Minors Weekly Report: Nolan McLean Continues Triple-A Dominance

Nolan McLean shone in two starts in Triple-A this week, combining for one run allowed in 9 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts. He allowed just three hits but did walk six. McLean lowered his Triple-A ERA through 16 games (13 starts) to 2.78 as he continues to make a case for a call-up to the bigs.

In other notable news, top prospects Jett Williams, Carson Benge, Jonah Tong, and Ryan Clifford were all promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. All four of them, amid fantastic seasons, are now one step closer to the majors. A.J. Ewing also received a promotion to Double-A Binghamton.

Let’s get into how the rest of the minor leagues did the week.

Nolan McLean. Photo Credit: Kylie Richelle

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets split their most recent series, winning three and dropping three against the Charlotte Knights. The Mets are having an excellent second half of the season, now with a 29-10 record. Overall, they are 60-54 for the season. And they just got a ton of talent for the home stretch from Double-A.

Gilberto Celestino and Pablo Reyes led the way for the Mets, both socking two home runs each. Celestino went 7-for-15 with six RBIs and four runs scored, while Reyes went 6-for-16 with seven RBIs and five runs scored. Reyes also added two doubles and had five walks and a stolen base. Both players have been hot, with Celestino now owning a .777 OPS and Reyes owning a 1.021 OPS.

Jared Young also had a scorching week, leading the team with 10 hits in 23 at-bats. He didn’t record a home run but he had a double and a triple with two walks, a stolen base, and four runs scored. Young has been great all year in Syracuse, raising his OPS to .940.

Yonny Hernández added six hits on the week in just 13 at-bats. He recorded a double, three RBIs, and four runs scored as he raised his Triple-A OPS to .864.

(The fact these are the hitters we’re highlighting are why Benge, Williams, and Clifford were all promoted.)

Brandon Sproat also made his case for a call-up this week, tossing a quality start. Sproat allowed three earned runs in six innings, striking out four. He now owns a 4.10 ERA on the year and a 1.15 ERA in his last seven starts.

Paul Blackburn made another solid start, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. He now owns a 2.42 ERA in four starts in Triple-A since he went on the injured list. He’s made a decent case for starting over Frankie Montas this week.

Jett Williams. Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies split their series with the Somerset Patriots, winning the point differential battle 20-15 in a very low-scoring series. Binghamton is now 26-13 in the second half of the season and 71-35 overall.

Ryan Clifford mashed three home runs against Somerset, doing so on just five hits in 24 at-bats. He also added a double, and raised his Double-A OPS to .848 prior to being promoted.

Jett Williams also had a solid week before heading to Syracuse, going 6-for-18 with a double, four walks, three stolen bases, and four runs scored. Williams heads to Triple-A with an .867 OPS in Binghamton.

Nick Morabito starred at the plate, going 7-for-21 with two doubles, a walk, and two stolen bases. His seven hits led the team, and his effort raised his OPS to .771. Morabito will now be joined by A.J. Ewing in the Rumble Ponies lineup, along with Jacob Reimer, Chris Suero, and other quality prospects.

Jonah Tong was brilliant in his final week before being promoted to Syracuse, making two starts and allowing just one run in 10 innings. He allowed six hits and two walks while striking out 16 batters. Tong’s tenure in Binghamton ends with a ridiculous 1.59 ERA in 20 starts and 162 strikeouts in 102 innings.

Jonathan Santucci had a fantastic start, allowing two runs (one earned) in six innings. He allowed two hits and three walks while striking out six. Santucci’s start lowered his ERA since being promoted to 3.33 over five starts.

Jonah Tong. Photo by Steven Wojtowicz of Metsmerized

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones lost four of their six games against the Hudson Valley Renegades, continuing their second-half slide. They own a 16-26 record in the second half and a 62-46 record overall.

Colin Houck had the best week of any Cyclone at the plate despite going 4-for-18. Two of his four hits were home runs, the only two recorded by a Cyclones hitter across the six-game series. He also walked twice and scored two runs. Houck has struggled badly since being promoted, owning just a .480 OPS in 34 games.

Eli Serrano was the only other bat to produce anything, going 5-for-17 with two doubles, four walks, and a stolen base. Serrano’s OPS rose to .712.

Noah Hall delivered an excellent start, tossing 6 1/3 shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He allowed just two baserunners, a hit and a walk, as he lowered his OPS for the year to 2.08.

Franklin Gomez also made a scoreless start, allowing no runs across 4 2/3 innings. Gomez struck out five and he now has a 2.16 ERA in just two starts since being promoted.

Out of the bullpen, Ryan Ammons struck out six over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit but walked three. Ammons has been great in 29 appearances out of the bullpen, recording a 2.38 ERA.

Eli Serrano III. Photo Credit: Bella Dunning / Brooklyn Cyclones

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets were the only full-season affiliate to win their series, taking five of six games from the Tampa Tarpons. St. Lucie has had an excellent second half of the season with a 31-11 record, bringing their total record to 65-42.

Randy Guzman, recently promoted from the Florida Complex League, had another great week with St. Lucie. Guzman went 5-for-13 with three doubles, a stolen base, and four RBIs. Guzman has been great since joining St. Lucie, owning a 1.029 OPS.

John Bay, a recent undrafted free agent signing, also had a strong week, going 3-for-12 with a double and a home run. Bay walked three times, stole a base, and recorded four RBIs and six runs scored. Bay has been excellent in eight games, owning a 1.087 OPS.

Yonatan Henriquez showed off his eye and his speed with a great week, going 5-for-14 with six walks and six stolen bases. That allowed him to score six runs and raise his OPS to .719.

Jonathan Jimenez made a scoreless start, tossing 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. Jimenez allowed three hits and no walks, lowering his ERA in three starts with the club to 0.87.

Irving Cota looked solid in his start, allowing two runs in five innings with eight strikeouts. Cota has mostly struggled in 20 appearances (nine starts) with St. Lucie, but lowered his ERA to 3.96 with this start.

Juan Arnaud was excellent in two appearances out of the bullpen, striking out six over five hitless innings. Arnaud did walk two, the only two baserunners he allowed. In 29 appearances out of the pen, Arnaud owns a 2.45 ERA.

DSL Mets

The DSL Mets Orange are now 27-23 after going 2-3 this past week. The DSL Mets Blue also had another poor week, going 1-4 to drop to 17-33.

Elian Peña had an excellent week for the DSL Mets Orange, going 7-for-14 with two doubles, a home run, six walks, two stolen bases, and eight runs scored. Peña continues to thrive since a rough start to the year, and he now owns a .920 OPS as he looks every bit of who the Mets thought he was when they signed him.

Heriberto Rincon had an amazing week at the plate for the Orange team going 8-for-15 with two triples, six RBIs, and four stolen bases. Rincon now owns a .792 OPS for the year. On the mound, Osiris Calvo looked great with a start of five scoreless innings and five strikeouts. He owns a 1.48 ERA in 10 games (eight starts).

Vladi Guerrero had a pretty good week for the Blue squad, going 3-for-10 with a home run and a walk. Guerrero’s week has his OPS above .700 at .705. Darling Perez looked solid on the mound, allowing one run over 3 2/3 innings with two strikeouts in his start. He now has a 4.50 ERA in 10 starts.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG)/A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – .308

OPS – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG) – .928

HR – Ryan Clifford (BNG) – 24

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – 58

Pitching

ERA – Jonah Tong (BNG) – 1.59

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG) – 162

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.812

Players of the Week

Offense – Elian Peña, SS DSL Mets Orange

Elian Peña continues to show why he was the biggest international free agent signing in Mets history. Even after a brutal 0-for stretch to begin his pro career, he quickly has his OPS above .900. The 17-year-old is still far away from sniffing the majors, but there’s plenty to like from what we’ve seen from him so far.

Pitching – Jonah Tong, P Binghamton

Jonah Tong is one step away from the majors after being promoted to Syracuse, and he’s coming off maybe his best week in Binghamton with two brilliant starts made. Dominance is now an understatement for how Tong has performed all year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 22-year-old sniff the majors as soon as next year.