WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Bohan Adderley isn’t the most prominent Mets prospect, having just signed with the team last year.
But the 18-year-old from the Bahamas already has some pretty good major league connections.
The Nassau native is close with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and is frequently in touch with the Yankees infielder, as Chisholm grew up playing with Adderley’s older brother Bakari in The Bahamas.
“I’ve known him since he was a little kid,” Chisholm said Sunday. “Seeing what he’s doing right now, I’m pretty happy for him. … Bro, I watched this man turn into a man. I watched him go from being like 5-foot-1 to being freaking 6-foot in the next year. It was crazy.”
Now a lanky 6-foot-3 infielder, the younger Adderley played last year in the Dominican Summer League and figures to graduate to the Florida Complex League this year.
On Sunday, he took part in the Spring Breakout at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, along with many other top Mets prospects, where they faced some of the Washington Nationals’ best young players.
The righty-swinging Adderley stood out with 27 stolen bases in 47 games.
No one on the team had more than 16.
“That’s always been part of my game,” Adderley said. “My goal is to showcase it as much as I can.”
He’s also looking to have greater discipline at the plate and to become calmer on the field.
“I want to show what I can do,” Adderley said. “Last year, I didn’t do that as much as I wanted to. I’m an emotional player. I have to learn to keep my composure when I go through the ups and downs.”
Having Chisholm to lean on should help.
“I try to talk to him every day,” Adderley said. “To pick his brain, learn from him, use him as a tool.”
Chisholm likened Adderley to top Rangers prospect, shortstop Sebastian Walcott, 19.
“I think he’s going to be really good,” Chisholm said. “I think he’s gonna be exactly like Sebastian. That’s the goal I got for him. Sebastian’s been doing his thing, so hopefully he can get to that.”
Ryan Lambert is seen by some as a future closer — and he certainly has the arm.
The 22-year-old right-hander, drafted in the eighth round last year, said Sunday that he topped out at 102 mph at Oklahoma while facing Wichita State.
He said he’s “pretty curious” to see if he can throw any harder.
“I’m an adrenaline guy,” Lambert said. “I love big situations. I think they bring the best out of you. You feel really nervous, harness that energy and you never know what can happen. Who knows what I’ll touch in the future?”
Ryan Clifford hit a homer to dead center, showing the lefty power that’s made him one of the top prospects in the Mets system.
— Additional reporting by Greg Joyce in Tampa
