Unlikely Outfielder Stepping Up for Mets

The New York Mets have been playing better baseball in late August, winning five of their last ten and going toe to toe with baseball’s best, the Atlanta Braves. 

If you’re just tuning in now, you may be wondering about DJ Stewart, the 28-year-old outfielder who has hit .391 with four home runs and nine RBI since August 15th, and where on earth he came from.

Stewart emerged as a clear top prospect both locally and nationally, attending Bolles High in Yulee, Florida and becoming a top 200 prospect in his senior season. Stewart decided to stay in state and attend Florida State University.

With the Seminoles, Stewart logged 27 home runs and 168 RBI with a .344 batting average over three seasons. In his sophomore year, Stewart hit .351 en route to an ACC Player of the Year selection before trying his luck with the MLB draft.

Stewart wasn’t taken until the 15th round by the New York Yankees in 2014, so he took a bet on himself and returned for a third year, where he put up 15 home runs and 58 RBI with a .319 batting average, propelling his draft stock to first round status.

He was taken 25th overall in 2015 by the Baltimore Orioles and had huge promise to be one of the best hitting prospects of the draft class, even drawing comparisons to the likes of Juan Soto, who was signed by the Washington Nationals that same year.

Over five seasons with the Orioles organization, Stewart accumulated 1,888 minor league at-bats, with his best season coming in 2019, where he hit 12 home runs for 47 RBI on a whopping .944 OPS for the Norfolk Tides, Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate. One of Stewart’s elite skills was his ability to get on base, walking on 13.2% of his at-bats in his time in the minor and major leagues for Baltimore.

Right when it looked like things were heating up in Stewart’s career, a hand injury and a concussion derailed his Major League opportunities in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, Stewart logged three total plate appearances.

Despite this, New York moved in for the lefty and signed him to a one-year minor league deal, primarily to act as a rotation guy that the Mets could move between the minor and major leagues.

When his name was called on Aug. 11, Mets fans got a glimpse of what all the hype was about with Stewart coming out of college and in the minors. Since that time, he has logged five of his six home runs on the year along with 11 of his 12 RBI, bringing his average up to .247 and his OPS to .873 in the MLB for the season.

With Starling Marte trying to work back into the rotation and New York lacking depth in the outfield, Stewart has come in a big spot for the Mets, despite October baseball not looking likely. Stewart’s 2023 renaissance, along with the usual stellar performances from superstars Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, have propelled New York to a 5-5 record in their last 10 matchups, including a huge 10-4 victory over arch nemesis Atlanta. Stewart smashed a home run to add to the rout of the league’s best team, giving the team and fans a little juice to end the year, and giving the Mets front office something to consider this offseason. With 25 games left, DJ Stewart has a chance to finally achieve the potential he’s had his entire career and earn a substantial major league contract.