Mets Announce Player Development Award Winners
On Friday morning, the Mets announced the recipients of their annual Player Development Awards, which are bestowed upon minor league players and staff members.
Nick Morabito. Photo by Steven Wojtowicz of Metsmerized
Outfielder Nick Morabito was named the organization’s Player of the Year. The 21-year-old slashed .312/.403/.398 across 119 games with Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn this season. Among full-season minor leaguers, he recorded the seventh-most stolen bases (59) and the 13th-best average among qualified players. Morabito was named the Florida State Player of the Year with St. Lucie in April and was a South Atlantic League Post-Season All-Star in Brooklyn. New York selected him No. 75 overall out of Gonzaga College High School in 2022.
Right-hander Brandon Sproat was named the Mets’ Pitcher of the Year. During his first professional season after being selected No. 56 overall out of the University of Florida in 2023, he posted a 3.40 ERA and 131 strikeouts over 24 games (23 starts) and 116 1/3 innings with Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. A near-consensus top-100 prospect, Sproat earned a trip to the All-Star Futures Game as the Mets’ lone representative this summer.
Outfielder Edward Lantigua was honored as the team’s DSL Player of the Year. He signed as an international free agent in January and hit .263/.397/.395 with one home run, 22 RBIs and nine stolen bases across 45 games. Lantigua also appeared in the DSL All-Star game.
On the other end, right-hander Jose Guevara was named the DSL Pitcher of the Year. He began his professional career with the Mets this season and finished with a 1.64 ERA and 52 punch-outs over 10 starts (44 innings). He was a member of the midseason DSL All-Star team.
Ches Goodman was named the organization’s Minor League Staff Member of the Year. He has spent seven years with the Mets, beginning as a clubhouse assistant in St. Lucie before becoming the Coordinator of Minor League Operations in January 2024.
Anthony Sambois was recognized as the DSL Staff Member of the Year. He is the Manager of Latin America Baseball Systems for New York and has helped introduce advanced analytics, data and player development tactics into the organization’s Dominican Academy and international scouting practices.
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