Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 60 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Lambert didn’t stay long at any one location as a collegian, moving from North Iowa Area CC to Missouri State to Oklahoma between 2022 and '24. He also worked as a closer in the MLB Draft League ahead of his Draft eligibility in 2024. The Mets took him in the eighth round that July and signed him for below slot at $172,500, but it didn’t take long for Lambert to look like a mid-round steal. He moved quickly through High-A Brooklyn after striking out 17 in eight innings there to begin 2025 and spent the rest of the season with Double-A Binghamton, finishing with a 1.62 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 50 innings between both spots. His 39.5 percent strikeout rate was fifth-highest among 1,383 Minor Leaguers with at least 50 innings last season.

Lambert describes himself as “an adrenaline guy,” and it isn’t hard to see why. Working exclusively out of the stretch, he throws a 95-98 mph four-seamer with a ton of spin and carry that’s capable of touching triple digits. The heater had a 38 percent whiff rate in 2025, giving it the swing-and-miss tendencies of a breaking ball rather than a primary pitch. When the fastball is that good, you don’t need a ton of secondaries, and Lambert only has one: an 86-88 mph slider that breaks sharply downward and keeps batters from looking for the high four-seam alone.

Lambert’s lack of a third pitch leads to predictable left-right splits, but opposite-side bats swing through their fair share of heaters and sliders too. The former Sooners reliever has the look and walk rates of a grip-it-and-rip-it reliever, and no one will confuse him for a pinpoint artist anytime soon. But with two absolute MLB-quality weapons, Lambert has high-leverage upside and could get important outs in Queens.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

A Minnesota native, Lambert moved from Northern Iowa Area Community College (2022) to Missouri State (2023) to Oklahoma (2024) and polished off his amateur resume with four appearances in the MLB Draft League as a closer for West Virginia after his junior year. The Mets selected the right-hander in the eighth round of the 2024 Draft and signed him for below slot at $172,500. In his first full season, Lambert has moved quickly as expected, first zooming out of High-A Brooklyn after fanning 17 in eight innings there and then holding his own in Double-A after a late April arrival.

Lambert thrives on throwing the ball hard and is a self-described “adrenaline guy.” His four-seamer sits 95-98 mph with tremendous spin and carry, leading to a ton of whiffs up in the zone. He’s touched 99 mph this season but has run it up to as high as 102 in the past. Lambert also sports an 85-88 mph slider that darts hard down and gloveside, keeping hitters from sitting on the high heat. 

The former Sooners reliever lacks a third pitch and has the expected righty-lefty splits one would associate with his two-pitch mix. Also as expected for such a hard thrower, he can have difficulties finding the zone, and Double-A batters have been much less forgiving to this point. Still, a few tweaks to find the zone more regularly and maintain this level of stuff give Lambert high-leverage upside. 

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/05/2026	RHP Ryan Lambert assigned to New York Mets Prospects.
	02/09/2026	New York Mets invited non-roster RHP Ryan Lambert to spring training.
	04/28/2025	RHP Ryan Lambert assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.
	03/06/2025	activated RHP Ryan Lambert.
	09/01/2024	RHP Ryan Lambert assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones.
	07/22/2024	New York Mets signed RHP Ryan Lambert.
	06/14/2024	RHP Ryan Lambert assigned to West Virginia Black Bears.
	05/31/2024	West Virginia Black Bears activated RHP Ryan Lambert.
	02/06/2024	RHP Ryan Lambert assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.