Kevin Parada, Alex Ramirez highlight Mets' spring training invitees
Kevin Parada wears his new team's hat after being selected by the Mets with the 11th pick of the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17 in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
Top prospects Kevin Parada and Alex Ramirez highlighted a new batch of 15 players, announced by the Mets on Thursday night, invited to major-league spring training.
Parada, 21, was the Mets' first-round draft pick last summer. A catcher known more for his offensive abilities, Parada was a prolific hitter in two seasons at Georgia Tech, batting .341 with a 1.056 OPS. He played 13 games in the lower minors last year after signing.
Ramirez, 20, is the Mets’ most highly regarded outfield prospect. He split 2022, his first full professional season, between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, batting .281 with a .782 OPS overall.
Among the veterans coming to Mets camp on minor-league deals are Tim Locastro, a speedy outfielder and former Yankee, and DJ Stewart, an outfielder who broke into the majors with Buck Showalter’s Orioles in 2018. Lefthanded reliever T.J. McFarland, a ground-ball specialist who struggled with the Cardinals last year, his 10th season in the majors, also signed.
Another name to keep an eye on: 6-5, 235-pound righthander Grant Hartwig, an under-the-radar relief prospect who shot from St. Lucie to Triple-A Syracuse in 2022. He had a 1.75 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings.
Rounding out the list are infielder Jonathan Arauz; outfielder Lorenzo Cedrola; pitchers Connor Grey, Eric Orze, Josh Walker and William Woods; and catchers Nick Meyer, Michael Perez and Hayden Senger.
With a full 40-man roster and six previously announced invitees, the Mets’ spring training roster is up to 61.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
