2024 MLB Prospect Profile: Mets SS Jett Williams

One prospect that received a lot of attention last year was Jett Williams. A former first-round pick of the Mets in 2022, Williams showed a flash in his first full season in the pros. Heading into the 2024 season, here’s our scouting report of Mets infielder Jett Williams, including a look at some of his standout tools.

Scouting Report

I got a chance to watch Mets prospect Jett Williams on two occasions in August 2023, when the infielder was a member of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

He’s not a physical specimen, as Williams stands at just 5’6”. But right away, it’s blatantly obvious why the Mets made Williams a first-round pick in June 2022.

Williams flashed several loud tools with the Cyclones. Among those tools was a strong eye at the plate, as Williams doesn’t chase often.

That doesn’t come to much of a shock when looking at Williams’ stat line from 2023. The 20-year-old walked 104 times in 121 games between Low-A, High-A, and Double-A last season. But up close, Williams didn’t budge at the plate much with pitches out of the zone, whether it was a fastball up or breaking ball away.

Aside from his well-above-average eye, Williams has a ton of bat speed in his profile. His bat speed and swing are sound and that was evident on August 20 when Williams — who did get beat on a couple of fastballs in the game — cracked a leadoff home run off a low 90s fastball over the plate from Yankees prospect Brandon Beck.

By the way, make sure to watch that at-bat and look at Williams’ lower half. See how he drops his leg kick right after Beck released the ball.

He’s got good control of the bat, holds it close to his shoulders, and should project to be an above-average hitter.

Defensively, Williams has the speed and range to play short. The Mets had Williams play short for much of 2023 but he also played at center field. Williams’ speed should play at the position.

Now, let’s move on to the grades portion of our scouting report of Mets infielder Jett Williams.

Grades

Here are our future grades for Jett Williams:

Hit: 60
Power: 50
Speed: 55
Field: 55
Eye: 60

Yes, there’s All-Star potential with someone like Williams. The 20-year-old has the chance to be a five-tool player, either as an infielder or outfielder.

Now physically, one could see a strong resemblance to Jose Altuve. I don’t think the bat will be quite good, but Williams looks very much like a top-of-the-order hitter who can get on base, hit 15-20 home runs annually, and affect the game with his speed.

It’ll be interesting, though, where the Mets choose to park him in the field. The Mets do have Francisco Lindor at short for the long haul, plus Jeff McNeil and Ronny Mauricio as middle infield options.

Williams’ tools do give him a fair chance to move around the infield or even play center next to Brandon Nimmo.

ETA

The Mets have a lot of high-end bats in their farm system. Yet, Williams’ upside and tools — at least in my opinion — put him ahead of Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuna, and Ronny Mauricio in the Mets farm system. Quite frankly, Williams heads into 2024 as the Mets’ top prospect.

Williams only has a handful of games under his belt at the Double-A level. Given that, Williams likely won’t be a factor at the MLB level until 2025. But, a strong 2024 could give Williams a chance to make his debut late this year.

If he does, he’ll join a team that’s already got some young talent, including corner infielders Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.