Mets Minors Weekly Report: Mauricio, Vasil Steal the Headlines

Mike Vasil, Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It was another week of subpar team performances across the board in the Mets system, but the usual suspects still provided great production both at the plate and on the mound. Here are the biggest developments from this past week, including yet another headliner week from Ronny Mauricio and Mike Vasil.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets lost five of six games away at the Buffalo Bisons. The team is 2-12 in their last 14 games and have an overall record of 16-23.

Ronny Mauricio was a force to be reckoned with this week as he has been all season, going 12-for-27 with seven doubles, one home run, five RBI, eight runs scored, and a stolen base. He had multiple hits in five of his six games played, raising his season average to .353 and his season OPS to 1.011.

Mark Vientos’ week was tamer by comparison, as he went 7-for-24 with two homers, a double, and eight RBI. His season slash line sits at .331/.416/.676, his 1.092 OPS is fourth in the International League among qualified players, and his 12 homers is tied for second-most.

With the major league offense continuing to flounder on a nightly basis, the continued dominance of both Mauricio and Vientos has to be both exciting and infuriating for Mets fans. It is feasible that Mauricio will continue to stay in Triple-A for the foreseeable future as he adjusts to playing a new position at second base and improves his eye at the plate (27/8 K/BB ratio over 39 games).

However, Vientos is a seasoned Triple-A veteran at this point (149 career games) and should probably be given a chance to translate his current torrid form to the majors. There are questions about his fit with the major league roster given the corner infield spots are both locked down, but his bat has the potential to shake up the current rotation of DH options, all of whom have gone through large spells this season with little to no productivity.

Josh Walker fired off three scoreless innings across two relief outings, allowing just two hits and striking out four batters. Nathan Lavender picked up his first save and his first hold at Triple-A, pitching 2 2/3 hitless innings across two relief appearances and striking out four. Both Walker (0.68 ERA) and Lavender (0.00 ERA at Triple-A) have put themselves at the top of the conversation for bullpen depth should the major league team need to dip into the minors.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies won three of seven games at home against the Hartford Yard Goats. The team has a 14-18 record this year.

José Peroza had about as great of a start to the week as possible, going 4-for-4 in Tuesday’s game with three homers, five RBI, and four runs scored. Overall, he went 11-for-27 in the series and tacked on five doubles to go with those three homers. He raised his season average to .307 and his OPS to .965, both of which lead the team. The 22-year-old has started 2023 on the right foot after underperforming to expectations last year.

Mike Vasil had perhaps the best start of his professional career on Thursday, pitching eight innings of one-run ball. He racked up seven strikeouts and did not walk a batter. His outstanding season continues, as his ERA is down to 2.70 with a sensational 0.70 WHIP.

Carlos Carrasco made two rehab starts, allowing one run on three hits across three innings in the first and pitching four scoreless innings in the second. He struck out five batters and issued two walks across those seven innings, and all signs point to him re-joining the major league roster by the end of this week.

Dominic Hamel had his first real blow-up outing of the season in relief of Carrasco’s first start, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. His season ERA is up to 4.15.

Jose Peroza, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones won just two of seven games away at the Wilmington Blue Rocks. They are currently riding a three-game losing streak and have a South Atlantic League-worst 11-19 record.

Kevin Parada went 5-for-17 with two doubles and three RBI, catching three games and serving as DH in two. Alex Ramírez went 4-for-18 while hitting predominantly batting third in the lineup.

Blade Tidwell was roughed up in his start on Wednesday, lasting just 1 2/3 innings and allowing seven runs on four hits. He walked three batters and collected just one strikeout as his season ERA ballooned to 8.35.

Tyler Stuart continues to turn heads, pitching five scoreless innings in his start on Saturday. He has a 1.40 season ERA across six starts, with 34 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.

Low-A St. Lucie

The St. Lucie Mets dropped five of six games away at the Daytona Tortugas. They have lost five straight and have a Florida State League-worst 8-25 record on the year.

Jett Williams returned to the lineup on Friday after missing some time following being hit by a pitch on his left elbow. He went 1-for-8 in the three games he played.

Jordany Ventura looked solid in his one appearance this week, a scoreless five-inning relief outing during which he struck out five batters. His fellow top prospects on the St. Lucie roster did not fare nearly as well, with Javier Atencio allowing four runs (three earned) across 2 2/3 innings in his one start and Layonel Ovalles being tagged for two runs in just 2/3 of an inning in his lone relief appearance.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Ronny Mauricio (SYR) – .353

OPS – Mark Vientos (SYR) – 1.092

HR – Mark Vientos – 12

SB – Omar De Los Santos (BRK) and Jaylen Palmer (BRK) – 13

Pitching

(Among qualified players)

ERA – Tyler Stuart (BRK) – 1.40

SO – Mike Vasil (BNG) – 41

WHIP – Mike Vasil – 0.70

Players of the Week

Offense – Ronny Mauricio, 2B Syracuse

Mauricio—along with Vientos—is becoming a mainstay of this portion of the weekly report, either as the featured player or as an honorable mention. All he did this week was hit .444 with eight extra-base hits while also scoring eight runs, taking over the top spot in season batting average across the organization from his partner in crime Mark Vientos.

As mentioned earlier, Mauricio’s immediate path to the majors is far less clear than Vientos’ on account of several factors. Mauricio is still learning the fundamentals of playing second base, and his free-swinging approach at the plate can give you pause when you think about it against major league pitchers who will know how to exploit it.

Both of these issues are much better addressed at Triple-A as opposed to with the major league team, which would pretty desperately need him to provide strong production right away while also taking over a considerable number of reps in the middle infield. Still, it’s hard to ignore just how impressive his offensive numbers have been, and as a 22-year-old in Triple-A no less.

Honorable mentions go to José Peroza for his 11-hit week including a three-homer game and Vientos for yet another multi-homer week.

Pitching – Mike Vasil, P Binghamton

For the second straight week, everything is coming up Vasil. The 6’5” right-hander pitched eight impressive innings, allowing just one run on a solo homer. He has allowed just one run over his last two starts (14 innings) and, most impressively, has allowed just seven baserunners in those 14 innings, contributing to a 0.70 WHIP that comfortably leads all Mets farmhands.

Vasil has been nothing short of superb so far in the month of May, and he has already built up a strong resume of consistent performances on the mound through just 26 career starts at the professional level. The Mets appear to have truly struck gold with the 23-year-old Vasil, an eighth-round pick in the 2021 draft.

Honorable mentions go to Josh Walker and Nathan Lavender for continuing to lock things down in the Syracuse bullpen, as well as to Carlos Carrasco for his solid return to the bump in his two rehab starts.