Rank on Baseball Prospectus’ Top 101 Prospects List

The New York Mets had a whopping seven players rank inside Baseball Prospectus' Top 101 prospect list, headlined by Nolan McLean and Carson Benge both cracking the Top 10.

Sep 8, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The accolades for the New York Mets' strong farm system continue to roll in. Even after a trade deadline where David Stearns bought multiple players and a big offseason deal for Freddy Peralta, the Mets' minor league operation has received a ton of praise for its ability to develop talent.

Read More: Where Mets' Prospects Rank on The Athletic's Top 100 List

The latest publication to offer their assessment on the top prospects in baseball is Baseball Prospectus, which released its list of the Top 101 prospects in the game on Wednesday. The Mets were very well represented on the list, with seven players within the Top 96.

The @Mets have SEVEN players in the @baseballpro 2026 Top 101 prospects 7️⃣

📰👉https://t.co/yapMc1wuTP pic.twitter.com/ognLZxpqEU

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) February 4, 2026

The high water mark is the fact that the Mets have two players ranked inside the Top 10 of the sport: right-hander Nolan McLean at No. 4 and outfielder Carson Benge at No. 10. McLean is expected to be a key part of the Mets' Opening Day rotation while Benge has an opportunity to make the team out of camp.

Introducing the BP Top 101! pic.twitter.com/AfwjZFttwD

— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) February 4, 2026

In addition to the seven Mets who made the list, both players the Mets sent to Milwaukee in the Peralta trade are on Baseball Prospectus' board with Jett Williams at No. 41 and Brandon Sproat at No. 76. In essence, the Mets would have had nine players on this list if they didn't pull off that deal, which would have made them one of the most-represented teams by the outlet.

The Mets have a whopping 7 prospects on BP's Top 101:

4. Nolan McLean
10. Carson Benge
23. Jonah Tong
38. A.J. Ewing
70. Jacob Reimer
86. Ryan Clifford
96. Will Watson

Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat are also on the list. https://t.co/rgPGKx1sl7

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) February 4, 2026

While the top four on the list from Baseball Prospectus have appeared on other ranking lists, the bottom three players are interesting additions. Third baseman Jacob Reimer, first baseman Ryan Clifford and RHP Will Watson have drawn buzz from people who keep a close eye on the Mets' farm system, but this is the first time a national list has given them significant recognition.

How The Mets' Deep Farm System Can Help Them Moving Forward

It is very notable that the Mets have shied away from handing out long-term deals this winter, with the most guaranteed years for any new pickup being three from Bo Bichette's free agent contract and adding the remaining years of Marcus Semien's deal with Texas. The Mets have a massive luxury tax bill now and will likely do so next year as well, but if the team can infuse its core with some of this young talent it could pay huge dividends later on.

There is a chance the 2028 Mets could have homegrown players at catcher (Francisco Alvarez), first base (Clifford), third base (Reimer or Brett Baty), left field (Benge) and center field (A.J. Ewing). The rotation could also feature both McLean and Tong along with the likes of Watson, Christian Scott, Jack Wenninger or Jonathan Santucci, giving the organization an influx of talented young players making league minimum salaries to reset the team's luxury tax penalties.

It remains unclear what impact the new CBA could have on luxury tax penalties, but the Mets have been suffering some draft-related complications from their high payrolls with their top draft pick dropping 10 spots every year as well as losing the money from their bonus pool associated with that dip. The current system allows teams to reset their penalties by going under the threshold one time, which is something the Mets could be positioned to do within two years.

Having a farm system that continually produces talent that is recognized around the game also offers benefits besides finances. This includes the ability to build a sustainable winner, which is something the Mets really haven't done besides a stretch in the 1980's where they would have made the postseason every year from 1984-1990 if the Wild Card existed then.

These top prospects also can serve as currency for trades, which is why the Mets were able to deal two consensus Top 100 prospects for Peralta and barely impact their farm system's overall reputation. The more top young players the Mets can develop means more possible routes for Stearns to pursue to improve his major league club in the future, which can only be a good thing.

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