Similar to Jett Williams yesterday, we just missed having this article at its peak relevance. Drew Gilbert was reassigned to minor league camp in the first round of cuts yesterday, and this makes sense! Gilbert was here as a top prospect with basically no path to break camp with the team this year. This was more of an opportunity to work with the major league players for the first few weeks of spring and get some at bats before the starters go deeper into games.
The Mets acquired Drew Gilbert with Ryan Clifford at the trade deadline this past July for Justin Verlander. Gilbert was drafted out of Tennessee by the Astros in 2022. In three collegiate seasons he hit .314/.400/.534. He played in 11 games across two levels after getting drafted and continued to hit the ball well hitting .313/.405/.531. Gilbert started 2023 in advanced ball and did the same thing – hit the cover off the baseball. Over 21 games he hit .361/.421/.686. Things came back down to Earth a bit when he got promoted to AA ball and had a .713 OPS over 60 games before being traded to the Mets.
Gilbert then became a key player for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies as they made a playoff run. Over 35 games in the Mets organization he hit .325/.423/.561 racking up hits and flashing a bit of power. He plays with a ton of energy. A widely reported scouting report this spring called him “Lenny Dykstra with power”. It’s been a while since the Mets have had a an intense player like Gilbert on the field.
Even though Gilbert won’t break with team this year, there is still a chance that he sees some playing time by the end of the season, especially if the Mets find themselves trading outfielders at the deadline. Baseball prospect ranking guides have started to take notice of Gilbert before the start of this season:
- Baseball America #91
- MLB.com #53
- Baseball Prospectus #29
Sooner or later the Mets are going to see Gilbert in Queens and I cannot wait!
