Mets Minors Weekly Report: Kevin Parada, Luis Moreno Shine

The Mets have been a brutally tough watch through most of the 2023 season. Thankfully, the top prospects in the team’s farm system have been able to offer a reprieve as well as a glimpse into what will hopefully be a bright future for the organization. Here are the biggest developments this week, including extraordinary hitting from Kevin Parada and award-winning performances from Luis Moreno.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets won five of six games away at the Durham Bulls. The Mets strung together a six-game winning streak this week, including the first five games of this series, to improve to 33-41 on the year.

Ronny Mauricio was hitless through the first four games of the series, continuing a slump that has persisted through most of the month of June. He managed to record four hits over the final two games of the series, but he was still 4-for-25 this week with one extra-base hit and one steal.

Mark Vientos was sent back down to Syracuse at the start of the week and returned to form after playing sparingly with the major league club in recent weeks. He went 7-for-24 with two homers, two doubles, five RBI, and five runs scored. He is hitting .327 with a 1.086 OPS at the Triple-A level this season.

Luke Voit had just three hits in the series, but two went for extra bases, including his third Syracuse homer. He has a 1.156 OPS through his first 11 games with the team.

David Peterson allowed three runs on seven hits and recorded seven strikeouts in his start on Wednesday. He has since been brought up to the major league roster to slot into the rotation on Tuesday.

Joey Lucchesi allowed two runs on five hits across seven innings on Friday, striking out eight batters and issuing four walks. He was able to work out of several jams, and his 2.36 ERA continues to pace the Syracuse pitching staff.

Mike Vasil allowed one run on two hits across 3 2/3 innings on Thursday, lowering his Triple-A ERA to 9.45 through two starts. He has already issued five walks in those two starts after walking just eight batters across 10 starts in Double-A this year. Vasil was named on Monday to the 2023 All-Star Futures Game as the lone representative of the Mets.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies won four of seven games away at the Akron RubberDucks. They won the first four games of the series to earn the series win and improve to a 35-34 record.

Matt Rudick was placed on the IL after playing just one game this week, and Rowdey Jordan stepped up to lead the way on offense. He went 8-for-25 with one double, two RBI, four runs scored, and two steals. Jordan is hitting .317 in June and has pushed his season OPS up to a .786 mark.

Jose Peroza went 7-for-26 with one double and six RBI. He ended the week with an even .900 OPS on the the season

Luis Moreno pitched five no-hit innings on Tuesday, striking out nine batters and issuing one walk. He followed that up by allowing just two hits across four innings in a relief outing on Sunday, helping him earn the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award.

Dominic Hamel allowed two runs on three hits across six innings in a strong start on Thursday. He struck out four batters and issued two walks, lowering his season ERA to 5.34.

Christian Scott allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings in his second career Double-A start, racking up eight strikeouts. He has a 2.58 ERA across three levels of the minors this season.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones won four of six games at home against the Hudson Valley Renegades. They are currently riding a four-game winning streak which has brought their season record to 31-37.

Kevin Parada proved exactly why he is so highly touted as a prospect with a monster week. He went 8-for-19 with two homers, two triples, six RBI, and three runs scored. Parada had his first professional multi-homer game on Friday including an inside-the-parker, and he is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak.

Alex Ramírez went 5-for-21 with three steals and five runs scored. He has a .240 batting average and a .693 OPS through his first 62 games of the year.

It was an excellent week for Brooklyn’s starting rotation, beginning with bona fide staff ace Tyler Stuart. Stuart allowed one run on four hits across 7 2/3 innings on Thursday, recording a career-high 11 strikeouts. It was the first time he reached double-digit strikeouts as a professional, and he continues to pace all qualified minor-league pitchers with a 1.44 ERA.

Blade Tidwell also looked impressive in his start on Friday. He allowed one run across six innings of work, striking out nine batters and lowering his season ERA to 3.83. He has a 1.37 ERA in four June starts.

José Quintana allowed one run across four innings in his rehab start on Sunday. He has made three rehab appearances in the past two weeks as he continues to work his way back from a rib fracture.

Low-A St. Lucie

The St. Lucie Mets lost four of five games away at the Jupiter Hammerheads, with the last game of the series being suspended due to rain. They scored more than two runs in just one of the six games, dropping to a dismal 25-42 record.

Jett Williams went 5-for-12 with one double, three RBI, and two runs scored. He also drew three walks in the five games he played in.

Layonel Ovalles struck out seven across 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball on Wednesday, a relief outing in which he followed a rehabbing Sean Reid-Foley. Jordany Ventura pitched five innings of one-run ball on Friday, striking out three batters.

Douglas Orellana allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven across six innings of work on Thursday. He has a 3.65 ERA this season serving as both a starter and a long reliever.

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets won two of their four games this week behind strong overall play from the offense. Willy Fanas hit his second homer of the year, and Jesus Baez slugged his first while also posting a three-hit game on Saturday. Simon Juan also had a three-hit effort in the same game.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Ronny Mauricio (SYR) – .311

OPS – Matt Rudick (BNG) – .913

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 18

SB – Omar De Los Santos (BRK) – 28

Pitching

(Among qualified players)

ERA – Tyler Stuart (BRK) – 1.44

SO – Tyler Stuart – 78

WHIP – Mike Vasil (SYR) – 0.99

Players of the Week

Offense – Kevin Parada, C Brooklyn

Parada is looking every bit the part of one of the top prospects in baseball. He has put together an exceptional month of June, and this week helped to really cement just how well he has been playing recently. Parada had four extra-base hits in the five games he played, including two triples and an inside-the-park homer. That is quite the feat for a player most would not tab as being fleet of foot.

Parada’s future at the catcher position continues to be in question due to the presence of Francisco Álvarez. Still, his bat alone will help him force his way into just about any lineup, especially if he keeps on hitting like this. The Mets’ top pick in the 2022 draft has been every bit as impressive as advertised.

Honorable mentions go to Rowdey Jordan for the continuation of a strong June, as well as to Mark Vientos for picking up right where he left off in feasting against Triple-A pitching.

Pitching – Luis Moreno, P Binghamton

Pitching a hitless outing is already quite the accomplishment. Tossing nine scoreless innings across two outings as Moreno did this week is quite remarkable.

The 5’8” right-hander from the Dominican Republic may be small in stature, but he makes up for it with voracious tenacity on the mound. He has an outstanding 1.23 ERA over his last four starts (22 innings), and he was more than deserving of the Eastern League Player of the Week award he earned for his efforts. Based on his current form, he might expect to rack up more awards in the coming weeks and months.

Honorable mentions go to Tyler Stuart for maintaining his minor league-leading 1.44 season ERA, as well as to Blade Tidwell for continuing his superb month of June with another strong outing.