The big league club has the day off on Thursday, but all four New York Mets full-season affiliates are in action. Hard-throwing right-hander Brandon Sproat (0.92 ERA) has flourished in his first five outings of the season for High-A Brooklyn, and he’s on the mound tonight.
Triple-A
Syracuse Mets (19-14), Lehigh Valley IronPigs (12-20)
Gameday 6:45 PM
The Mets won 5-4 on Wednesday night thanks to another quality from veteran lefty Joey Lucchesi. The 30-year-old has a 2.58 ERA in seven starts to begin the season.
Offensively, the Mets have been led by a veteran. Outfielder Ben Gamel has a 174 wRC+ in 28 games, which ties him for fourth in the International League.
Right-hander Mike Vasil gets the start on Thursday for Syracuse. He has a 10.80 ERA over his first six starts of the 2024 season.
Double-A
Binghamton Rumble Ponies (15-12) vs. Portland Sea Dogs (16-11)
Gameday 6:00 PM – MLBTV Free Game of Day
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies won 4-3 on Wednesday night, with starter Joander Suarez throwing six innings of one-run ball. Suarez has a 2.41 ERA this season and a 1.57 ERA overall in 51 1/3 Double-A innings.
Binghamton’s Opening Day roster included three of the Mets’ top position prospects: Jett Williams, Kevin Parada, and Alex Ramírez. However, it’s been the lesser-talked-about guys who boosted their offense. 1B/OF JT Schwartz (144 wRC+), INF Wyatt Young (144 wRC+) and outfielders Rhylan Thomas (137 wRC+) and Matt Rudick (127 wRC+) have carried the load offensively.
Right-hander Cameron Foster (3.57 ERA) gets the start on Thursday for Binghamton.
This game is the MLBTV free game of the day.
Brandon Sproat, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
High-A
Brooklyn Cyclones (16-13) vs. Rome Emperors (15-12)
Gameday 7:00 PM
The Brooklyn Cyclones pitching staff is loaded with enticing pitching prospects, and maybe the most exciting one is a pitcher and hitter! Nolan McLean homered, doubled and knocked in three runs on Wednesday to raise his OPS to .981 this year. He also has a 2.84 ERA through 19 innings over five starts.
Right-hander Jonah Tong had his 26-inning streak of not allowing an earned run snapped on Wednesday in his second start for Brooklyn. For the season, Tong has a 0.33 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.
Corner infielder Nick Lorusso (.891 OPS) and first base/corner outfielder Ryan Clifford (.786 OPS) have been two of the better offensive players for Brooklyn. Clifford is tied for the minor league lead with 30 walks this season.
Hard-throwing Brandon Sproat will be on the mound on Thursday for the Cyclones. The 23-year-old has a 0.92 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings this year.
Low-A
St. Lucie Mets (12-17) vs. Bradenton Marauders (11-18)
Gameday 6:30 PM
Rehabbing David Peterson went 3 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts on Wednesday night for St. Lucie. He has 17 strikeouts compared to only 1 walk in 8 2/3 innings during his three rehab starts thus far.
St. Lucie lost its two best hitters earlier this week when outfielder Nick Morabito and catcher Christopher Suero were promoted to Brooklyn. That leaves infielder Jesus Baez as its top position player prospect, and he leads the current group of players with his 123 wRC+. They did receive reinforcements when big outfielder Jeffry Rosa was promoted from the FCL Mets to St. Lucie to start the week. The 19-year-old Rosa led the Dominican Summer League with 15 home runs last year.
Right-hander Kade Morris will be on the hill for St. Lucie on Thursday. The 2023 third-rounder has a 3.57 ERA in 22 2/3 innings.
The FCL Mets already played today, losing 7-4. Outfielder Simón Juan went 2-for-5 and has a very early season 1.154 OPS.
