2025 NRI Preview: Hayden Senger & Chris Williams

Hayden Senger

For a fourth season in a row, the Mets welcome Hayden Senger to major league camp. Drafted in 2018, Senger has played all over the Mets’ farm system from the Kingsport Mets in the now-defunct rookie league all the way to the Syracuse Mets.

In our 2024 NRI Preview, we noted that Senger was a solid hitter in college (.272/.359/.409) and during his first five seasons of minor league ball, he hit fine (.236/.328/.359). Things hit a notable snag, though, in 2023 when he hit .188/.307/.295 while stuck in Binghamton. Senger’s bat bounced back in 2024, hitting .234/.302/.363 with his best stretch happening over 48 games in Syracuse where he hit .252/.323/.401 with a .724 OPS.

Hayden Senger’s situation has always been conditioned by catching prospects around him. The Mets signed Francisco Alvarez one month after drafting Hayden Senger. In 2022, the Mets drafted Kevin Parada, who at one point was a top-100 prospect in baseball.

Alvarez has become the Mets star catcher. Luis Torrens has cemented himself as the backup catcher, who also has a semi-reliable bat. Yet, Hayden Senger’s situation has never been as good as it is right now. The Mets do not have third catcher on the 40-man right now. Kevin Parada has struggled, opening up a path up the depth chart for Senger. The other two catchers in camp have not had tremendous—or any—major league success. If we look at spring training as a way for the Mets to figure out the minor league players who will step in at some point this season, Senger has a path to make a statement as a defense-first, solid backup catcher.

Here’s what we are looking for this spring:

• How is Senger behind the plate defensively? Does he have a better relationship with Mets pitchers being in the system for a number of years?
• Is his bat around replacement level?
• Does he have more positive moments than Jakson Reetz and Chris Williams? If none of the three step up, the Mets will almost certainly go find another veteran catcher.

Chris Williams

Chris Williams is a new face in Mets camp this year. Williams was drafted by the Twins in 2018 and had been with their organization ever since.

The Mets catching chart is thin after Alvarez and Luis Torrens. There is no third catcher listed on the 40-man roster, leaving a fully open roster battle for Kevin Parada, Hayden Senger, Jakson Reetz and Chris Williams this month.

The Mets are taking a chance on Chris Williams because his bat has some pop. Over 481 games in the minor leagues, he has 95 home runs. In 2023, he hit .236/.352/.495 with 21 homers over 95 games. Last season he hit .221/.339/.461 with 17 homers over 88 games. A chunk of last season’s performance came on a hot streak to end the season, going 12-for-36 with four home runs over his final 12 games of the season (.333/.455/.694).

If Chris Williams hits this spring, he could fight his way to third on the Mets depth chart, and a spot on the taxi squad that comes up when the Mets feel they need a third catcher. Here’s what we are watching for this spring:

• Does he still have the pop he has shown in the minors? He already has a home run and a double this spring!
• The defense comes second with Williams, but is he passable?

The post 2025 NRI Preview: Hayden Senger & Chris Williams appeared first on Metsmerized Online.