Acquired at the trade deadline for A.J. Minter, Amick’s had a loud start to his Mets career. He hit seven homers in 12 games for Double-A Binghamton before his promotion, and has hit five homers in 12 games for Triple-A Syracuse since.

But Amick also strikes out a lot. Yes, a lot of power hitters do, but he strikes out at a rate that even eclipses most of them. Let’s dive into the numbers to find out how concerning the contact issues are, and whether the hype is warranted or if the brakes should be pumped a little bit.

(All stats are of Sept. 8)

Strikeout Rate

Let’s start with basic strikeout rate. At Double-A this season, Amick struck out 127 times in 433 plate appearances, a 29.33% clip.

Since 2021, there have been 105 players to strike out at least 29% of the time in at least 400 plate appearances at Double-A. Only seven have gone on to have any moment of sustained offensive success at the big-league level: Christopher Morel, Michael Toglia, Brenton Doyle, Dillon Dingler, Griffin Conine, Owen Caissie and Spencer Jones.

There are some good players here. Dingler rode a red-hot first half into his first career All-Star selection, but it’s worth noting he has an OPS in the mid-.600s in about 200 plate appearances since the break. Caissie also had a hot start, but has been well below average ever since the third week of the season. Toglia hit 25 home runs in 2024 with the Colorado Rockies, but has since all but fallen out of the league because of his struggles to make contact. Doyle too hit 23 home runs that same year for Colorado, but has seen his offensive production fall off a cliff the last two years. He sticks around because he is an excellent center field defender. Morel is a New York Met right now and showed some promise early in his career with the Chicago Cubs, but has struggled to make rosters over the last three seasons.

The best two of the bunch have been Conine and Jones. Conine showed flashes in his first two abbreviated looks in 2024 and 2025, and has taken his game to the next level in 2026. It’s the largest run of big-league playing time he’s received, and he’s producing. Jones made his MLB debut this year, and while he’s not wowing anyone, he’s staying afloat, producing at a slightly above-average rate through his first 70-plus games.

I am very hesitant to truly declare that either of them will keep this up, though, and it’s for a very simple reason. Look at the other players on the list with them. We’ve seen this before. Conine is a little under 450 plate appearances into his big-league career, and Jones a little under 250 into his. Through his first two years, Morel had a 113 OPS+ through his first two seasons and 854 plate appearances. He also struck out 28.1% of the time, and things eventually unraveled. I think Conine has the best chance to sustain, as his strikeout rate is sitting a hair under 30%, but Jones is over 35%. He’s due for some serious regression.

There have been a handful of others who have big-league service time but never came close to even league-average offensive production: Kahlil Watson, Denzel Clarke, Robert Hassell III, Kyren Paris, Gage Workman, Kameron Misner, Shay Whitcomb and Bryce Teodosio.

There are players at the MLB level who do strike out a lot and produce, though. Kyle Schwarber is the most famous example of this, who is striking out 32.4% of the time and produces more than almost anyone in the league. Oneil Cruz, Nick Kurtz and James Wood all strike out a lot and produce among the best hitters in the league.

But these guys, for the most part, did not strike out that much in the minor leagues. In Schwarber’s 243 plate appearances in Double-A, he struck out 20.2% of the time. Cruz struck out 24.2% of the time. Kurtz flew through the minors but struck out 25.7% of the time in his 101 career MiLB plate appearances in 2025. Wood, who struck out 33.7% of the time at Double-A, is the exception. What he did, though, is cut that number significantly at the next level. His strikeout rate dropped down to 18.2% at Triple-A, and he subsequently gained 49 points in wRC+.

It’s natural to expect a player’s strikeout rate to jump when facing MLB pitching. MLB pitchers are better than Double-A pitchers. If the jump is from the low-to-mid 20s to the high 20s or low 30s—while it will be difficult—some elite power hitters can do it and still produce. But if the starting point is in the high 20s or low 30s and then it jumps even higher, it’s proven to be almost impossible to be productive over an extended stretch.

Amick, right now, is in the latter group.

Billy Amick. Photo Credit: Syracuse Mets

In-Zone Contact Rate

Alright, now for in-zone contact rate, which measures exactly what you think it would: how often a player makes contact on pitches in the zone that they swing at. This arguably paints a better picture than strikeout rate. A poor in-zone contact rate is generally under 80%. For reference, among Mets players with at least 200 plate appearances, Francisco Alvarez (77.1%) and Mark Vientos (79.8%) sit at the bottom, with Bo Bichette (90.3%) and Tyrone Taylor (88.2%) at the top. Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing all sit right about in the 84-86% range.

At Triple-A, Amick’s in-zone contact rate is 70.8%. It’s a very small sample size, but it’s the only level Amick has played at this season that has Statcast data available. His overall contact rate is available at both levels, and it’s pretty consistent across both, so it’s reasonable to figure that his in-zone contact rate is also likely consistent.

There are some familiar names near him on the list. Current Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Lowe is there at 68.6%, and he’s been slightly better but still bad in the bigs at 73.6%. Spencer Jones is also here at 69.1%, and he has also improved slightly, up to 74% with the big club. Other recognizable names include Jose Siri, Ryan Noda, Nolan Gorman, Chris Taylor, Blake Perkins, Jacob Melton, Paul DeJong and Tomás Nido. Generally, it’s either young players who haven’t been able to stick due to contact issues or guys trying to hang on at the end of their careers. There are a ton of guys who never made it, too.

One of the more notable names on this list for Mets fans is Ryan Clifford, who has a 73.1% in-zone contact rate. Clifford’s struggles this year have been well documented, and they stem from the amount of swing-and-miss in his game. Amick swings and misses almost exactly as much as Clifford.

Perhaps the best comp, though, is former Mets minor leaguer Luke Ritter. The former Syracuse Mets slugger played 22 games at Triple-A this year for the Phillies before he was released. In those games, his in-zone contact rate was 68.7%. That’s down from where he was with the Mets, but not by a ton. In parts of three Triple-A seasons in the Mets organization, Ritter generally ran an in-zone contact rate between 74-78%. He hit a lot of home runs, and his 26 jacks in 2024 paired with a .849 OPS started some to call for him to be promoted. He never got the call, though, and saw his OPS drop under .700 in 2025 before the Mets moved on.

Ritter was a utility player who saw most of his time at the two corner infield spots but also played some second base and corner outfield. Amick offers less defensive versatility, only playing first and third base, while also making less contact.

When we go back over the last few years to see who else ran similar in-zone contact rates, we see a lot of players who got MLB looks because of their power but could never hang around. Eric Haase. Stone Garrett. Parker Meadows. Bobby Dalbec. These are the players who make contact similar to Amick. They produce in the minors. Dalbec had an .874 OPS with 24 homers in 105 Triple-A games last season. He also had a 73.1% in-zone contact rate. He is playing in Japan this season.

Every once in a while, a name like Zack Gelof pops up, but even then, he actually only reinforces this point. Gelof is having a positive 2026 season, posting an OPS in the high .700s with close to 20 homers. He’s been an above-average hitter this year, no doubt. He’s also raised his in-zone contact rate almost a full 10%, from 68.1% last season to 77.9% this season. It’s still not good, but it’s much better. It’s been good enough for him to produce, even if his home ballpark in Sacramento has helped (he has an OPS close to .900 at home and under .700 on the road). He was unplayable last season with a .502 OPS in 101 plate appearances. Now, his contact improves, and it’s a completely different story.

A player doesn’t need elite contact to produce. Schwarber, Kurtz and those like them are proof of that. But it also can’t be as low as Amick’s currently is. Kurtz’s in-zone contact is at 73% and Schwarber’s is at 76.4% this year versus big-league pitching. In his 97 Triple-A plate appearances last season, Kurtz’s in-zone contact 2as 79.5%. Data doesn’t extend far enough back for Schwarber.

Amick’s 70.8% in-zone contact rate versus Triple-A pitching is unsustainable. His power is real, and he’s only 23 years old. There’s plenty of time for him to make some contact gains. But there’s a reason he was not ranked inside the Minnesota Twins’ top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline or Baseball America when he was acquired, nor is he ranked for the Mets now. Until those contact gains come, he should not be viewed as a legitimate option for the big-league roster.

The post Diving Into the Contact Numbers of Billy Amick appeared first on Metsmerized.

It was a big August for many Mets minor leaguers on both sides of the game. Let’s go through who was the best of the best.

TRIPLE-A: SYRACUSE METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: MJ MELENDEZ

Statistics: 21 G, .256/.307/.634/.931, 7 HR, 1 3B, 8 2B, 19 RBI, 6 BB, 24 SO

MJ Melendez spent a decent chunk of time up with the big club in the first half of the season, but he’s been down in Syracuse since late June. He had a great August, with 16 extra-base hits, but some of his bigger flaws still showed up. He still struck out 27.3% of the time, and I imagine the Mets will want to see that improve before he’s in consideration for a return to the show. He was also just leapfrogged on the depth chart by Nick Morabito, likely signalling the Mets’ focus shift to long-term development for the final month of the season. I’m not sure we’ll see Melendez in the big leagues again with the Mets.

There are a handful of players who had better slash lines over fewer games, like Mark Vientos, Christopher Morel, Vidal Bruján and D’Andre Smith, but Melendez’s production over his sample size and sheer volume of extra-base hits gets him the nod here.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JONAH TONG

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Gabe Davis

Gabe Davis is without a doubt the highest-ceiling arm acquired by the Mets at the deadline. Davis tore up High-A with the White Sox in eight games before going to Double-A and getting hit hard, but most of that damage also came in a three-start stretch. Since the trade, he’s thrown twice for the Rumble Ponies and has been much more in line with who he’s been all season besides that bad stretch. In his first start, he threw three innings and gave up five hits, a walk and three earned runs while punching out three. In his next, he threw three and 1/3 innings with one hit, three walks, one hit batsman and one unearned run while punching out four.

It’s probably already obvious, but his biggest flaw is strike throwing. He can run his fastball up into the triple digits, and control is a common problem for flamethrowers like him. He’s also 6-foot-9, which adds another wrinkle, as tall guys often have issues being consistent with their mechanics. Now for the good: He can hit 100 with great extension, which helps it play even faster. MLB Pipeline believes he has room to add velocity, too. His slider is also filthy, and he can throw it in the 90s. He has two legitimately great pitches, and he should have some time to work on a third and possibly fourth.

There’s a lot—and I mean A LOT—of reliever risk here, but the Mets will obviously do their best to make him work as a starter. Two elite pitches can play in short-inning stints, so if he can’t develop his changeup and curveball enough, he’ll almost certainly slide to the pen. The good thing is that if he does end up in the bullpen, his stuff is nasty enough where he does have a real chance of being a high-leverage reliever.

This is an upside play for the Mets. If he hits his ceiling, then he’s a true frontline starter type of arm.

Gary Gill Hill

Gary Gill Hill is just about the exact opposite type of arm from Davis. He doesn’t have nearly the same ceiling, but his floor is significantly higher. He doesn’t throw nearly as hard, sitting in the low-to-mid 90s, but can run it up higher on occasion. He’s also only 21, so there’s always the possibility there’s more velo to be unlocked. The four-pitch mix is solid, he just doesn’t throw anything that wows you.

His best attribute is easily his control. Gill Hill doesn’t walk batters at all. Among the 288 minor leaguers with at least 100 innings pitched, Gill Hill’s 5.3% walk rate ranks 20th. He’s also incredibly built up, throwing 136 2/3 innings so far this year, and he’s not done.

Gill Hill is a really safe bet to be a big leaguer. He throws strikes and has good enough stuff to make it, he just likely won’t ever be anything more than a back-end starter or swingman. I think there’s a really good path to significant MLB innings in 2027, as he’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster anyway to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Already up to Double-A, he could be one of the main candidates to make spot starts or provide length out of the pen when needed.

Luke Gabrysh

A lot of Mets fans were understandably underwhelmed by the return for Brooks Raley, and trading him to the Phillies doesn’t help matters. This trade hinges on Luke Gabrysh.

He does a lot of things well. He throws decently hard—not Davis levels—but firmly in the mid 90s. He throws a lot of strikes—not Gill Hill levels—but at a very solid rate. He needs to do a little bit better job of limiting walks, but his strike-throwing suggests that’ll come. He throws three fastballs (four-seam, sinker and cutter), a changeup and a sweeper, and all five pitches are useable. He might not have one standout trait, but he does almost everything well. He strikes batters out, keeps the ball on the ground at an above-average rate and throws strikes.

A 23-year-old at High-A, he is a tad old for the level, so I could see him getting a short look at Double-A before the season is up. At the very least, he’ll certainly start 2027 (if there is a 2027) there.

Zach Franklin, Photo Credit: Jim Margalus of Sox Machine

Zach Franklin

Now onto the relievers. Zach Franklin came along with Davis in the Huascar Brazobán deal, and there’s a lot to like about him as well. He does the two most important things a pitcher can do: He strikes batters out and walks batters at rates that are both well better than league averages. He primarily operates with a four-seam, slider, and splitter, and while all can play, the soft stuff is definitely the strong point. It’s a great trio of pitches for a relief pitcher.

His surface numbers in the minor leagues this year are iffy at best, but it’s wise not to trust minor league ERA a ton. There are too many variables at play—especially with how sloppy minor league defense can be—to use it as the primary stat. There are a lot of different things to look at, but one number I like to get a base gauge of a pitcher is K-BB%, and he has a great one. Put him in front of an MLB defense, and it’ll help him a ton.

Already at Triple-A, he could make his MLB debut this season. However, with how the Mets’ bullpen is pitching at the moment, I’m not sure there will be a spot. He’s another guy who will need to be added to the 40-man this offseason, so he’ll definitely get an opportunity at the latest next season.

Chayce McDermott

Fans will definitely recognize this name, as he went straight to the big league bullpen after the Mets acquired him on deadline day. Chayce McDermott was once the top pitching prospect in the Baltimore Orioles’ system, but he’s had a quick fall from grace after being ineffective in his limited big league looks in 2024 and 2025.

I’m really intrigued by McDermott. He landed with the Dodgers this year in mid-April following a trade, and it seems the Dodgers worked some of their magic on him before sending him along to the Mets. He sits at 95.9 mph on his four-seam fastball this year, up from 93.5 mph last year. He’s also messed with his usage rates, with that four-seam dropping from his first to third most used pitch, swapping places with his cutter. There’s significant velocity gains on that pitch, too, going from 87.2 mph in 2025 to 89.3 mph in 2026. The cutter’s usage is up from 11% to 42%, with the four-seam and slider both taking back seats. Who knows if it’ll work, but there’s a very clear deliberate change here coupled with some improved stuff, so I’m interested to see how it shakes out.

So far, he’s allowed just a two-run homer to a disgusted Matt Olson in 3 1/3 innings. They also got him at the cost of just Ben Rortvedt, so it’s a fantastic dart throw to see if there’s something here. If not, they lose nothing.

The post What Are Expectations for the Pitchers the Mets Got At the Deadline? appeared first on Metsmerized.

No, he’s not a 10.13 ERA pitcher. There are things to like. He throws pretty hard, has a strong arsenal that goes five pitches deep and pitched well in his handful of minor league appearances this season. He earned a look.

Ultimately, though, he’s not a part of the future of this franchise. The Mets’ focus the rest of this season should be on the development of players who can help them in 2027 and beyond. Stock is not one of those players. However, is there even anyone available to replace him, or do the Mets actually need Stock to eat innings? Let’s look at the candidates.

Jonah Tong

Jonah Tong made his MLB debut in 2025 and has appeared in three big league games this year, all in relief. The first was throwing the three final innings of a game, and the other two were behind an opener. He had his ups and downs, but showed a lot of the same struggles from last year.

In Triple-A, it’s been a disaster. In 19 starts, Tong has a 5.49 ERA. He’s still striking out batters at a good clip, but his walk rate is still too high. Just as it looked like he was turning a bit of a corner to end July, he gave up five homers in his first start of August. They were all solo shots and were also the only hits he gave up, but five homers is five homers. That’s bad.

There’s an argument to be made that at this point, the Mets should just let Tong try to work it out at the MLB level. The International League is not an overly friendly environment for pitchers when it comes to its ballparks, so maybe getting to pitch in big league stadiums with a big league defense behind him would help. Of course, he’d then have to face big league hitters too, so there’s that. However, I view Tong as someone whose stuff is either going to play, or it’s not, regardless of the opposition. If he can avoid beating himself, I think he can get MLB hitters out.

That said, he’s given the Mets no reason to reward him with a promotion. He needs to be better. If it were up to me, I would probably give him another MLB look, but I can’t fault the Mets for not doing so.

Jack Wenninger

In the first few weeks of the season, Jack Wenninger looked like he was positioning himself to be the first guy up from Syracuse when the Mets needed an arm. What’s unfolded over the last two and a half months, however, has been catastrophic. In his last 13 games, Wenninger has 6.36 ERA, fewer strikeouts than innings pitched and a pile of walks that is only getting larger.

With Wenninger, it’s really, really simple. He needs to throw strikes. His walk rate this season is 13.1%. That’s up from the 7.6% it was last year and the 8.0% from the year before. Until he fixes this issue, he’s not a big league option.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Jonathan Santucci

The top left-handed pitching prospect in the system, Jonathan Santucci is having a really strong season. He pitched consistently well at Double-A, earned a promotion to Triple-A at the end of July, and has turned in a pair of solid starts to begin his tenure at the new level. He hasn’t wowed, but he hasn’t looked overmatched.

I don’t think he’s an MLB option this year. It’s just too early. He’s too much of an unfinished product. He’s getting results on the back of his nasty fastball and slider combo, but his other two pitches still need work. He doesn’t have a lot of innings on his arm, so he really just needs to pitch more to keep honing them. That’s something that will come with time, but he needs to be allowed that time and not rushed. Santucci will throw big league innings next year (if there’s a season). This year, the best thing he can do is work on his changeup and curveball in a lower-stakes environment.

Tobias Myers

Remember him? Tobias Myers is still in Triple-A, and he seems like the most realistic option if the Mets replace Stock. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been good. In five games since his last MLB appearance, Myers has a 7.82 ERA. He’s also not very stretched out, maxing out at 3 and 1/3 innings during that span. Myers seems like an option if the Mets want to have a pseudo bullpen game, not a traditional starter. There are a lot of arms in the pen who are capable of going multiple innings, so it’s certainly possible. Stock could even factor into that, in theory.

The Verdict

That’s really it. Maybe there’s a 0.0001% chance they call up the newly acquired Gary Gill Hill straight from Double-A, but I doubt it. He’d throw strikes, but it would be unfair to the 21-year-old. I think Stock likely gets at least one more turn in the rotation. Maybe they throw an opener in front of him this time.

The Mets would probably love Tong to force the issue. If he was pitching even close to well, this wouldn’t be a conversation. He just hasn’t earned it.

There’s one more thing that should be addressed. Yes, Tong and Wenninger haven’t had very good seasons. There’s a lot of talk about how the Mets’ minor league system has taken a big step back this year. That might be partially true in some aspects, but it’s missing the full picture.

For one, that’s what happens when you graduate as many players as the Mets have. If you count Christian Scott—and you should, as this is the first time in his career he’s had an extended run in the big leagues—then 3/5 of the Mets’ rotation is comprised of freshly graduated players. Scott, Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton have all been big contributors this season, and all have recently graduated from the organization’s player development system. Then, of course, you have the two outfielders who look like franchise cornerstones.

Tong, Wenninger and some others have taken steps back. There’s no denying it. But development isn’t linear, and they still have plenty of time to right the ship. If they don’t, then frankly, it happens! Top prospects don’t pan out all the time, for every single team in baseball. Chayce McDermott was the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization on MLB Pipeline just last season. Now, he’s a member of the Mets’ bullpen on his third team of the season.

Just as some guys have taken steps back, others have taken steps forward. Mitch Voit is exploding in Double-A. Daviel Hurtado is having a breakout season in High-A. Channing Austin, Nick Lorusso, Emilio Obispo, Jose Chirinos, Garrett Stratton, Corey Collins, John Bay, JT Benson, Bryce Jenkins and others have all either taken steps forward or emerged in their first full season of minor league baseball.

It’s how minor league baseball works.

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TRIPLE-A: SYRACUSE METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: CHRISTOPHER MOREL

Statistics: 20 G, .318/.400/.636/1.036, 5 HR, 6 2B, 13 RBI, 9 BB, 18 SO

Do you remember that the Mets have Christopher Morel? Signed as a minor league free agent on July 1, Morel was sent straight to Syracuse and started mashing. He’s got pop, and he made a decent bit of non-homer contact this month too. This also doesn’t include his three-home-run game from August 2, either, so he’s really been productive in Triple-A since joining the organization.

The story with Morel has always been the same: When at his best, he can be a good major league hitter who makes loud contact. When at his worst, he can’t make contact. The Marlins saw his worst this season when he struck out 38.4% of the time in 22 big league games, ultimately leading to his release. His strikeout rate was only 24% in July, which is definitely an improvement, but it’s still against Triple-A pitching. At this point, we need to see it in the majors to believe there’s any real change. He has also never been able to find a defensive home, and has split his time between the two corner infield spots for Syracuse. Maybe he gets a chance at some point if there’s an injury, but I don’t know how likely it is.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JONAH TONG

Jonah Tong needed this. After putting up perhaps the best season of any minor league pitcher in 2025 and even earning a big league look, Tong’s taken a substantial step back in 2026. He’s walking too many hitters (a consequence of just not throwing enough strikes) and getting hit more. The new pitches he’s been working on just haven’t been as effective as they need to be. July was at least a step in the right direction.

Is he back? I don’t think I’m willing to say that yet. His K-BB% in July was almost exactly the same as it has been all year, so there is a possibility he just got more fortunate batted ball luck. With that said, it’s at least encouraging to see nonetheless. His last two starts suggest there could be a real improvement, giving up one earned run over 9 and 2/3 innings with an improved K-BB%. Most of those gains came from strikeouts, though, as he still walked 15% of batters. That’s just too high.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

It was a great bounce-back month for Noah Hall, who was having a tough season repeating High-A. It’s really hard to get much better allowing a single earned run and just nine hits in 23 and 1/3 innings. Hall’s biggest issue is he doesn’t throw enough strikes for someone who sits around 90-91 mph, and while he made slight improvements in July, they weren’t big enough to feel truly encouraged by. He’s also finally up to Double-A to start August.

The post Minor League Players of the Month: July 2026 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brazobán, acquired by the Mets at the 2024 trade deadline from the Miami Marlins for Wilfredo Lara, has more than returned value in the parts of three seasons he spent in Queens. Across 117 appearances as a Met, Brazobán posted a 3.42 ERA with 123 strikeouts over 136 and 2/3 innings. He accumulated 1.2 fWAR in his Mets career. Lara has not made it past High-A, the level he was at when the Mets traded him two years ago.

Davis, 22, was a 5th-round pick in 2025 out of Oklahoma State. He was teammates with both Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. He was mainly a reliever in college, whom the White Sox have stretched out into a starter. He only threw 24 and 1/3 innings his draft year due to shoulder issues stemming from a fishing accident. He’s listed as 6-foot-9, 234 lbs.

The right-hander started 2026 well, posting a 2.63 ERA with 33 strikeouts and seven walks in 27 and 1/3 innings over eight starts at High-A. He received a promotion to Double-A on May 30 and has struggled since. In 10 starts at that level, Davis has an 8.31 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 17 walks over 34 and 2/3 innings. Most of that damage came in a three-start span in the second-half of June, where he gave up 19 earned runs in 8 and 1/3 innings. In his other seven starts, Davis has given up 13 earned runs in 26 and 1/3 innings. That’s still a 4.44 ERA, but it’s not as gaudy a figure.

Baseball America has Davis as Chicago’s No. 20 overall prospect with a 60-grade fastball, 60-grade slider, 40-grade changeup and 40-grade control. They say his fastball can touch 100 with great extension and a lot of spin, and he had the makings of a Day 1 pick before his injury. MLB Pipeline has him at No. 18 with a similar scouting report.

Davis is definitely a project, but it’s an intriguing upside swing. Pitchers who can throw 100 mph don’t grow on trees. There’s a lot of reliever risk with him, but the Mets will certainly try to keep developing him as a starter. If he does end up shifting to the bullpen, he has two plus pitches to work with. A lot of times, that’s enough to be effective in short spurts, especially if you throw as hard as Davis does.

Franklin, 27, was a 10th-round pick by the White Sox in 2023 out of Missouri. Chicago signed him for just $10,000—$157.60k below slot—no-doubt contributing to the over $750,000 over-slot signing of 7th-rounder George Wolkow. A reliever, Franklin has slowly but surely worked his way through Chicago’s minor league system over the last four seasons. He has spent his entire 2026 at Triple-A, posting a 4.37 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 14 walks over 45 and 1/3 innings.

He features a low-to-mid 90s fastball, slider, splitter and curveball. He’s well above average in both striking batters out and limiting walks. Hitters chase out of the zone and whiff at well above-average rates, but he has gotten hit hard when batters do connect. Given his age and upper-minors experience, it seems likely he’ll make his MLB debut in the final two months, especially after the Mets trade away more bullpen pieces as they’re expected to. He will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, too, so the Mets need to add him to the 40-man roster anyway. He seems destined to ride the shuttle from Syracuse to Queens and back for the next few seasons.

It’s not a staggering return, but at 36 years old, the Mets have flipped Brazobán for more than they acquired him for. There’s an argument to be made that Davis’ upside alone makes this a stronger return than the Blue Jays got for Kevin Gausman, though that might be more of a reflection on how poorly Toronto did in that deal.

The post Mets Trade Huascar Brazobán to White Sox appeared first on Metsmerized.

Steven Matz and Jon Niese are the only other notable lefty starters the Mets have developed this millennium. Both were/are solid MLB starters, but that’s it. Three left-handed starting pitchers in 26-plus years is nothing to write home about.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

That could change soon. The Mets have four lefties in the minor leagues right now who could all be potential MLB pitchers. One already is. That’s still not some staggering number, but even if half of them become productive starters in the next few years, the Mets will have matched 2/3 of the lefties developed since 2000 in about 1/10 of the time.

Jonathan Santucci

The list has to start with Jonathan Santucci. Without a doubt, Santucci has the highest ceiling of the four. The way he’s throwing this year, he has a strong case for the best pitching prospect in the organization. Part of that is due to the regression of Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger, but Santucci has also earned it.

His ERA is up a little bit, from 3.06 last year to 3.57 this year, but it’s not something I’m overly concerned about. The top priority for Santucci this season was developing his changeup and curveball, something he discussed recently. When new pitches are being worked on live in games, sometimes the overall numbers suffer.

Santucci has said he’s more comfortable with the pitches now, and while there’s no public pitch-tracking data at Double-A to confirm those pitches are performing better, his overall numbers suggest he’s correct. Over his first five starts, Santucci had a 5.57 ERA. Over his next four, his ERA was 4.05. Over his next and most recent eight, it’s 2.54. He also recently struck out a career-high 13 batters in 5 2/3 innings. While he was charged with four earned runs, he didn’t get hit hard; he just fell victim to some soft grounders that found holes and to poor defense behind him.

It’s plausible to think that his improved results have correlated with him getting more comfortable with his changeup and curveball. The same thinking can apply to his walk rate. It’s up from last year, but really only over his first five starts. It makes sense that a pitcher wouldn’t be able to perfectly locate two work-in-progress pitches right away. In that span, it was 19.1%. In 14 starts since, it’s 9.8%. Still up a tad from his 8.5% last year, but it’s pretty negligible.

Lastly, his groundball rate is 52.5%, up 5.7% from 2025. It’s an underratedly important stat for pitchers. It’s the 12th-best among minor leaguers with at least 80 innings pitched, and second-best among those with at least 90 innings pitched. He’s also the only minor league pitcher who has at least 80 innings pitched with a groundball rate over 50% and strikeout rate over 30%. A lot of times, groundballs can correlate with soft-tossers who pitch to contact. That’s not the case with Santucci.

This is a top 100 prospect. He’s not ranked that way yet, but he should be.

Zac Thornton vs. Braves

Zac Thornton

Next up is Zac Thornton, who Mets fans are starting to know well. He’s made four starts for the Mets so far this season, and it looks like he’s going to stick in the rotation. Thornton’s three most recent starts have been triumphs. On July 12, he threw seven shutout innings, five strikeouts and four baserunners—one of the best outings any Mets starter has had this season. On July 21, he threw six more shutout innings with two strikeouts and four baserunners. His 18-inning scoreless streak ended in the first inning of his most recent start, but he still went six innings and allowed just three runs against the Braves’ strong lineup.

At his best, Thornton is a high-floor, low-ceiling arm. His start against the Brewers is evidence of that. The six shutout innings were great, but he only punched out two and gave up some hard contact that just happened to find gloves. He doesn’t throw particularly hard or have standout stuff, but he does throw strikes. (Steve Gelbs on Monday detailed a story about how hard it was for Thornton to not throw strikes when learning to locate outside of the zone.) His Triple-A performance has been a bit up and down this year, but he’s been excellent in his last three big league starts. There’s a good chance he can stick long term as a back-of-the-rotation starter. Being a lefty helps.

Daviel Hurtado

Then there’s Daviel Hurtado, who is without a doubt the most exciting arm the Mets have in the lower levels of the minors. A 21-year-old who was promoted to High-A near the end of May, Hurtado looks like the real deal. His fastball already sits in the mid-90s and his slider in the high-80s, a deadly combination. He has a good curveball, too, and is working on a changeup. Give him some time to finish developing it, and it’s a full starter’s arsenal.

The results have been nuts. In 54 innings across Single-A and High-A, Hurtado has a 2.33 ERA with 58 strikeouts and just 12 walks. His WHIP is 0.83. That’s the fifth-best WHIP among 684 minor league pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, trailing the likes of Kade Anderson and Ramon Marquez. A lefty who can throw hard and throw strikes? This is someone who should skyrocket up the organization’s top prospects list.

Nicolas Carreno

Lastly, there’s Nicolas Carreno. Another hard-thrower at High-A, Carreno is a little bit behind Hurtado in success, but he’s also almost a year and a half younger. He just turned 20 a month ago. While he’s been up and down so far in Brooklyn, he was dominant in St. Lucie, and his age buys him more than a few mulligans.

His arsenal—a four-seam, sinker and slider—isn’t as deep, but all three pitches are good. The slider is the standout, but both fastballs are strong in their own right. He’s far from a finished product, but there’s something here. The arsenal makes him the most likely of the group to eventually move to the bullpen, but for now, he’s being developed to start. It’s really as simple as he’s a 20-year-old lefty who throws in the mid-90s. That demands attention.

The Mets also just added another lefty, Shane Sdao, in the fourth round of the 2026 MLB Draft. He can run it up to 97 and command his five-pitch arsenal, so there’s considerable upside here.

Lefties are better. All other things being equal, a lefty will have more success than a righty. There has been a drought of lefties in the Mets’ farm system for decades, but the tide is starting to turn.

The post A Lefty Pitcher Resurgence is Happening Down on the Farm appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets find themselves looking to get younger. They now have a whole new crop of players entering the farm system. Let’s take a look at a handful who jump off the page.

Carson Wiggins.

Carson Wiggins, RHP

Yes, it’s the first rounder, but Carson Wiggins is easily the most fascinating pick of the Mets’ draft. Wiggins is still on his way back from internal brace surgery on his elbow, but when healthy, he is the type of arm who can throw 102 mph. MLB Pipeline has him with an 80-grade fastball—you can’t teach that. Baseball America has it at 70-grade. His slider is filthy, too.

It’s a “reach” in the sense that Wiggins was drafted at No. 27, much higher than he was ranked on MLB Pipeline (No. 88) and Baseball America (No. 104), but Wiggins’ true talent is among the best in the draft. His concerns lie with his health, but if he can return from his elbow surgery strong and stay healthy, then the Mets just got a premier talent at a spot in the draft that’s not often possible. It’s a big swing, but if it works, a potentially fantastic one.

Aiden Robbins. Photo credit: University of Texas

Aiden Robbins, OF

After “reaching” for Wiggins in the first round, the Mets snagged Aiden Robbins—MLB’s No. 29 and Baseball America’s No. 28 prospect—at pick No. 92. The third-round pick was the Mets’ second selection after forfeiting their second-round pick by signing Bo Bichette this offseason. Robbins “fell” likely due to some contact concerns. MLB Pipeline is more bullish, giving him a 55-contact and 55-power grade, but Baseball America has him at just 45-contact and 50-power. His issue is a tendency to chase the soft stuff, which both outlets agree on.

The interesting part about Robbins will be where his bat-to-ball skills fall. If he can handle the soft stuff enough, then he can tap into his power and continue to crush the hard stuff. If not, then his bat probably won’t play in a corner outfield, which is where he’s likely ticketed. The other notable thing is he’s a right-handed hitter, which is becoming increasingly rare among outfielders, and something the Mets won’t necessarily have in the future (Juan Soto, Carson Benge and AJ Ewing are all left-handed hitting).

Shane Sdao.

Shane Sdao, LHP

The left-handed pitcher resurgence is happening in the Mets’ farm system. Shane Sdao is now joining the party. Even higher-ranked by Baseball America than Wiggins, Sdao has good velocity, a deep arsenal and above-average control. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s but can touch 97 mph, and he’s a year removed from Tommy John surgery himself, so there’s potential for him to regain what he had before. He has a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup to go with it, and can locate them all. Lefties are always more valuable, and a lefty with good velo and control is rare.

Luke McNeillie, RHP

There’s a recent history of the Mets taking former college relief pitchers and stretching them out into starters. Luke McNeillie is just that. He even went to Florida and was drafted in the fifth round, so he’ll be looking to follow almost the same path as Christian Scott. He throws hard, has a good slider, but has some walk issues. If he can make the transition to starter, he has mid-rotation ceiling, but it’ll be a difficult task.

Aidan Keenan, RHP

The Mets have taken a lot of pitchers with high-velocity fastballs this draft, and Aidan Keenan fits the bill. Joe Doyle of Over-Slot has Keenan sitting 96-99 mph with his heater and three other pitches and solid control. There’s a super high ceiling here with the seventh-round pick, and he’ll join the ever-growing group of Mets pitching prospects in the development pipeline. It’s impossible to predict how a player will take to pro ball, but Keenan has enticing tools.

AJ Krodel, RHP

I’m going with the opinion of people way smarter than I. Jacob Rudner of Baseball America says AJ Krodel is interesting, and that’s good enough for me. If he can add some velo to go with his natural ability to spin the baseball, his stock will rise a good amount.

Jacob Madrid, C

The Mets signed their 13th-rounder Jacob Madrid, one of the two high school players the organization drafted. This is another instance of trusting those who know more. Madrid was featured in an MLB Pipeline story about the most interesting Day 2 picks. A great defensive catcher, Madrid is the type of prospect where, if he’s even an average hitter, he’ll be a good player.

The post The Most Intriguing Mets’ 2026 Draft Picks appeared first on Metsmerized.

As the weather heated up, so did the bats. Well, for the most part. Don’t look at Ryan Clifford‘s June numbers.

TRIPLE-A: SYRACUSE METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: NICK MORABITO

Statistics: 24 G, slash, 3 HR, 5 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 11 BB, 25 SO, 11 SB (0 CS)

Yonny Hernández finished with a better slash line, but I’m still going to give the nod to Nick Morabito here because of what his recent developments could mean for the post-trade-deadline New York Mets. In 70 Triple-A games, Morabito has 22 extra-base hits. Nine of those have come in 24 games in June. He also homered on the final day of May, which would have further shown his power uptick if the calendar had just lined up a little bit differently. Morabito is never going to be a big power threat, but it’s encouraging to see him hitting the ball with authority. If the Mets make a move at the deadline, like sending Tyrone Taylor to a team that could use a fourth outfielder, Morabito could come up to fill that spot.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: NATE LAVENDER

Last week, I wrote about how Nate Lavender‘s MLB debut might finally be around the corner. Since then, he’s thrown four more scoreless innings with five strikeouts and only three baserunners. After leaving the organization for a year as a casualty of the Rule 5 Draft, he has been returned to the Mets from the Rays and is looking like the exciting lefty reliever Mets fans were ready for a few years ago. Xzavion Curry deserves a shoutout here for a very strong month, but 19 strikeouts in 27 innings just isn’t enough to beat out what Lavender did from the pen.

Nick Lorusso. Photo credit: Rick Nelson

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JONATHAN SANTUCCI

Statistics: 5 G (5 GS), 22.0 IP, 16 H, 8 R (7 ER), 25 SO, 13 BB, 2.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP

Jonathan Santucci might be the best pitching prospect in the Mets’ system. He has a nasty slider, a great fastball and two developing pitches in a curveball and a changeup that both look promising. His June was great, and in a year where it seems like a lot of the Mets’ top pitching prospects have struggled and taken steps back, Santucci has maintained. He did leave his last start of the month on June 30 after two hitless innings, but there was a long rain delay, so that’s more than likely the reason.

JT Benson. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

HIGH-A: BROOKLYN CYCLONES

HITTER OF THE MONTH: JT BENSON

Statistics: 19 G, .288/.405/.652/1.057, 5 HR, 5 2B, 2 3B, 14 RBI, 10 BB, 20 SO

June was a big rebound month for a lot of Cyclone hitters, including Mitch Voit, Corey Collins, Daiverson Gutierrez and Ronald Hernandez, but it’s JT Benson who takes the top spot. Benson isn’t really a bounce back; he hit well enough in May. But he was clearly the best of the bunch. For a college bat signed after two seasons in indy ball, Benson’s breakout is the kind of one that’s always fun to see. He’s a good athlete in the outfield, and he’s old enough that even though he’s still relatively new to High-A, the Mets could push him quickly to Double-A, too.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: DAVIEL HURTADO

Statistics: 5 G (5 GS), 26.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R (6 ER), 26 SO, 4 BB, 2.03 ERA, 0.56 WHIP

Daviel Hurtado is in the middle of a full-fledged breakout. Promoted to Brooklyn at the end of May, he has been nails. June was a work of art. On June 30, to close his month, Hurtado went six full innings scoreless, allowing just one hit and one walk while punching out eight. It was his second-straight start where he went six full innings, too. A 21-year-old lefty who throws in the mid-90s and could have even more in the tank, Hurtado should be on everyone’s radar.

SINGLE-A: ST. LUCIE METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: YOHAIRO CUEVAS

Statistics: 13 G, .326/.456/.630/1.086, 2 HR, 8 2B, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 9 SO

It was a tough month for St. Lucie hitters. Elian Peña struggled, Antonio Jimenez struggled, Randy Guzman got hurt and no one else really separated themselves. So, it goes to Yohairo Cuevas, who started the year in Brooklyn but was sent down to St. Lucie after a really rough start. His sample size is a little smaller than others because he was sent back to Brooklyn on June 18. An outfielder with a strong arm, Cuevas tore up St. Lucie while he was there, and his next task will be figuring out High-A.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: CAM TILLY

Statistics: 4 G (4 GS), 18 IP, 10 H, 3 R (2 ER), 15 SO, 5 BB, 1.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP

Where St. Lucie bats struggled, St. Lucie pitchers excelled. Emilio Obispo, Joel Lara and Zack Mack all deserve recognition, but Cam Tilly was the best. He threw 6 and 1/3 no-hit innings on June 9 to start a combined no-hitter. That might have gotten him player of the month honors alone, but then he gave up just two more earned runs in 11 and 2/3 innings before and after in the month. It’s a big bounce-back month for the 22-year-old who entered the year as a popular under-the-radar arm to pop, but just hasn’t so far.

FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE: FCL METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: VLADI GOMEZ

Statistics: 19 G, .377/.443/.472/.915, 1 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI,5  BB, 8 SO, 11 SB (3 CS)

It was tight between Vladi Gomez and Bohan Adderley as the two had nearly identical numbers, but Gomez’s low strikeout numbers gave him the edge. The 20-year-old has played second base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field this season, and has a lot of experience in center as well. With the way St. Lucie’s bats hit in June, Gomez should get a look back at Single-A. He’s had two short stints there so far this year and hit well in six games. Time to make the move permanent.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: CALVIN ZIEGLER

Statistics: 3 G (2 GS), 2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R (1 ER), 3 SO, 2 BB, 3.86 ERA, 2.14 WHIP

It’s pretty slim pickings here for FCL Mets pitchers, so we’ll go with a different angle. Calvin Ziegler made his return to the mound for the first time since April of 2024, over two full years ago. At one time a big name in the Mets’ farm system, Ziegler has been plagued by injuries throughout his minor league career. When healthy, the strikeout numbers have been tantalizing, but he really hasn’t been fully healthy since 2022. From 2023 through now, he has 9 and 1/3 total innings. All that matters right now, though, is he’s back, and it’s great to see.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE: DSL METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: CLEINER RAMIREZ

Statistics: 20 G, .316/.388/.618/1.006, 5 HR, 8 2B, 13 RBI, 5 BB, 10 SO, 6 SB (1 CS)

Cleiner Ramirez received the second-largest signing bonus in the Mets’ most recent IFA class, and he’s showing why so far. He’s only 5-foot-9, but he packs a punch, with his 13 extra-base hits leading all Mets in the DSL. He’s played both up-the-middle infield positions and center field so far through his first 20 professional games, and has just overall looked really, really impressive. The Mets might have something here.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: RANDY GUZMAN

Statistics: 4 G (1 GS), 13.2 IP, 9 H, 1 R (0 ER), 17 SO, 3 BB, 0.00 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

It’s always really, really tough to evaluate pitchers in the Dominican Summer League, but it gets easier when a guy doesn’t give up a run. Or, at least, an earned run. The strikeout rate is great, the walk rate is great, and really, everything Randy Guzman showed in the first month of his season has been great. And yes, this is a different Randy Guzman from the Single-A power hitter. Can’t wait to have fun dealing with that for the next few years, at least.

The post Minor League Players of the Month: June 2026 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Nate Lavender, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Then, seven games into his 2024 season at Triple-A, he tore his UCL. Lavender underwent the internal brace procedure on his elbow and missed the rest of the season. The Mets didn’t add Lavender, who was still recovering from elbow surgery, to the 40-man roster ahead of 2025. The Tampa Bay Rays pounced, taking Lavender in the Rule 5 Draft. The Mets’ best chance at a homegrown lefty reliever was gone.

Lavender suffered a setback with the Rays and needed another surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow. He never pitched for the Rays, and after the season, he was returned to the Mets, this time with much less hype around him.

Finally healthy, he slowly worked his way through Single-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn through the first month of the season, easing his way into his first game action since early 2024. He rejoined Triple-A Syracuse on May 9, and since then, he has looked great.

Don’t let the ERA—4.41 at Triple-A and 4.78 overall—fool you. Lavender has been excellent.

Nate Lavender in 2026. Image courtesy of Thomas Nestico @TJStats on X.

ERA, especially in the minor leagues, can be deceiving. Minor league defenses can be ugly, and minor league ballparks themselves are weird. There are many other stats you can look at instead, and one of the best, and arguably the simplest, is K-BB%. Strikeout minus walk ratio is very important, and Lavender is killing it. He’s striking out a staggering 42% of batters in Triple-A, and walking 8.7%. That’s a 33.3% K-BB% at Triple-A, a Top 5 mark across all pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched at the level. It’s the best in the Mets organization among pitchers at any level.

Lavender doesn’t throw hard, but the stuff is good. He’s a funky lefty, and guys like him consistently get away with not throwing hard. He throws strikes, gets a ton of swing and miss, and keeps the ball on the ground at a rate well above average. The ingredients are there.

The Mets currently have two lefties in the bullpen with Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter, but there’s still plenty of room for Lavender. (Realistically, you can see a world where he sticks if the Mets decide to sell at the deadline and send Raley and Minter to contenders.) There’s no rule against three lefties, and if anything, it’s probably a good thing. At the very least, Lavender should join Jonathan Pintaro, Daniel Duarte and others in the group of relievers who ride the express from Syracuse to Queens and back throughout the year.

It’s time for the once highly anticipated MLB debut of Nate Lavender.

The post Is It Finally Nate Lavender Time? appeared first on Metsmerized.