Mets Top 50 Prospects for 2026: 20-16 Features High-Upside Bullpen Arms

To kick off our rankings of the Top 50 Mets prospects for 2026, we first took a look at a few arms who could potentially help the Mets this season in the 50-46 range, and then the 45-41 group was heavily mostly on young talent from the Dominican Summer League. The 40-36 contingent highlighted right-handed pitchers as well as some versatile bats. The 35-31 group was dominated by right-handed pitching prospects, the 30-26 cluster was a combination of right-handers and young catchers and the 25-21 category had a mixture of young arms and position players.

No. 20: Dylan Ross, RHP

B/T: R/R Age: 25 (09/01/2000)
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 251 lbs
Acquired: 13th round, 2022 Draft
Position: RHP
2025 Stats (High-A Brooklyn/AA Binghamton/AAA Syracuse): 49 G, 54 IP, 2.17 ERA, 1.148 WHIP, 2-0, 80 K, 33 BB
ETA: 2026

Player Profile

After spending his collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky, Northwest Florida State and Georgia, the Mets selected Ross in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

The right-handed reliever did not make his professional debut until 2024, pitching in a single game for Low-A St. Lucie that year, after undergoing two separate UCL surgeries.

After a rough go of it in the Arizona Fall League in 2o24, posting a 17.47 ERA in six appearances totaling 5 2/3 innings, Ross broke out in 2025 to the tune of a 2.17 ERA with 80 strikeouts across a combined 49 appearances and 54 frames between High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.

Ross’ contract was selected by the Mets during the final series of the regular season last September against the Miami Marlins, though he never got into a game and thus has yet to make his major league debut.

The  25-year-old’s arsenal features a four-seam fastball that can reach above 100 mph but generally sits in the mid-to-upper 90s. Additionally, Ross utilizes a splitter and slider, which are typically thrown as out pitches against lefties and righties, respectively, while mixing in a curveball on occasion.

Standout Stat

While Ross misses plenty of bats, his command is an area of concern, as he walked 5.5 hitters per nine in 2025.

No. 19: Boston Baro, INF

B/T: L/R  Age: 21 (08/23/04)
Height: 6’0″, Weight: 170 lbs
Acquired: 8th round, 2023 Draft
Position: INF
2025 Stats (High-A Brooklyn): .224/.282/.321/.602, 88 H, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 28 SB
ETA: 2028

Player Profile

The Mets were able to convince Baro to forego his commitment to UCLA after selecting him in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft as a high schooler with a $700,000 signing bonus.

The left-handed hitting infielder appeared in seven Florida Complex League games in 2023, posting an .879 OPS across 24 plate appearances, before slashing .278/.358/.390 with four home runs in a combined 95 games between Brooklyn and St. Lucie in 2024.

Baro took a step back at the plate last season, however, batting .224/.282/.321 with four homers and 38 RBIs over 433 plate appearances while remaining with Brooklyn for the entire year.

The 21-year-old was just placed on the 60-day injured list, meaning he’s slated to miss a good chunk of time to begin the 2026 minor league campaign.

With some positional versatility on the infield coupled with upside both defensively and on the base paths, however, Baro is a name worth monitoring moving forward.

Standout Stat

After stealing just nine bases in 2024, Baro more than tripled that total in 2025 by swiping 28 bags.

No. 18: Ryan Lambert, RHP

B/T: R/R Age: 23 (09/02/2002)
Height: 6’3″, Weight: 222 lbs
Acquired: 8th round, 2024 Draft
Position: RHP
2025 Stats (Brooklyn/Binghamton): 46 G, 50 IP, 1.62 ERA, 1.160 WHIP, 2-1, 81 K, 27 BB
ETA: 2026

Player Profile

After spending the final season of his collegiate career at Oklahoma, the Mets chose Lambert in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

He turned in two scoreless outings in his first taste of pro ball that same year for Brooklyn before putting together an incredibly impressive 2025 season, recording a 1.62 ERA in 46 outings and 50 innings with 81 strikeouts between Binghamton and Brooklyn.

Lambert’s four-seam fastball, which sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and can touch 100 mph with plenty of spin, is his bread-and-butter. The 23-year-old also has a slider that sits in the mid-to-high 80s and is a strong secondary offering.

The right-hander was reassigned to minor league camp on March 15, but he did not give up an earned run in three Grapefruit League appearances this year.

Standout Stat

Lambert’s 14.6 strikeouts per nine last year was otherworldly, but his 4.9 walks per nine was a bit concerning.

No. 17: Randy Guzman, OF/1B

B/T: R/R Age: 20 (04/19/2005)
Height: 6’4″, Weight: 215 lbs
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent in 2022
Position: OF/1B
2025 Stats (FCL/St. Lucie): .302/.375/.524/.898, 76 H, 10 HR, 57 RBI, 2 SB
ETA: 2028

Player Profile

The Mets signed Guzman for just $10,000 as an international free agent in September 2022.

He struggled over his first two years in the Dominican Summer League, posting an OPS of .627 over 46 games in 2023 and .691 across 21 contests in 2024, but he broke out in 2025.

In 75 games and 283 plate appearances, the 20-year-old slashed .302/.375/.524 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs.

Guzman’s raw power is his standout trait, which makes him such a tantalizing prospect, though his chase rate of 41.58 percent at St. Lucie was too high for comfort.

Standout Stat

Per MLB Pipeline, Guzman’s 90th-percentile exit velocity of 108.5 mph at St. Lucie in 2025 was higher than No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin‘s mark of 107.7 mph in the same league.

No. 16: Zach Thornton, LHP

B/T: L/L Age: 24 (01/17/2002)
Height: 6’3″, Weight: 170 lbs
Acquired: 5th round, 2023 draft
Position: LHP
2025 Stats (Brooklyn/Binghamton):
ETA: 14 G (14 starts), 72 2/3 IP, 1.98 ERA, 0.812 WHIP, 6-2, 78 K, 11 BB

Player Profile

A fifth-round pick out of Grand Canyon in the 2023 MLB Draft, Thornton is yet another promising arm to watch in a system chock-full of them.

After posting a 4.10 ERA over 20 outings (12 starts) and 68 innings between St. Lucie and Brooklyn in 2024, Thornton logged a 1.98 ERA in 72 2/3 frames with 78 strikeouts between Brooklyn and Binghamton last season before suffering an oblique injury in June.

The left-hander has produced positive results in his pair of Grapefruit League appearances this spring as well, putting up a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings.

Thornton’s fastball typically sits in the low-90s, and his slider is often regarded as his best offering. The 24-year-old’s arsenal also features a curveball, cutter and changeup, and he’s shown impressive command across the board.

Standout Stat

Thornton’s 1.36 walks per nine in 2025 was the lowest mark among Mets minor leaguers who threw at least 10 innings.

Previous rankings: 50-46, 45-41, 40-36, 35-31, 30-26, 25-21

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