Minors Weekly Report: Wenninger Dominant in Start

Jack Wenninger was finally dominant.

In his start, he allowed just a hit and three walks in seven scoreless innings. Wenninger struck out five in what was easily his best start of the season. He now has a 3.48 ERA in 16 appearances (13 starts).

For more stats and news around the Mets minor leagues, continue reading the Minors Weekly Report below.

Jack Wenninger. Photo by Herm Card

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets lost four out of six games in their series against the Worcester Red Sox. After dropping each of the first three games, Syracuse rallied to win two of the final three. The Mets are now 6-6 in the second half and 44-43 overall.

MJ Melendez went 6-for-21 in addition to the four home runs he hit this week. He totaled seven RBIs and also added three walks, leading or tying for the team lead in each of these categories. Melendez now owns an .869 OPS with Syracuse this season.

Jorge Polanco also had a successful week as he continues to rehab his way back to the major league club. Polanco went 2-for-12. Both of his hits left the park. He also walked twice and didn’t strike out once. Polanco has a .623 OPS in eight rehab games at the Triple-A level. The primary goal here is health and timing.

Nick Morabito continues to thrive, as he went 8-for-22 with a double and a home run. He added a walk and a stolen base while driving in three runs. Morabito now owns a .798 OPS. You could see a world where he gets more reps at the MLB level if/when the Mets sell off some pieces.

Zach Thornton also had a successful start, allowing three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings. Thornton allowed three hits and four walks while striking out four. His Triple-A ERA now sits at 4.54. He, like Morabito, should get more MLB run after the trade deadline.

Matt Rudick, Photo by Rick Nelson

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Chesapeake Baysox played five games in their series due to rain, and the Rumble Ponies struggled with just one win. Binghamton’s struggles from the first half of the season have spilled into the second half, as they are just 2-10 and 29-52 overall.

Matt Rudick went 5-for-14 against the Baysox, hitting a home run, walking four times and stealing three bags. It was a good week at the plate for the struggling Rudick, who sports a .560 OPS.

Nick Lorusso had a similar week to Rudick, going 4-for-16 with a home run and also recording four walks and three stolen bases. Unlike Rudick, however, Lorusso has been playing well and now owns a .790 OPS.

JT Schwartz also powered Binghamton’s offense, going 5-for-20 with three doubles and a home run. Schwartz added two walks and led his team with four RBIs. He now owns a .676 OPS.

Jonathan Santucci made two starts and looked fantastic. The lefty, one of the Mets’ top pitching prospects, allowed two runs across eight innings with an impressive 13 strikeouts. He also allowed just two hits and five walks. He now has a 3.77 ERA through 16 starts. He ought to be promoted to Triple-A by the end of the season.

R.J. Gordon gave up nothing in his five-inning start. He allowed five hits and a walk while striking out two. Gordon has struggled in 10 starts to the tune of a 6.61 ERA.

Mitch Voit
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones went 2-3 against the Frederick Keys, with the final game in their series suspended due to rain while in a 2-2 tie. The game will be completed on September 1. The Cyclones are now 7-7 in the second half and 32-47 overall.

Yohairo Cuevas led Brooklyn’s offense by going 5-for-13 with three home runs and nine RBIs, both leading the team. He also walked four times as he improved his season OPS to .632.

JT Benson stayed hot as well, going 6-for-16 with a double and a home run. He also added two walks and a stolen base while driving in three runs. Benson continues to crush the competition at High-A, owning a .938 OPS in 33 games. The 24-year-old has had one of the stronger showings in the Mets’ minor league system this year, and he may be rewarded with another promotion before the end of the season.

Mitch Voit showed off some pop with a strong week, going 4-for-19 with two home runs and three walks. Voit’s numbers have crept up since the beginning of the year, and he now sports a .763 OPS.

Daviel Hurtado shoved in his start, allowing just a hit and a walk in six innings. He also struck out eight in the effort, and he now has a 1.49 ERA in eight appearances at the High-A level.

Noah Hall also shoved in his start, allowing no runs in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed a hit and four walks while striking out eight. Hall now has a 5.63 ERA on the season.

Antonio Jimenez. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets had a dreadful series against the Tampa Tarpons, losing the first five games of the series before winning the finale. The Mets are now 3-10 in the second half and 36-43 overall.

Trey Snyder was one of the Mets’ few bright spots in this series, going 7-for-20 with two doubles, a walk and two stolen bases. Snyder owns a .650 OPS in 22 games with St. Lucie.

Antonio Jimenez also did his part, going 6-for-21 with two doubles and a home run. Jimenez now owns a .711 OPS through 31 games.

Simon Juan led the team with two home runs, doing so on three hits in 16 at-bats. Juan also walked once and stole a base while leading the team with four runs driven in. Juan has just a .571 OPS on the season.

Elian Peña struggled mightily, going 2-for-18 with five strikeouts, a walk and two stolen bases. His OPS has fallen to .731.

Christian Rodriguez had an effective, albeit short, start as he allowed just a run in 3 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and no walks but also struck out seven. Rodriguez owns a 3.32 ERA in 22 appearances.

Trey McLoughlin was phenomenal out of the bullpen, striking out eight in 3 2/3 hitless innings. His only baserunner allowed was a walk. McLoughlin owns a 7.36 ERA in 20 relief appearances.

Yovanny Rodriguez

FCL Mets

The FCL Mets looked good, going 3-1 in the last week of play. They are now 19-25 and in fourth place in the Florida Complex League East Division.

Yovanny Rodriguez went 6-for-11 at the plate with a double and three runs driven in. He also added a walk as he improved his OPS through 38 FCL games to .889.

Eris Albino tossed four scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the FCL Mets, allowing two hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Albino has a 5.86 ERA in nine relief appearances.

DSL Mets

The DSL Mets Blue went 2-4 this past week, driving their record down to 11-15. The DSL Mets Orange also struggled, going 1-5 to fall to 14-13.

Royner Bravo looked good for the second consecutive week for DSL Mets Blue, going 6-for-12 with a triple, two walks and a stolen base. He also added four RBIs as he now sports an .842 OPS. On the mound, Eduardo Pina tossed four scoreless innings in his start, allowing five baserunners with one strikeouts. Pina has a 1.59 ERA in five appearances.

In three games for DSL Mets Orange, top prospect Wandy Asigen went 1-for-5 with five walks and two RBIs. The hit, a single, is Asigen’s first of his pro career with the Mets. On the mound, Oscar Montero tossed three scoreless innings with one hit allowed, three walks, allowed and five strikeouts. Montero owns a 9.28 ERA in five starts.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (BNG/SYR) – .339
OPS – A.J. Ewing (BNG/SYR) – .961
HR – Ryan Clifford (SYR)/Nick Lorusso (BNG) – 14
SB – Jihwan Bae (SYR) – 28

Pitching (min. 10 innings)

ERA – Anderson Severino (SYR) – 1.31
SO – Jonathan Santucci (BNG) – 93
WHIP – Daviel Hurtado (STL/BRK) – 0.684

Players of the Week

Offense – MJ Melendez, DH/OF Syracuse

MJ Melendez spent a lengthy portion of this season in the major leagues, but now he’s doing his damage in Triple-A after a demotion. The veteran had a fantastic week, in which he certainly looked better than the competition he faced. He’s likely to be one of the first position players called back up to the majors in the event of an injury or trade.

Pitching – Jack Wenninger, P Syracuse

Jack Wenninger opened the season in underwhelming fashion, but he delivered a gem in his latest outing and looks to be back in form. The 24-year-old who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 draft by the Mets is a promising prospect, alongside guys like Jonah Tong and Jonathan Santucci, whom the Mets are hoping will be the next wave of impact pitchers in the major leagues.