Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Triple-A Recap

Syracuse Mets (6-11) 4, Worcester Red Sox (10-8) 2  Box Score

The Mets didn’t have a ton going on offense in Sunday’s game, but they got the big hit when they needed it. Plummer was the one who came through for them with his go-ahead three-run homer to right field in the eighth inning. He hasn’t played much yet this season with the time he’s spent on the major league taxi squad, but Plummer has looked very strong through his first six games with Syracuse. Used at all three outfield positions a year ago, it is interesting to note that he has only played center field this season.

Vientos had a .978 OPS during his cup of coffee with Syracuse last year, so it is a bit of a surprise to see him struggle so mightily through the first couple of weeks of 2022. Four of his eight hits have gone for extra bases, so the power is still there, but his 34% K% is very high. The other top-hitting prospects in Syracuse – Khalil Lee and Carlos Cortes – have experienced similar struggles this season.

Syracuse has had significant pitching woes early in the 2022 season, but these three pitchers have not been responsible for those struggles. Montgomery has been consistently good through his first four starts, giving up no more than two earned runs in any single start. His 16:1 K: BB ratio over 17.0 innings pitched is also outstanding. Claudio has only given up one earned run over his first eight innings this season.

Double-A Recap

Portland Sea Dogs (9-6) 13, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (4-10) 5  Box Score

It’s a rare sight to look at a Binghamton box score and see that both Baty and Álvarez were hitless, but Sunday was one of those unusual days. Mauricio, however, picked up the slack for his fellow top prospects with a multi-hit game of his own. Through the first 14 games of the season, the three top prospects are among the top 13 hitters in the Eastern League in terms of OPS. MMO’s Josh Finkelstein noted Ronny Mauricio’s debut on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.

It almost seems hypercritical to say anything negative about a player with an OPS over 1.000 and the youngest player in the league. Still, Álvarez has been uncharacteristically strikeout-prone over the past few games. He has a 31.1 K% for the season, well above his 22.3% from last year. Both Àlvarez and Mauricio were removed for pinch hitters in the eighth inning; the Rumble Ponies gave no reason for their removal, but it does not appear injury-related.

It was a start to forget for Ragan, against whom more at bats ended in home runs (3) than outs (2). He hadn’t been dominant early in the season, but this start ballooned his ERA from a sour 5.87 to an abysmal 12.96. Lasko wasn’t much better in relief (although he did make it from the second through the fourth inning unscathed), and the score was out of hand by the fifth inning. However, one positive from this pitching performance is that Otanez continues to look strong and displays much better control in relief than last year. It has only been five appearances, but a 1.93 BB/9 was a dramatic improvement from his 9.15 BB/9 a year ago.

High-A Recap

Hudson Valley Renegades (8-7) 3, Brooklyn Cyclones (8-7) 0  Box Score

There was nothing positive about the Cyclones’ offensive performance on Sunday. They recorded just two hits on the day and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Palmer improved his strikeout numbers a bit last season, especially during his time with St. Lucie, but a 48.6% K% through his first ten games is certainly not conducive to success for the high-upside prospect. However, offensive struggles early this season are not limited to just Palmer. Instead, the Cyclones rank dead last in the South Atlantic League with a .580 team OPS.

Acosta lasted just one inning in his third start of the season. He is coming back from Tommy John surgery and threw 56 pitches in his last outing, so seeing him leaving this start after throwing just 16 pitches is a bit concerning. Following Acosta’s outing, Bryant pitched well in relief. Courtney has looked excellent in his first full season in the Mets organization. He has given up just two earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched and has a 13.5 K/9.

Low-A Recap

Jupiter Hammerheads (8-7) 2, St. Lucie Mets (9-6) 1  Box Score

The Mets couldn’t get anything going offensively in Sunday’s game. They had just seven hits and couldn’t take advantage of their limited chances, with Newton’s RBI double in the eighth inning being their lone hit with runners in scoring position out of seven at bats. Consuegra is one of the more exciting prospects on this St. Lucie team, but he has struggled a bit with strikeouts: he has recorded a 35.1% K% through the first 13 games of the season. Alex Ramirez was not in the lineup for Sunday’s game.

Hamel made his third start of the season but was removed after one scoreless, 14-pitch inning. It is unclear if this was because he was being used as an opener for Seymour or if the removal was injury-related. He had gone at least four innings in his first two starts of the season. Seymour has thrown nine scoreless innings and has held opponents to a .335 OPS this season.