Jaylen Palmer, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Jaylen Palmer hit three home runs this week as Brooklyn took four of six from Hudson Valley. We’ll take a closer look at Palmer’s potential breakout series and other happenings throughout the Mets’ system.

Triple-A Syracuse

Syracuse dropped three of four to the Buffalo Bison with a pair of rainouts.

Johneshwy Fargas led the Mets with five hits in 18 at-bats last week including a double and a home run. He also stole a pair of bases to give him nine on the year between Syracuse and Binghamton.

Mark Vientos also had another solid week, going 5-for-19 with a pair of doubles. The 22-year-old is now slashing .213/.306/.426 this season while posting a .831 OPS in his last 39 at-bats.

Pitching was inconsistent in Syracuse again. The best start of the week came from Connor Grey. The right-hander struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and a pair of walks. Grey, a 20th-round draft pick in 2016 who joined the Mets’ organization last season, now has a 4.78 ERA through 32 innings this season.

On the other end, Mike Montgomery could only record one out while allowing four runs on two hits and three walks. The veteran southpaw is now 0-5 with a 6.61 ERA through eight starts.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies dropped five of six to the Akron RubberDucks as they fall to 12-26 on the season.

Jake Mangum led the Ponies with an 8-f0r-19 series including a pair of doubles, culminating with a promotion to Triple-A. The 26-year-old outfielder was slashing .283/.353/.408 in 12o at-bats with Binghamton.

Meanwhile, it was an up-and-down week for some of the Mets’ top prospects. Ronny Mauricio went 7-for-25 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run though struck out 12 times. He’s now slashing .270/.302/.496 with a 27.5% strikeout-rate. Francisco Álvarez was also punched out 11 times in a 6-for-24 week. The 20-year-old backstop still hasn’t homered since April 17.

Binghamton pitching struggled mightily last week allowing 40 runs in the six-game set.

Jose Butto allowed three earned runs on six hits in just 2 2/3 innings. Butto now has a 3.77 ERA in eight starts. Jose Chacin and Alex Valverde each allowed four runs in four-plus innings while David Griffin was shelled for seven runs in 4.1 innings.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones took four of six from the Hudson Valley Renegades as they improve to 17-19.

There were some encouraging performances in Brooklyn this week. Jaylen Palmer went 5-for-14 with three home runs (his first three of the year) and a double. The New York native is now slashing .174/.304/.314 after a very slow start to the season.

Shervyen Newton also hit a pair of home runs in a 4-for-16 week. Jose Peroza and Joe Suozzi homered as well in the series victory.

Brooklyn also got some solid pitching performances last week. Nolan Clenney pitched nine innings over two starts, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out ten. Clenney, signed as a free agent last June, has a 4.84 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in 22.1 innings.

Junior Santos and Garrison Bryant each allowed two earned runs in five innings. Meanwhile, Daison Acosta allowed four earned runs on two hits and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning.

Low-A St. Lucie

St. Lucie split their series with the Tampa Tarpons, winning the first three before dropping the final three contests.

Alex Ramirez led the Mets again with seven hits, including a double, in 23 at-bats.

Omar De Los Santos continued his blazing start to the season going 5-for-22 with a home run and four stolen bases. De Los Santos now has a .786 OPS with four home runs and 21 stolen bases.

Carlos Dominguez and Junior Tilien each had five hits and a home run as well, while Kevin Villavicencio went 5-for-15 with two doubles and a stolen base.

Mike Vasil earned a promotion to High-A Brooklyn after allowing just an unearned run on two hits over seven innings while striking out 11. Vasil, an eighth-round pick out of the University of Virginia, was 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 35 innings with St. Lucie.

Calvin Ziegler showed off his potential as well, striking out nine over 4 2/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on two hits and three walks.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Alex Ramirez (SLU) – .353

OPS – Alex Ramirez – .916

HR – Daniel Palka (SYR)/Carlos Dominguez (SLU) – 9

SB – Omar De Los Santos (SLU) – 21

Pitching (min. 20 innings)

ERA – Carson Seymour (SLU) – 1.19

SO – Calvin Ziegler (SLU) – 48

WHIP – Mike Vasil (SLU/BRK) – 0.97

Players of the Week

Offensive: Jaylen Palmer – 3B/OF Brooklyn

Palmer was selected in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft out of Holy Cross High School, a 10-minute drive on Northern Boulevard from Citi Field.

After a pair of solid seasons in rookie ball, expectations were high for Palmer following his debut 2021 debut with St. Lucie where he slashed .276/.378/.386 while stealing 23 bases.

However, he struggled after a promotion to Brooklyn midway through the season and opened 2022 with a .174./.304/.314 line and a staggering 45.1% K-rate.

Palmer broke through this week with four extra-base hits (including his first three home runs of the season) and six RBIs. Hopefully, a strong week will mark a turning point for the versatile 21-year-old. Despite a lower draft stock, Palmer came into the year as Baseball America’s 14th-ranked prospect in the Mets system thanks to his speed/power combo and ability to play multiple positions well defensively. He’s already demonstrated the speed element (six steals in seven attempts this season) and hinted at his power potential this week.

When Palmer does hit the ball he hits it hard. Cutting down on strikeouts will be key to his success in 2022 and beyond.

Pitching: Mike Vasil – RHP St. Lucie/Brooklyn

Vasil was dominant for St. Lucie Tuesday, striking out 11 in a victory. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out another two in an inning Sunday before being pulled in anticipation of his promotion to High-A Brooklyn.

Vasil, drafted in the eighth round of the 2021 draft, has the potential to be a fast riser. He was a highly-regarded prospect in high school, with some viewing him as a potential first-round pick in the 2018 draft. However, Vasil withdrew from the draft following an injury and went on to pitch at the University of Virginia. He couldn’t seem to match his success post-injury, finishing his final collegiate season with a 4.89 ERA in 15 starts.

The Mets saw enough upside in Vasil to take him in the eighth, and so far it’s paid off. He throws a mid-90s fastball with a hard cutter while he continues to develop a solid curveball and a mid-80s changeup.  In 42 innings between 2021 and 2022, Vasil has a 1.71 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP while logging 47 strikeouts. If he can keep up his success in High-A, Vasil could make a push for Binghamton before the end of the summer.

Promotions/Demotions

  • Mike Vasil from Low-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
  • Carson Seymour from Low-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
  • Jake Mangum from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse
  • Carlos Cortes from Triple-A Syracuse to Double-A Binghamton
  • Quinn Brodey from Triple-A Syracuse to Double-A Binghamton
  • Joel Diaz to Low-A St. Lucie
  • Javier Atencio to Low-A St. Lucie

Upcoming Schedule: May 24-29

Syracuse: vs. Rochester

Binghamton: @ Reading

Brooklyn: @ Bowling Green

St. Lucie: @ Dunedin