A.J. Ewing is officially off to a good start.
The New York Mets prospect made his MLB debut Tuesday, more than leaving his mark in a 10-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Playing center field and hitting eighth, Ewing went 1-for-2 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, 3 walks and 1 stolen base. His lone hit, the first of his career, was an RBI triple.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Ewing is the 17th player in MLB history to post three walks in his debut. Among that group, he’s the only one to hit a triple. And the first to steal a base. And the first to post multiple RBI.
It’s not the most straightforward stat, but it goes to show how rare it is for a player to do what Ewing did in his first taste of big league action.
Ewing joined the Mets as a fourth-round draft pick in 2023 and was a consensus top-100 prospect going into this season. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as the No. 78 prospect in baseball and the No. 2 prospect in the Mets’ system, behind only Jonah Tong.
The Mets are looking for a spark. A.J. Ewing gave them on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The 21-year-old started this season hot, slashing .339/.447/.514 in 30 games between Double-A and Triple-A, and the Mets opted to promote him to jumpstart a moribund outfield. Opening Day center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is currently on the injured list with a lumbar spine disc herniation and is not progressing as the team hoped.
Very little has gone right for the Mets this season. Even with their win Tuesday, they still sit in last in the NL East at 16-25. It was only one game, but Ewing offers an interesting enough combination of speed, plate discipline and outfield defense that could provide a much-needed spark.
