Mets Minors Weekly Report: New Prospects Make Immediate Impact

With the MLB trade deadline having passed and the general ineptitude of the current major league roster being on full display this week, Mets fans have understandably turned their attention to the minor league system for reasons to be hopeful for the future. H

ere are the biggest developments from throughout the system, including encouraging organizational debuts for Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert, and Ryan Clifford.

Ryan Clifford (left), Jett Williams (right) –Photo by James Villani of Metsmerized

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets lost four of six games at home against the Worcester Red Sox. Syracuse has a 44-62 record this season.

Ronny Mauricio went 5-for-23 with one double, two RBI, and three stolen bases. He played in left field in all five games he appeared in and drew just one walk compared to seven strikeouts in those five games.

Mike Vasil allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings of work on Wednesday, striking out seven but also issuing four walks. He has a disappointing 7.04 ERA through eight Triple-A starts.

The Syracuse Mets are seeing a big shakeup with callups at the MLB level. Brett Baty was optioned down to Triple-A on Monday and should be playing with Syracuse for at least a couple of weeks.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies won four of six games at home against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Brooklyn is back over .500 with a 51-50 record.

Luisangel Acuña made his organizational debut on Tuesday and appeared in all six games of the series. He went 5-for-24 with three runs scored and a stolen base. He had a hit in each of the final five games of the series and batted leadoff in all six games.

Drew Gilbert made his organizational debut on Friday and played in each of the final three games of the series. He went 4-for-11 with one triple and two RBI, as well as contributing defensively with an excellent diving catch in center field during Sunday’s game.

Jeremiah Jackson made his organizational debut on Thursday and played in each of the final four games of the series. He remains hitless through his first 10 at-bats, although he did draw a walk in each of his last three games and recorded his first stolen base on Sunday.

Tyler Stuart was sensational in his start on Thursday. He fired off seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball and struck out five batters. He has a 2.16 ERA through his first four Double-A starts.

Dominic Hamel pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his start on Tuesday, allowing two hits and recording seven strikeouts. He has allowed just one run across 13 1/3 innings over his last two starts.

Blade Tidwell surrendered three runs across four innings in his first career Double-A start on Friday. Christian Scott struck out a career-high 11 batters in his start on Saturday but allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings of work.

The Binghamton rotation is serious business right now.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones lost four of six games away at the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Brooklyn has fallen back below .500 with a 50-51 record.

Ryan Clifford made his organizational debut on Thursday and played in each of the final four games of the series. He went 2-for-14, crushing his 17^th homer of the season in his first at-bat with the Cyclones but going hitless across his last three games.

Jett Williams and Jacob Reimer both made their High-A debuts on Tuesday. Williams went 5-for-17 with one double, three steals, and eight walks. Reimer went 3-for-22 with one home run, one double, and three RBI.

Alex Ramírez went 5-for-22 with two doubles, two steals, and three RBI. He has a .247 average and a .692 OPS on the year, though he’s looked a lot better since the beginning of July.

Jordany Ventura pitched 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball on Wednesday, racking up nine strikeouts. He has a 3.20 ERA with two wins in his first four starts for Brooklyn.

Low-A St. Lucie

The St. Lucie Mets lost four of six games away at the Daytona Tortugas. St. Lucie has a 35-66 record on the year.

Nick Morabito made his Low-A debut on Tuesday, going 7-for-21 with a home run across five games. He has a .326 average and an .866 OPS this season.

Layonel Ovalles allowed six runs in 7 1/3 innings of work across two appearances, striking out 10 batters in that span. He has a 5.21 ERA this year.

Colin Houck, Photo by Ed Delany

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets won three of five games this week and had one game be suspended due to rain.

Marco Vargas went 1-for-9 and drew four walks. Simon Juan went 4-for-11 with two doubles.

Several members of the 2023 draft class made their professional debuts this week, most notably No. 32 overall pick Colin Houck. He went 1-for-7–his first professional hit—with an RBI and two walks in his first three games.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Ronny Mauricio (SYR) – .289

OPS – Jett Williams (BRK) – .836

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 22

SB – Jett Williams – 35

Pitching

(Among qualified players)

ERA – Tyler Stuart (BNG) – 1.70

SO – Dominic Hamel (BNG) – 117

WHIP – Christian Scott (BNG) – 0.91

Players of the Week

Offense – Jett Williams, SS/CF Brooklyn

Williams did not miss a beat in his first week of action with Brooklyn. He reached base 13 times and stole three bases in six games, posting a .538 OBP and an .891 OPS in that span. That’s quite the stat line for a 19-year-old making his High-A debut.

Williams continues to make impressive strides as he continues to develop into one of the most well-rounded prospects the Mets organization has seen in some time. The recent acquisitions of Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert, and Ryan Clifford may take some of the spotlight away from Williams, but he has made quite the case this week to still be at the forefront of fans’ minds.

Honorable mentions go to Gilbert for his exceptional start to his tenure in the Mets organization, to Acuña for putting together a five-game hitting streak, and to Clifford for blasting his first home run as a Mets prospect.

Pitching – Tyler Stuart, P Binghamton

Stuart has held a firm grip on the top spot in the ERA leaderboards among qualified minor league pitchers, and his start this week perfectly encapsulates just how dominant he has been this season. Stuart pitched seven scoreless innings in just his fourth career Double-A start, lowering his season ERA to 1.70 through 18 appearances.

His strikeout numbers haven’t been particularly gaudy (99 Ks in 100 2/3 innings), but the 6’9” righthander has excelled at working his way out of jams and limiting hard contact. The 23-year-old Stuart is in just his second professional season, but he has already demonstrated immense value relative to his sixth-round selection in the 2022 draft.

Honorable mentions go to Dominic Hamel for his scoreless start for Binghamton as well as to Jordany Ventura for his strong run of form to begin his tenure with Brooklyn.