Mets Minors Weekly Report: Mike Vasil Wins Eastern League Player of the Month

The top prospects in the Mets’ farm system continue to prove their worth week in and week out, including Mike Vasil winning Eastern League Player of the Month for May. But it’s been the role players that have been making headlines in recent weeks. Here are the biggest developments throughout the organization, including breakout performances from Luke Ritter and Layonel Ovalles.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets lost four of six games away at the Rochester Red Wings. The Mets have won their last two games but have fallen back down into last place in the International League with a 22-35 record.

Ronny Mauricio saw his on-base streak snapped at 20 games this week, but he still went going 7-for-29 with one home run and one double. He struck out eight times and did not draw a walk in the series.

Mauricio sustained an ankle injury during Sunday’s game after a collision at second base, and although he had to be pulled from the game, the injury is not considered to be serious. The Mets were considering getting him reps in the outfield to further improve his positional flexibility, so it remains to be seen how this ankle injury will affect their decision on that matter.

Jonathan Araúz had an impressive week, going 5-for-21 with two triples, one home run, seven RBI, five runs scored. He also drew seven walks, including two different three-walk games.

Joey Lucchesi had his first rough outing in Triple-A this year, allowing five runs (4 ER) in five innings for his first loss of the campaign. His ERA is at 2.76 through six starts.

José Butto allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings during his one appearance, striking out six and issuing three walks. David Peterson had a slightly longer start but a very similar stat line, allowing three runs on six hits across 6 2/3 innings.

Josh Walker pitched two scoreless innings across two appearances, lowering his ERA to 1.53. Nate Lavender allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings across two appearances, and his Triple-A ERA is sitting at 3.60.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies lost five of six games away at the Altoona Curve. They have lost all the momentum gained during a strong series the week prior, having lost five straight games to put their record at 23-27.

Luke Ritter stole the show, going 7-for-23 with a pair of two-homer games. He has eight extra-base hits in his last 10 games, six of which have left the yard. The 26-year-old’s season OPS is up to .839 after the recent power surge.

Matt Rudick continues to be dependable at the top of the lineup, going 7-for-20 and recording a hit in all five games he played in. Brandon McIlwain also had a great week, going 6-for-19 with two homers, a double, and five runs scored.

Mike Vasil returned from a back injury on Sunday after an 11-game absence, allowing just one run on one hit across five innings and striking out six batters. He was named the Eastern League Player of the Month for May on Monday, posting a 2.52 ERA across four starts. His 0.72 WHIP is the second-best mark among all qualified minor league pitchers.

Dominic Hamel continues to struggle, allowing six runs in four innings which bumps his ERA up to 5.44 after 10 appearances (nine starts). Junior Santos had his best start of the season on Tuesday, allowing two runs and striking out five batters across eight innings to pick up a win.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones lost five of eight games away at the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. After the brutal gauntlet of eight games in six days, the team sits at a 22-28 record.

Alex Ramírez started the week with just one hit in his first 15 at-bats, but he turned it around with a three-hit performance on Sunday including his fourth homer and ninth double of the season. He ended up going 5-for-21 with three RBI and five runs scored.

Kevin Parada went 8-for-31, recording at least one hit in six of the seven games he played in. Of those eight hits, only one went for extra bases, a double in the first game on Saturday.

Blade Tidwell allowed just one unearned run in 6 1/3 innings across two starts this week, allowing two hits and striking out eight but also issuing seven walks. Command continues to be the biggest issue for Tidwell, whose ERA sits at 4.93 after nine starts.

Tyler Stuart allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings of work in his one start, striking out four. His 1.43 ERA still comfortably leads all Mets minor league starting pitchers.

Low-A St. Lucie

The St. Lucie Mets split their six-game series away at the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. The Mets put together a three-game winning streak during the series and have a 16-34 record on the year.

Jett Williams went 4-for-20 with one home run, three RBI, and seven runs scored. He drew five walks and was 5-of-6 on stolen base attempts across the six games, including a three-walk, three-steal game on Saturday.

Jacob Reimer had quite the week, going 9-for-19 with two doubles, five RBI, and six runs scored. He had three multi-hit games, pushing his season OPS up to .718.

Layonel Ovalles was sensational in his start on Friday, allowing just two hits across six innings and striking out a career-high 10 batters. Ovalles did not issue any walks, an extremely encouraging sign given his early season struggles with pitch command. The 19-year-old has a 5.04 ERA through 30 1/3 innings.

Elieser Hernández made two rehab appearances as he continues to work his way back from a right shoulder strain. He pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings in those two starts.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Ronny Mauricio (SYR) and Mark Vientos (SYR) – .333

OPS – Mark Vientos – 1.104

HR – Mark Vientos – 13

SB – Omar De Los Santos (BRK) – 20

Pitching

(Among qualified players)

ERA – Tyler Stuart (BRK) – 1.43

SO – Mike Vasil (BNG) and Dominic Hamel (BNG) – 54

WHIP – Mike Vasil – 0.72

Players of the Week

Offense – Luke Ritter, INF Binghamton

Ritter has been on a tear lately, and his four-homer week earns him top billing in this segment. Slugging two homers in multiple games in the same series is impressive enough, but he also has six homers in his last 10 games, driving in 10 runs and scoring 10 times in that span.

A seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft, Ritter has bounced around the infield throughout his career, playing every position except for shortstop. The 26-year-old has probably shown enough just in those 10 games to earn a more permanent promotion to Triple-A, where he spent parts of the last two seasons.

Honorable mentions go to Jonathan Araúz for reaching base 12 times and collected seven RBI and to Jett Williams for his immense impact on base (five steals, seven runs scored).

Pitching – Layonel Ovalles, P St. Lucie

Ovalles had really struggled out of the gates in the 2023 season, but his start this week more than proved why he continues to be one of the organization’s most intriguing pitching prospects. He allowed just three batters to reach base across six innings of work, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the first time in his professional career.

Ovalles is just 19 years old and is already in his third year of pro ball, racking up 131 strikeouts in 112 innings. He was issuing walks at an alarming rate through the first two months of the season, but his performance in this start was more in line with the strike-throwing presence that he brought to the mound in previous years. There will be plenty of eyes on his next start given just how impressive he was.

Honorable mentions go to Mike Vasil for an excellent start in his return from injury and Junior Santos for a gutsy eight-inning effort.