Minors Weekly Report: Ryan Clifford Crosses 20-Home Run Mark

Ryan Clifford had an explosive week for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, totaling four home runs and 12 RBIs while batting 12-for-23. He walked a whopping eight times and scored an even crazier 11 runs. Clifford’s OPS has jumped significantly to .864, and he raised his home run total from 17 to 21. He is the first player in the Mets minor leagues this season to cross the 20-home run threshold.

His week was so good, he won Eastern League Player of the Week.

Now, let’s look at the rest of the system in its first full week back in action after the All-Star break.

Ryan Clifford. Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets completed a rare six-game sweep in their most recent series with the Omaha Storm Chasers, bringing their win streak to seven games. Syracuse has been on a tear in the second half, improving their record to 21-6 and 52-50 overall.

Several players had excellent weeks at the plate, including Luis De Los Santos (two home runs, 1.094 OPS) and Jared Young (one home run, 1.084 OPS). Perhaps the best offensive player of the week, though, was veteran Joey Meneses who went 9-for-19 with a double, two home runs, and a team-leading seven RBIs. Meneses also walked twice and scored two runs. His OPS is inching closer to .800 at .788.

Drew Gilbert also continued his tear at the plate, going 9-for-23 with two doubles, two home runs, and five RBIs. Gilbert also walked twice and scored three runs. Gilbert is in one of his best sustained stretches since joining the Mets organization, recording a .947 OPS over his last 36 games to bring his OPS on the season to .790.

Nolan McLean was dominant yet again for the Mets, allowing just two runs across 7 1/3 innings in his start. He allowed four hits and struck out six batters. McLean continues to be fantastic, and his ERA through 13 games in Triple-A is 3.01.

Brandon Sproat had another solid start, allowing two runs in five innings while striking out three. Sproat now has a 0.64 ERA in his last five starts and a 4.30 season ERA.

Sproat and McLean are making cases for late-season call-ups.

Paul Blackburn also looked excellent in two rehab starts, combining to throw 11 1/3 innings with just two runs allowed. He also struck out 11 as he looks to make his way back to the major league team.

Carson Benge. Photo via Brooklyn Cyclones

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies completed a dominant series against the Reading Fightin Phils, winning five of six games and outscoring their opponent 54-22. The Rumble Ponies are now 19-8 in the second half and 64-30 overall.

In addition to what Ryan Clifford did at the plate, Carson Benge looks like a superstar in the making, and he had another fantastic week. Benge went 9-for-25 with three home runs, six RBIs, a walk, and seven runs scored. Benge is crushing Double-A pitching, owning a 1.046 OPS through 21 games at the level.

Nick Lorusso stood out behind Clifford and Benge, going 7-for-18 with two doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs. Lorusso also walked four times, scored five runs, and stole a base. The third baseman now owns a .762 OPS on the year.

The best start of the week from a Rumble Ponies pitcher was Jonathan Santucci, who fell just one out away from a quality start. Santucci allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings to give him a 2.03 ERA through three starts since being promoted.

Jonah Tong also had a good start, allowing a run over five innings while striking out six. Tong’s ERA through 17 starts is now 1.72.

Boston Baro

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones barely avoided a sweep last week, winning just the final game of their six-game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The second half of the season has not been kind to the Cyclones, who have a 13-17 record. Their record on the entire season is 59-37.

Corey Collins, a slugging first baseman drafted in 2024, had arguably his best week in pro baseball by going 6-for-20 with a triple, a home run, and two RBIs. He also walked three times and scored four runs. Collins has dealt with injuries and lack of production when healthy since being drafted, and he has just a .678 OPS in 17 games with the Cyclones.

Boston Baro, another recent draft pick (2023) who has struggled, also had a good week, going 8-for-24 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBIs. Baro also stole two bases and scored two runs. He owns just a .615 OPS on the season.

Noah Hall delivered two great starts for the Cyclones, combining to allow just one run over seven innings. He allowed four hits and six walks, struggling with command, but he struck out five. Hall has a fantastic 2.32 ERA in 19 games (15 starts) this season.

Will Watson also looked solid, allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts. Watson has shined for the Cyclones, recording a 2.25 ERA in nine games (eight starts).

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets won five of six games against the Daytona Tortugas. It was a pretty lopsided series, with the Mets outscoring the Tortugas 43-16. The Mets are now 20-9 in the second half of the season and 54-40 overall.

Nick Roselli had an amazing week, going 9-for-15 with a double, two home runs, and a team-leading seven RBIs. Roselli also walked twice, stole a base, and scored six runs, which tied for the team lead. Roselli hasn’t had the best year, but his great week puts his OPS on the year at .726. He was the Florida State League Player of the Week.

Simon Juan also stood out, going 7-for-16 with a double, two triples, and five RBIs, also adding two walks, two stolen bases, and three runs. Juan has really struggled this year, and he now owns a .634 OPS.

Yohairo Cuevas and Yonatan Henriquez had great weeks at the plate, with Cuevas going 8-for-21 and Henriquez going 9-for-24. Cuevas recorded two doubles, while Henriquez recorded a double and a home run. Cuevas has had the better fortunes this year, owning an .809 OPS, while Henriquez owns a .682 OPS.

Franklin Gomez delivered the best start of the week for the Mets, tossing five scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He allowed two hits, a walk, and hit a batter. Gomez has been stellar all year, owning a 1.85 ERA in 14 games (seven starts) with St. Lucie.

Jose Chirinos had a lengthy outing from the bullpen (four innings), but he was great. He didn’t allow a hit, walked two, and struck out six. In eight games (five starts) with St. Lucie, Chirinos has a 3.18 ERA.

FCL Mets

The FCL Mets had multiple games canceled due to rain and thus played just two games this past week, going 1-1. The team is now 25-28 on the year and still in third base in the division.

Edward Lantigua shone in the two games, 3-for-7 with two home runs and a walk. The 18-year-old has been fantastic all year with an .832 OPS.

Yacksel Ríos was one of just two pitchers to appear in the two games to throw a scoreless inning. He hit a batter but otherwise didn’t allow a walk or a hit. It was the first appearance of the year for Ríos, who had a 3.30 ERA in Triple-A Syracuse last year.

DSL Mets

The DSL Mets Orange went 2-3 this past week, moving to 23-17 on the year. Meanwhile, the DSL Mets Blue went 1-4 to move to 16-24 on the year.

Elian Peña had a decent week at the plate for the Orange squad, going 4-for-18 with a home run, three walks, and four stolen bases. He owns an .814 OPS through his first 39 professional games. On the mound, Franyel Diaz looked fantastic with 11 strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Diaz owns a 2.93 ERA in 10 games.

For the Blue squad, Leandy Mella went 5-for-14 with a double, a triple, a walk, and two RBIs. In 23 games, he has just a .633 OPS. On the mound, Darling Perez made a start of five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a hit batsman while striking out two. Perez owns a 4.81 ERA through eight starts.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – .314

OPS – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG) – .936

HR – Ryan Clifford (BNG) – 21

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – 55

Pitching

ERA – Jonah Tong (BNG) – 1.72

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG) – 138

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.812

Players of the Week

Offense – Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF Binghamton

Ryan Clifford’s best tool has always been his power, and he’s demonstrated it in a huge way lately. The 22-year-old now has 21 home runs on the year after recording 19 all of last year in 37 more games. If he can consistently mash, he could be an exciting offensive piece for the Mets in the future.

Pitching – Paul Blackburn, P Syracuse

Paul Blackburn made one great start at the major league level this year before floundering, and he’s trying to prove he still belongs. He made two great starts at the run-heavy Triple-A level and could be close to returning to the major leagues. If these two starts are any indication, he could still be a valuable back-of-the-rotation or bulk bullpen arm for the Mets down the stretch.