Alex Ramirez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Alex Ramirez had a breakout series to start the second half in Brooklyn with eight hits, two home runs, and 10 RBIs. But first, let’s get into how the rest of the minor leagues did as they returned from the All-Star break.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Mets took two of three from the Worcester Red Sox this past weekend to improve to 42-51.

Mark Vientos picked up where he left off before the break going 4-for-10 with a double and a home run. Vientos now has seven home runs on the year and is slashing .305/.311/.559 in July.

Francisco Álvarez hit his first home run in Triple-A — a grand slam off Durbin Feltman. Alvarez finished the series 2-for-9 with the home run and a double. He’ll look to ride this momentum into the second half as Alvarez is now slashing .125/.318/.281 through his first 10 games with Syracuse.

Veteran infielders Deven Marrero and Gosuke Katoh also homered in the series for Syracuse.

Connor Grey and Thomas Szapucki each allowed a run in three innings. Szapucki allowed three hits and three walks but also struck out four to help limit the damage. The left-hander has an impressive 12.19 K/9 in Triple-A this season.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies lost twice to the Hartford Yard Goats with one game postponed due to rain. They’re now 33-56 on the year.

Zach Ashford has a strong series going 4-for-9 with a double and a home run. Ashford, a sixth-round pick out of Fresno State in 2019, is now batting .350/.394/.550 through 60 at-bats in July.

Brett Baty also had four hits, including three doubles, in 10 at-bats. The third baseman has an eight-game hitting streak with a .329/.405/.614 slash line in July. Baty now has a .878 OPS on the season.

Garrison Bryant struggled in his Double-A debut allowing four runs on six hits in four innings.

Jose Butto allowed three hits and three walks in four innings but punched out six to hold Hartford to just two runs. Butto now has a 3.76 ERA and a 10.22 K/9.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones started the second half on a high note scoring 25 runs in a three-game sweep of the Jersey Shore Blue Claws. Brooklyn is now 44-46 this year.

It was all Alex Ramirez this weekend. The 19-year-old outfielder went 8-for-13 with a double, two home runs, a stolen base, and 10 RBIs. Ramirez got off to a slow start in High-A but his huge series boosted his slash line to .298/.355/.509 through 14 games.

Meanwhile, starting pitching continued to excel in Brooklyn. Carson Seymour earned his first win in High-A, allowing three runs on three hits (all solo home runs) in six innings while striking out 10. Nick Zwack also earned a win allowing a run on four hits with seven strikeouts. Zwack is now 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA with the Cyclones.

Low-A St. Lucie

St. Lucie dropped two of three to the Dunedin Blue Jays as they fall to 52-37.

William Lugo went 3-for-11 and hit his sixth home run of the year. The 20-year-old shortstop is batting .270/.349/.514 with two home runs in July.

Raul Beracierta had a solid series going 3-for-7 with a double. Beracierta has had a nice month as well, slashing .315/.351/.537 with three home runs.

Tony Dibrell made another rehab start and allowed just one hit while striking out three in two scoreless innings. Dibrell has struck out six while allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six in 3.2 innings with St. Lucie.

Mike Montgomery‘s rehab appearances did not go as well — the veteran southpaw allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks in just 1.1 innings.

Dominican Summer League/Florida Complex League

Dyron Campos continued to excel in the DSL going 8-for-18 with a home run and three doubles. The 21-year-old outfielder was named to the DSL All-Star team after slashing .333/.381/.592 with five home runs.

Infielder Wilfredo Lara had a strong week in the FCL with five hits, including a double, in 12 at-bats. Lara is now batting .265/.345/.398 on the season.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Brett Baty (BNG) – .292

OPS – Francisco Álvarez (SYR) – .885

HR – Francisco Álvarez (SYR) – 19

SB – Omar De Los Santos (SLU) – 48

Pitching (min. 20 innings)

ERA – Nathan Lavender (BRK) – 0.64

SO – Jose Butto (BNG) – 95

WHIP – Stephen Nogosek (SYR) – 0.79

Players of the Week

Offense – Alex Ramirez, OF Brooklyn

This was an easy one. Ramirez had a massive series for the Cyclones going 8-for-13 with a couple of home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in 10 runs.

Ramirez continues to establish himself as a premier prospect after his promotion to High-A. In 81 at-bats between Brooklyn and St. Lucie, he’s batting .287/.359/.454 with eight home runs and 19 stolen bases.  Ramirez has blossomed from a toolsy prospect into a legitimate five-tool player thanks to an improved hit tool and ability to make consistent, hard contact. If this week is any indication of the type of player Ramirez can be, Mets fans have a lot to be excited about.

Pitching – Carson Seymour, RHP Brooklyn

Seymour, another mid-season callup from St. Lucie, earned his first win with Brooklyn after striking out 10 over six innings.

Seymour has thrown 12.2 innings over his last two starts allowing just three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out 21. The righthander has a K/9 of 11.12 since joining the Cyclones while demonstrating impressive control (1.79 BB/9). Seymour, a sixth-round pick out of Kansas State in 2021, has emerged as a sleeper pitching prospect in the Mets system. Limiting hard contact will be key for Seymour moving forward as he looks to turn in a strong second half.

Upcoming Schedule – July 26-31

Triple-A Syracuse – vs. Omaha

Double-A Binghamton – vs. New Hampshire

High-A Brooklyn – @ Hudson Valley

A-St. Lucie – vs. Palm Beach