Mets prospect A.J. Ewing, 21, is a standout speedster with elite sprint speed and a rapid rise to Triple-A. He is now ranked as the 37th-best prospect in baseball after starting the season at Single-A.
Key points
A.J. Ewing is a 21-year-old Mets prospect known for elite sprint speed.
He ranked 37th among all baseball prospects in the latest rankings.
Ewing moved from Single-A to Triple-A in just 13 months.
He had one of the highest stolen base totals in Minor League Baseball.
Nate Irving is his hitting coach in Triple-A.
Mentioned in this story
MetsA.J. Ewing
Nate Irving
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Speed is the operative word for Mets prospect A.J. Ewing.
Not only does the 21-year-old have elite sprint speed — only four other players had more stolen bases than Ewing in Minor League Baseball last year — but he continues to be one of the fastest-rising prospects in the sport.
Last April, Ewing was starting his second full season in the Mets’ system, suiting up for Single-A St. Lucie. In 13 months since then, Ewing has surged up to Triple-A, raking at every level along the way. The same player who was listed as the No. 24 prospect in the Mets’ system in Baseball America’s 2025 preseason rankings is now the 37th-best prospect in all of baseball in BA’s latest top-100 big board.
While Ewing’s surroundings have changed regularly in that span, the work behind the scenes has stayed the same. Just ask Nate Irving, New York’s Triple-A hitting coach who also spent time working with Ewing during his stint in Double-A Binghamton last summer.
“One of the things I love most about A.J., is that he’s the same exact person from last year to this year,” Irving told NJ.com this week. “He goes about his business the same way. He has intent with everything he does. He competes even when he’s not on the field. He has a really advanced level of feel and self-awareness for his age. That doesn’t come around too often.”
Ewing, who plays outfield and second base, isn’t a finished product, but with the way he’s been swinging the bat, this prospect is looking more and more like a player destined to be a big leaguer soon.
Entering play on Thursday, Ewing was slashing .323/.414/.448 in 150 games since the beginning of last season, with 86 stolen bases and 111 runs. Factoring in his walk-off base hit on Thursday night in Syracuse, Ewing is hitting .354 with a .997 OPS and 16 steals and 24 runs scored in 27 games so far this season.
“A.J. has an incredible tool set that he knows how to deploy pretty consistently,” Irving said. “He’s able to get on base. He can run. The tools are there for him to be a very valuable player right now.”
Here’s more on Ewing, along with notes on slugging first baseman Ryan Clifford and speedy outfielder Nick Morabito — the other two highly-ranked position player prospects in Triple-A Syracuse — from NJ.com’s conversation with Irving:
Q&A
What is A.J. Ewing's current ranking among MLB prospects?
A.J. Ewing is currently ranked as the 37th-best prospect in all of baseball.
How did A.J. Ewing's performance change from Single-A to Triple-A?
Ewing surged from Single-A to Triple-A, performing well at every level in just 13 months.
What notable achievement does A.J. Ewing have in Minor League Baseball?
Ewing had one of the highest stolen base totals in Minor League Baseball last year, with only four players having more.
Who is A.J. Ewing's hitting coach in Triple-A?
Nate Irving is the hitting coach for New York's Triple-A team and has worked with Ewing during his time in Double-A.
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What you need to know: Ewing prides himself on being a tough out from the left side of the plate. He can grind out at-bats, make pitchers work and spray line drives to all fields, wreaking havoc with his legs once he gets on base. While lifting the ball and sprinkling in more power to his offensive profile would make him more of a candidate to carve out playing time at the next level, Ewing is focused on refining what he does well. He believes that the power numbers will be there with time as he matures as a hitter and gets stronger.
Irving: “He knows that he wants to be able to drive the ball, get the ball in the air, things of that nature, but a lot of that comes with physical maturity as well. I think as he continues to grow, as he continues to get stronger, things of a more physical nature, he’ll be able to do that with ease, as long as we don’t lose what he does really, really well right now. So it’s more about allowing him to grow and allowing him to mature in a way that’s more natural, and not trying to push the issue too quickly, because what he does now can bring an immense amount of value to whatever team he’s on. And over time, he’ll learn the ins and outs of the game, the matchups, the situations in which he can tap into the strength that he does have.”
What you need to know: Clifford swatted his sixth home run of the Triple-A season on Wednesday in Syracuse, a 112.6-mph missile that traveled 404 feet. The lefty-swinging first baseman has slugged all six of those homers in his last 17 games. Still, Clifford has the highest strikeout rate (37.3%) of his career this season and his walk rate is down (10.4%).
Irving pointed out that Clifford has “come a long way” offensively from where he was early on last year in Binghamton. Tapping into his strengths at the plate while adjusting to the way pitchers can attack his weaknesses is the next challenge, Irving explained. As Clifford makes strides in that part of his game, he’ll build a solid foundation to where he can set himself up for success whenever he does get to the big leagues.
Irving: “I think we all see [the power]. It’s impressive. There are a lot of times behind the scenes where he’s taking swings at 50%, and I’m like, ‘I didn’t realize people could hit it that hard at 50%!’ Something for him too has been understanding and realizing over the last year and a half that he doesn’t really have to try to hit the ball that hard, especially with the velo and the shapes and the movement of pitches in today’s game. Accuracy with his barrel and being able to make contact consistently only amplifies his ability to hit the ball hard, so his ability to understand and be more consistent with the intent level and the effort level, so that he can tap into his power by making more contact [is key]. He’s come such a long way in that and I’m super proud of him. I’m really excited to see where he can go this year with it.”
Nick Morabito, OF
Age: 23
Size: 5-10, 185
Acquired: 2022 MLB Draft, second round (75th overall) out of Gonzaga College HS (Washington, DC)
What you need to know: Morabito spent all of last year in Double-A Binghamton, slashing .273/.348/.385 with 49 steals over 118 games. He was added to the Mets’ 40-man roster this past offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Like Ewing, speed is a pivotal piece of Morabito’s game.
Irving spoke about how he worked with Reds star Elly De La Cruz when he was coaching in Cincinnati’s system — for Ewing and Morabito, it’s a similar situation where a walk and a single can turn into a triple in only a few additional pitches. In that sense, “damage” doesn’t always need to equate to hitting the ball out of the ballpark. Irving is also pleased with the way that Morabito has developed on the tactical side of hitting, maturing in his understanding of strategy, matchups, strengths and everything in between. The tactical side is where prospects can “really separate themselves,” Irving said.
Irving: “In the case of Morabito, he’s done an amazing job over the course of last off season into spring training and now into the season of finding small ways to improve his offensive production and finding ways to be able to focus on the right things, deploy them at the right time, and be able to kind of take that next step in his ability to not only get on base and hit for average, but also hit for a little bit more power. And so he’s kind of coming into his own in that light as well, being able to understand what his strengths are, what his newfound strengths are — the new clubs that he has in his bag, so to say — and knowing when to use them and how to execute them the right way."
