Mets Minors Weekly Report: Pitching Prospects Remain Hot

The Mets’ top pitching prospects have been making some serious noise of late, and this week was full of high-profile performances on the mound. Here are the biggest developments throughout the organization, including superb outings from Christian Scott, Blade Tidwell, and Tyler Stuart.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets lost three of four games at home against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, with the final game of the series being postponed to Monday night. Syracuse have lost three straight after a rather successful June and currently boast a season record of 34-44.

Mark Vientos went 3-for-14 in the four games, splitting time between first base and third base. He has a .318 batting average and a 1.051 OPS at the Triple-A level this season.

Ronny Mauricio had a rough week, going 0-for-12 with four strikeouts. His batting average dropped to .299, dipping below .300 for the first time since the first week of the season. Mauricio played two games in left field and one at second base as he continues to improve his positional flexibility ahead of a potential major league call-up.

DJ Stewart had a solid series, going 5-for-16 with one home run and three RBI. He leads Syracuse with 16 homers this season and has an impressive .516 slugging percentage.

Luke Voit hit his fourth homer for Syracuse, giving him seven extra-base hits out of the nine hits that he has recorded since joining the organization. Jonathan Araúz slugged two homers this week to give him 11 on the year.

Mike Vasil allowed four runs on six hits across three innings in his start on Wednesday. He continues to struggle in his adjustment to Triple-A, as his ERA jumped to 10.24. He has a staggering 2.38 WHIP in his three starts since the promotion, compared to a 0.84 WHIP in 10 starts at the Double-A level.

José Quintana made a rehab start on Friday, allowing two runs on four hits across 2 2/3 innings. He should be close to returning to the major league roster after four rehab appearances and 11 1/3 innings pitched over the last few weeks.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies lost three of five games at home against the Hartford Yard Goats. They enter their last series before the All-Star break with an even 37-37 record.

José Peroza went 4-for-16 with one home run, one double, and three runs scored. He is Binghamton’s most fearsome hitter in the absence of the injured Matt Rudick, and he improved his season OPS to an impressive .900 mark.

Christian Scott has been brilliant since making the jump to Double-A. He fired seven scoreless innings on Wednesday, allowing just two hits and striking out six batters. He has a 1.37 ERA in his three starts for Binghamton, picking up winning decisions in all three appearances.

Dominic Hamel allowed three runs on seven hits in his six innings of work on Thursday, racking up nine strikeouts. It was his second time striking out nine batters in a start this month, both times coming in six-inning outings.

Luis Moreno allowed one run on four hits across five innings in his start on Sunday. The reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award winner has been lights out over his last five starts, posting a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings on the mound.

Blade Tidwell. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones dropped three of five games at home against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Brooklyn has a 33-40 record on the year.

Kevin Parada went 3-for-18 with one home run, one double, and three RBI. He saw a 10-game hitting streak snap on Saturday, but he continues to showcase great power at the plate, recording seven extra-base hits over his last 11 games.

Alex Ramírez has struggled at the plate all season, and this week was no exception. He went 3-for-15 with one double and one stolen base in the four games he played. He has a disappointing .683 OPS this year after a standout 2022 season.

Tyler Stuart continues to be nothing short of incredible for the Cyclones. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball on Thursday, striking out just one batter but picking up his third win and lowering his ERA to 1.42. He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his 13 starts in the 2023 campaign, and he still maintains a healthy lead as the minor league leader in ERA among qualified pitchers.

Blade Tidwell was excellent for the second straight outing, striking out a career-high 11 batters over seven innings of one-run ball on Friday. He had a stellar 1.35 ERA in five June starts, racking up a whopping 40 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.

Low-A St. Lucie

The St. Lucie Mets lost four of five games at home against the Dunedin Blue Jays. Their season record sits at 26-46.

Jett Williams went 3-for-15 in the four games he played this week, launching his fourth homer of the season on Friday. He has posted a .413 OBP this year to go along with 19 steals, exhibiting a strong ability to get on base and wreak havoc once he does so.

Layonel Ovalles allowed two runs on five hits across five innings in his start on Wednesday. He finished the month of June with a 1.77 ERA in five appearances, lowering his season ERA to 4.23.

Jordany Ventura allowed two runs on four hits in a four-inning start on Friday. He has a 4.53 ERA on the year.

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets won three of their four games this week to improve to a 12-7 record. Jesus Baez recorded hits in all four games, going 5-for-15 with two doubles, three RBI, and five runs scored. Simon Juan hit his first homer of the year on Wednesday as part of a two-hit game. Willy Fanas went 3-for-12 in the three games that he played.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Mark Vientos (SYR) – .318

OPS – Mark Vientos – 1.051

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 18

SB – Omar De Los Santos (BRK) – 29

Pitching

(Among qualified players)

ERA – Tyler Stuart (BRK) – 1.42

SO – Blade Tidwell (BRK) – 86

WHIP – Christian Scott (BNG) – 0.77

Players of the Week

Offense – DJ Stewart, RF Syracuse

The top position player prospects in the organization all had rather pedestrian weeks, so it’s time to give one of Syracuse’s unsung heroes some recognition. Stewart slugged his 16^th home run of the season, putting him just two behind Luke Ritter for the lead among all Mets farmhands.

With all the early-season promotions of the Mets’ top prospects, Stewart has proven to be the one true constant provider of power hitting in the Syracuse lineup outside of Ronny Mauricio. Stewart made quite the splash back in March by recording the league’s first spring training cycle since 2020, and he has brought that propensity for racking up extra-base hits into the regular season. There really is no room for him on the major league roster at the moment, but the Mets have certainly proven this season that there is no such thing as having too much depth.

Pitching – Christian Scott, P Binghamton

It was a true toss-up between three different pitchers for top billing here, but the nod goes to Scott for the circumstances surrounding his impressive performance. Scott pitched a scoreless seven-inning outing this week and has delivered absolute gems in all three of his starts since making the jump to Double-A.

A fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, the 6’4″ right-hander has allowed just five runs over his last seven starts, racking up 45 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings during that span. He has an absurdly impressive 0.77 WHIP in his ten starts this season, and he only seems to be getting better despite having to adjust to a whole new level of minor-league hitting.

Honorable mentions go to Brooklyn Cyclones teammates Blade Tidwell and Tyler Stuart for posting consecutive outings of seven innings and only one run allowed. Tidwell posted a new career high with 11 strikeouts, while Stuart lowered his minor league-leading ERA to a 1.42 mark.