MLB Pipeline points to Mets farm’s Statcast standouts as Benge and Ewing settle in

The Mets have started to get some immediate value from their top prospects, with Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing making the jump to the majors. But the organization’s developmental story is not pausing there. In an MLB Pipeline breakdown of Minor League Statcast standouts this season, the focus shifts to players back in the Minors who are turning raw performance into measurable, repeatable quality of contact.

MLB Pipeline’s central theme is that Statcast data can clarify what a basic batting line sometimes disguises. Using publicly available tracking data from Single-A St. Lucie and Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets’ pipeline is shown producing players whose batted-ball profiles are drawing attention, even as the franchise’s top names adjust to life at the next level.

One of the most eye-catching examples in the report is Randy Guzman, a 21-year-old right-handed hitter listed as a first base/outfield option. In Single-A Florida State League play, Guzman’s season includes nine home runs and a.826 OPS, but the deeper intrigue comes from his power metrics. MLB Pipeline writes that he has recorded the hardest-hit ball in the Florida State League this year, a 117.6 mph homer on May 16, and that he is the only hitter in the circuit with multiple exit velocities above 115 mph.

Guzman’s average exit velocity is also presented as an indicator of underlying power rather than isolated bursts. MLB Pipeline reports that his 2026 average exit velocity sits at 91.1 mph, tied for 11th-best in the Florida State League, with a minimum of 50 batted balls tracked. That kind of output matters because it points to more than one “lucky” or “big” game, it suggests the bat is consistently generating impact energy at the level.

The report also frames Guzman’s hit tool as a work in progress. While it highlights the power data, MLB Pipeline notes that his overall offensive profile still includes questions, including struggles against a portion of pitching. That balance is a reminder that power, even when measured at elite levels, still has to pair with decision-making and pitch recognition for a bat to translate cleanly as competition rises.

In addition to Single-A standouts, the Mets’ system is also generating analytical interest at Triple-A. MLB Pipeline’s review ties its broader “Statcast standout” theme to Syracuse, where additional prospects are being tracked through the same lens of exit velocity and other batted-ball indicators. The piece emphasizes that these kinds of trends can help the Mets project who might be ready to climb quickly, or who may require more refinement before joining the major-league core.

For Mets fans and the club’s player development staff, the immediate takeaway is not simply that prospects are hitting well. It is that the organization is seeing supporting evidence in the form of consistent contact quality across multiple levels, even after top names have been promoted. That matters because it reduces the gap risk that can occur when a farm system’s top talent is temporarily removed from the Minors.

The next watch point is whether these Statcast profiles hold as the calendar moves deeper into the season. Power metrics can fluctuate with approach and health, but sustained exit-velocity and hard-hit rates over hundreds of batted balls are often a more reliable marker than short-term results. If the Mets’ other mentioned prospects at Single-A and Triple-A continue to show the same kind of quality contact, the organization’s major-league depth could keep improving long after Benge and Ewing have taken the spotlight.

Key metrics like hardest-hit balls and average exit velocity are now part of how MLB Pipeline and teams interpret prospect readiness. In the Mets’ case, this season’s analytical findings offer a clear message: the pipeline is producing not only players who can produce runs, but players whose contact profiles suggest they can do it in ways that tend to travel as competition gets better.