How 18-year-old Mets prospect Elian Pena started to prove his worth after a rough beginning to his career

Elian Pena was just five years old when Jose Ramirez made his debut with Cleveland, but the impression made an impact. It wasn’t just that Ramirez, like Pena, grew up in the Dominican Republic; it was his all-encompassing style of play that left an indelible mark.

“I want to be like Jose Ramirez,” Pena said via interpreter in a phone interview with Newsday. “[I admire] the way he plays. He’s very consistent. He runs, he fields, he does everything. I grew up watching that and I want to be like that.”

You may have heard of Pena or you may have not, but people in the international baseball circuit — and certainly those in the Mets farm system — are aware of one of the organization’s quickly rising stars, and one that has the potential to be a five-tool player. The left-handed hitting shortstop is just 18 years old, and made a splash in 2025 when the Mets signed him for $5 million; it was the largest international amateur signing bonus in franchise history and, tellingly, a gigantic chunk of the Mets’ $6,261,600 pool that year.

The expectations were monumental for the then-17 year old, and Pena rewarded them by . . . well, falling flat on his face. At first, that is.

He started his Mets tenure in the Dominican Summer League and went 0-for his first 26. Then it clicked: Over 55 games, he ended up slashing .292/.421/.528 with nine homers and 33 RBIs. He spent the first 96 games of this year with Low-A Port St. Lucie, hitting .271, before getting promoted to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones on Aug. 18. He’s currently the third-ranked prospect in the organization, per MLB Pipeline, and No. 6, according to Baseball America.

As much as anything else, Mets brass has been impressed with his mental makeup and work ethic — especially as he takes steps to improve his defense.

“The guy’s work ethic is outstanding,” said Andrew Christie, director of player development. “He’s pretty consistently been one of the more mature international free agent signings that I’ve seen since I’ve been with this [organization] and that’s dating all the way back to [Francisco Alvarez] in 2018. He’s been consistently mature and professional in his work and gotten everything done that we ask, and we ask a lot from these guys on and off the field . . . It’s certainly carried him this year.”

Pena says that work ethic was instilled in him by coaches and managers in the Dominican Republic, where he still trains with La Alianza, which is part of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program. “Since I was a kid, I’ve been working hard like that,” he said.

Baseball America identifies Pena as a “selective hitter” with a near preternatural understanding of the strike zone. He recognizes spin, and boasts above-average power. He’s got a strong arm, but “questionable hands and range,” which makes him perhaps more suitable for third base. That said, Christie was heartened by the improvements he’s made at his natural position.

“Defense probably has been the number one thing we’ve seen this year” in terms of growth, he said. “It’s not necessarily in terms of being the greatest defender of all time at shortstop, but he has some of the best range in all of the minor leagues at shortstop . . . and that’s due to him being very bought in on what we teach.”

In addition to working on covering more ground, the Mets have been intent on getting his bat to a better position to impact the ball. While far from a slap hitter, Pena’s power and plate discipline can truly be pushed to the next level if he rounds out his hit tool.

It’ll take time for him to acclimate — it certainly did when he was in the Dominican Summer League, pressing for that first hit — but Pena said he already feels comfortable in his new environment.

“It’s the same baseball, the same game,” he said. “I feel like pitchers have been executing more than down [in Low-A] but it’s the same . . . Whether [I’m playing] here or there, I just want to do my best to be the best.”

Which circles back to Pena’s ceiling. Baseball America projects him to be an average major-league hitter, but a scout earlier this year immediately was impressed with his makeup and said to keep an eye on his progression. Christie echoed the sentiment.

“When a guy’s bought in, like Elian is, it certainly makes our job easier,” he said. “If we want to change something or improve something, he’s in, and will do the work required to actually make the change stick.”

And Pena certainly sounds like he’s bought in.

“I’ve been working on everything,” he said. “I want to be better with my hitting, my running, all my fielding, throwing. I want to be better than yesterday.”

In short, he wants to do it all — very much like Ramirez. Tuesday, he got a little closer (well, sort of). Pena was wearing No. 60 for the Cyclones, but got his new uniform that day. It’s No. 22. Ramirez wears No. 11 for the Guardians.

“So, he’s like a double Jose Ramirez,” a Cyclones staffer quipped.

If Pena realizes his dream, that will be true in more ways than one.