Mets' A.J. Ewing discusses rising up prospects list, how he's working to improve on defense

Fresh off his promotion from Double-A to Triple-A at the end of April, Mets prospect A.J. Ewing has seen a big jump in the rankings from No. 83 back in January up to No. 37 in Baseball America's most recent Top 100 prospects list released on May 6.

As the 21-year-old's rise through the system continues, he's working on sticking to the basics and taking things day-by-day.

"I think it's impossible not to find out about that and see that stuff," Ewing told NJ.com's Max Goodman on an episode of Speaking of the Mets. "At the end of the day, no matter where you're at, you just got to show up and play the same game that you've been playing all these years."

Ewing tore the cover off of the ball in Binghamton, hitting .349 over 18 games in 2026, and hasn't missed a beat so far in Syracuse. The former fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft is currently hitting .393 through eight games at the Triple-A level and said his self confidence has helped him continue to play well.

"Just staying with myself and just having confidence that what I'm doing in the box is going to work and that I'm capable," Ewing said. "Always believing in yourself. I think that confidence in the box and confidence in the field just goes a lot more of a way than people might think."

One of the traits that makes Ewing an enticing prospect is his ability to steal bases with ease. Last season over 124 minor league games across three levels, Ewing stole a total of 70 bases and was thrown out just 11 times. He's already swiped 16 bases in 2026 over 24 games and explained why he enjoys using his speed to his advantage.