With a memorable Wild Card Series in the books, the National League Division Series (NLDS) kicked off today.
In the first series, the New York Mets, coming off a thrilling series win against the Milwaukee Brewers, face the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets won Game 1, 6-2. In the second series, the San Diego Padres take on the top seeded Los Angeles Dodgers.
For the teams, while the playoffs are the number one priority, they also have to think about next year. All teams have their flaws, and their flaws can sink them at the most critical times. We saw it with the Brewers bullpen and we saw it with the Braves’ lacking depth in their lineup.
With that, the question becomes, how does the team address their biggest need? Where is the weak spot? Are there any players within the organization who could address issues that become prominent during postseason play? These prospects from each team will likely address some of their biggest concerns for now and next year.
NLDS: One Prospect Who Can Help Each Team in 2025
Mets: SS/OF Jett Williams (#52 Overall Prospect)
2024 (Three Teams): .215/.358/.656, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 RBI, 22 BB to 35 K, 5 SB
The Mets have several areas they need to address, not just from postseason play, but regular season play as well.
On the offensive side, the team was mediocre, sporting a .246/.319/.734 slash line, while hitting 207 home runs. Their pitching during the regular season had major control issues, issuing an NL-leading 586 walks, but did have 1,455 strikeouts.
Their pitching helped in the wild card, sporting a 1.192 WHIP and keeping walks down to two per nine innings. However, their offense barely hit over the Mendoza line and failed to reach the .300 OBP mark. While they squeaked by Milwaukee in three games, or a team that is running a Cinderella season, this is not a good way to win.
While it could be beneficial to put a pitcher here, most of their prospects have regressed. From a hitting perspective, Jett Williams might be the most optimal candidate to put here.
One thing that is obvious when looking at his stats is a sharp, notable regression from his breakout 2023 campaign. All of his metrics, from batting average to slugging to his strikeout-to-walk ratio fell.
There are two things to note here. First, Williams dealt with a wrist injury that began in April and sidelined him between June and August. Discomfort will impact a player’s swing, especially in the joints. Second, he’s 20 years old, so he has time to figure it out.
Do not let that distract you from the numbers he put up in 2023. Sporting a .876 OPS, along with an above-average eye, yielding 104 walks, and swiping 45 bases, Williams can achieve these numbers again. In fact, in six Triple-A games this year, he was hitting .364/.533/1.087 with half of his eight hits being doubles.
Given his versatility playing shortstop and going to the outfield, he can definitely see time as a fourth outfielder. That’s a good thing, given Starling Marte is approaching 35 and Harrison Bader is going to free agency.
Williams is a very good player, and his 2023 campaign shows that. If he can return to form in 2025 and put up similar numbers in Triple-A, a call-up to the major league roster is possible. He has the makings of an impact player, alongside fellow youngsters Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuna.
Phillies: RHP Andrew Painter (#32 Overall Prospect)
2024: Did Not Pitch (Tommy John Surgery)
2022 (Three Teams): 6-2; 103 2/3 IP, 1.56 ERA, 67 hits to 25 BB (0.887 WHIP), 5 HR, 155 K, .181 OBA
The Phillies had a lot of good things going for them in 2024. The offense was top five in the NL in almost every single major statistical category. Their pitching, although slightly lagging behind, still held their own, sporting a 3.85 ERA and 1.236 WHIP.
In July, however, their pitching ran into some trouble. That month saw the worst ERA (5.25), WHIP (1.354); lowest strikeout rate (211 K); and highest home run rate (39 HR). That also goes without saying that Taijuan Walker was awful this year, carrying an ugly 7.10 ERA and 1.721 WHIP.
Despite not pitching for the last two years, Andrew Painter still has a massive amount of talent that makes his potential limitless.
Unfortunately, Painter had to undergo Tommy John surgery in mid-2023, knocking out two years of his professional career. Even though he will be the young age of 22 when he pitches next year, we can only dream about what could have been.
Painter was on an extraordinary run in 2022, sporting an eye-popping 1.56 ERA, along with an exceptional 0.887 WHIP and 14.5 strikeout rate through nine innings. To make a comparison, Painter was on his way to be the Paul Skenes of the league before Skenes was drafted in 2023.
Painter’s control was exceptional that season, surrendering only 25 walks over 103 2/3 innings and giving up five home runs. He has a unique blend of control, placement, and making batters miss. What should be more interesting is that Painter is throwing again, touching 99 miles per hour with his fastball to live batters.
Painter will not start Opening Day in the big leagues, that is for certain. What we don’t know is how much the surgery has affected his grip and mechanics. If Painter starts and continues his torrid streak where he left off two years ago, Walker can forget about being in the rotation at that point.
Padres: OF Tirso Ornelas (#17 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Triple-A): .297/.367/.864, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 23 home runs, 89 RBI, 53 BB to 88 K, 7 SB
Minus Juan Soto, the Padres seem to be one of the more complete wild card teams from this year.
Their pitching was great this year, with the team in the top five of most major pitching categories. Soto trade consolation Michael King and former Chicago White Sox hurler Dylan Cease have been the clear one-two punch in this rotation. They have unfortunately lost Joe Musgrove for the playoffs and next year, but their depth might be able to withstand the blow.
Their hitting, while also good, needs a bit more pep. They led the NL in batting average and hits, along with the fewest number of strikeouts. However, they don’t walk that much and they seem to cash in for raw power rather than gap power.
If the team is looking for a mix of raw and gap power to help balance their offense, Tirso Ornelas is the best bet to provide for their wishes.
Ornelas signed with the Padres in 2017, when he was 17 years old. Since then, he has remained on a slow trek upward toward the majors, culminating in the best offensive season of his seven-year career.
In Triple-A, Ornelas had the highest batting average, most doubles, and most RBI recorded in his career. In addition, he eclipsed the 20-home run mark for the first time in his career.
What should be noted is how all of his seasons have been better than the previous one. There are no signs of regression and no major flaws that have been exposed. The only thing that is apparent is that his gap power has somewhat transferred over to raw power, but even then he can still hit for contact.
Ornelas is ready to come up to the big leagues. However, with Luis Arráez in the designated hitter spot, and the outfield occupied with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill, that might be hard. Nevertheless, it would be a waste not to take a chance on Ornelas.
Dodgers: RHP Jared Karros (#22 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Two Teams): 7-1, 67 2/3 IP, 2.79 ERA, 51 hits to 22 walks (1.079 WHIP), 4 HR, 74 K, .211 OBA
The Dodgers are the best team in all of baseball at the moment. Aside from just how the roster is composed, their stats on paper back it up.
On the offensive side, the Dodgers lead the NL in slugging, OPS, home runs, doubles, walks, and total bases. On the pitching side, when healthy, they have a top-three rotation. The two Achilles heels for the team, however, are not being able to stay healthy and giving up home runs. The team surrendered 198 home runs this year and walked 501 batters.
To address this major problem, in terms of home runs, Jared Karros offers the most ready solution for their pitching.
River Ryan is hurt, Tyler Glasnow is hurt, and Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch until next year. For the Dodgers, drastic times call for bold moves, and Karros would definitely be one.
Despite being a 16th-round pick in 2022, the right-hander has two things the pitching staff needs. First, he’s only surrendered 14 home runs in 151 1/3 innings as a starter, which would be only second to Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Second, he has a low total of 45 walks in two seasons. While this might not be a big deal, he easily beats James Paxton and Bobby Miller‘s walks-per-nine-innings rate. This, on top of the mountain of injuries and question marks surrounding Ohtani’s arm strength, Karros is a hidden gem.
Karros might be a long shot to come out of training camp on the Opening Day roster, but if the injuries continue, he’s a sleeper.
Photo Credit: © Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK
