Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away.
“Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
In recent years, Mets officials have done well to reverse their reputation as an organization that struggles to develop relief pitchers. The recent emergences of José Buttó and Dedniel Núñez provided evidence to that end, while the Mets similarly jumpstarted the careers of relievers from outside the organization, like Reed Garrett and Danny Young.
In Lambert, they hope to take the express route toward developing another bullpen gem. During his college years, Lambert was exclusively a relief pitcher, averaging less than an inning per appearance. His fastball sat in the upper 90s at Oklahoma and ran as hot as 102 mph during a game against Wichita State. Lambert lives for that sort of thing.
“I’m an adrenaline guy,” he said before Sunday’s 5-1 Spring Breakout victory over a group of Nationals prospects. “I love big situations. I think that brings the best out of you when you feel really nervous. You harness that energy and you never know what can happen. So who knows what I’ll touch here in the future?”
Mets prospect Ryan Lambert once drank THIRTY raw eggs per day for a month as he worked to bulk up 🥚 @PSLtoFlushing @SteveGelbs @JimDuquetteGM pic.twitter.com/gpN0AhT1eo
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 16, 2025
Lambert’s actual performance in Spring Breakout showcased both his bigtime velocity -- he hit 97 mph on multiple occasions -- as well as his present-day flaws. In an admittedly small college sample size, Lambert walked 7.3 batters per nine innings. Big, hard-throwing pitchers like him can struggle to repeat their mechanics.
Since turning pro, Lambert has worked on fine-tuning his delivery, but he struggled Sunday in walking two batters, giving up three stolen bases and allowing one run.
“For him, it’s strikes,” Mets senior vice president of player development Andy Green said. “The heater really rides. It’s a unique pitch profile. He can spin it in the zone with a slider. It’s kind of a classic reliever, two-pitch mix that might turn into something a little bit more in time. But if he fills up the strike zone, his stuff is going to play.”
Mets prospect Ryan Lambert says that he threw a 102 MPH fastball last year at Oklahoma:
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 16, 2025
"I'm an adrenaline guy. I love big situations." pic.twitter.com/sIOetPzHDd
When teams draft college relievers, the first question tends to be how quickly they might arrive in the Majors. Such players tend to be older -- Lambert will turn 23 before this season ends -- and more physically mature than other draftees. They’re typically experienced against advanced competition and, because relievers don’t need robust pitch mixes to succeed at the highest level, they generally require less development time than starters.
Lambert checks all those boxes as a player who could reach the Majors soon -- perhaps even as soon as this season if everything goes right. Admittedly, Lambert sometimes allows his mind to wander to those places, though he understands how much work still stands between him and his debut.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about that stuff, but that’s where I just go one day at a time,” Lambert said. “I trust myself, and I trust the Mets, and I believe I’ll be up there sooner than later.”
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
Back to Tobacco Road
Jonathan Santucci, the organization’s 13th-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline) and their top left-handed pitching prospect, returned to campus last autumn after the Mets selected him in the second round of the 2024 Draft. Back at Duke, Santucci was in the same documentary studies class as basketball star Cooper Flagg. He’s now one class shy of having enough credits to graduate.
Many elite college prospects like Santucci, who are drafted after their junior seasons, never earn their degrees. Santucci, who is majoring in sociology with a certificate in markets and management, plans to take an online course to complete his.
“Growing up, academics were just as important as baseball,” Santucci said. “I feel like I always worked just as hard in school as I did in sports, so I think that’s really important to finish that off -- the icing on the cake.”
Santucci threw a scoreless inning in Spring Breakout.
Muscling up
Another 2024 Mets draftee, 23rd-ranked prospect Eli Serrano III, packed 15 pounds of muscle onto his 6-foot-5 frame this winter, learning nutrition and weight training techniques at a team-sponsored strength camp. He’s up to around 210 pounds, which club officials believe will help him survive the grind of professional baseball.
“It’s almost another job, I’d say, just getting stronger,” Serrano said. “You’ve got to play baseball, but you’ve got to be able to go out there and be able to play 140 games every year, so you’ve got to be strong enough to do that.”
Drafted as a center fielder, Serrano is likely to end up in a corner, where his increased bulk would not be a hindrance. He started in left field in Spring Breakout.
My name is Jonah
Jonah Tong’s reward for a breakout 2024 season was a Spring Breakout start. The lanky right-hander, who has drawn Tim Lincecum comps, struck out three over two scoreless innings, hitting 97 mph on the stadium radar gun.
Last year, Tong jumped multiple Minor League levels from Single-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton, going from unranked on MLB Pipeline to No. 6 on this year’s Mets list.
“Probably not how I originally imagined,” Tong said of his 2024 season, which included a 3.03 ERA across three levels. “I spent a lot of time in a lot of different places, but I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
More than a feeling
The early offensive star of Spring Breakout was Boston Baro, the Mets’ 14th-ranked prospect, who hit a left-on-left, opposite-field homer off Nationals starter Alex Clemmey.
Not to be outdone was fourth-ranked Ryan Clifford, who added a deep homer more than halfway up the batter’s eye in straightaway center. On the social media site X, the Mets’ official player development account estimated the home-run distance at 449 feet.
Senior Reporter Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007.
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between
Prospect Peña quietly drawing raves in Brewers' farm system
PHOENIX – Jesús Made was at the top of the Brewers’ lineup for Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Reds in the finale of MLB’s four-day Spring Breakout, a fitting perch when you consider that the 17-year-old infielder is under a bright spotlight as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect. Made could
Brecht -- in 1st outing since '24 Draft -- wows at Spring Breakout
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sunday's Spring Breakout showcase was the perfect unveiling for Rockies No. 5 prospect Brody Brecht. A right-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa whom the Rockies selected 38th overall last summer, Brecht had a nice collegiate resume, an interesting backstory as a former wide receiver for the
Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
Yanks' Lagrange flashes triple-digit heat in Spring Breakout
SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and
Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring
'Hungry' Alcántara hoping to pounce on big league prey in '25
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry. So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice. “His
Rainiers broadcaster Pay talks historic role on MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Prospect Santos 'electric' in Spring Breakout start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch. In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more
Switch-pitcher Cijntje deals from both sides in Spring Breakout
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Jurrangelo Cijntje knew who’d be waiting for him in the batter’s box when he emerged from the visiting bullpen on Friday evening. The Mariners’ switch-pitcher had seen Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana recently at a card-signing event, to which they each joked, “I’m going to see you soon,”
Fans in this Minor League town are hungry for ... the Spicy Meatballs?!?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.
Caglianone swaps jerseys with old friend at Spring Breakout
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When Royals top prospect and MLB’s No. 22 prospect Jac Caglianone stepped to the plate in the seventh inning Friday night, he saw the D-backs' outfielders take a step back. Well, maybe a few steps back. Arizona pitcher Philip Abner, watching from the dugout, thought that was
Cards' young fireballer draws ... Kershaw comps?

JUPITER, Fla. -- Dating back to the first time Cardinals roving instructor Ryan Ludwick saw left-hander Quinn Mathews flash his fiery competitiveness and overpowering stuff in a 2024 live batting practice session, one very favorable comparison kept coming to mind. Clayton Kershaw -- a career 212-game winner, two-time World Series
De Vries, Salas show why they're top prospects at Spring Breakout
PEORIA, Ariz. -- It's been precisely one year since the Padres traded for Dylan Cease. Nearly two months later, they landed Luis Arraez. At the ensuing Trade Deadline, they made two major moves to bolster their bullpen. Naturally, those deals depleted the upper levels of their farm system. Still, the