Mets Minors Weekly Report: Vientos, Lavender Continue to Excel

Mark Vientos, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Inclement weather affected more than just the major league team this past week, as all teams in the system except for St. Lucie faced some sort of postponement due to rain. There are still plenty of developments to dive into, including stellar weeks from Mark Vientos and Nathan Lavender.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets split their six-game series away at the Toledo Mud Hens and are currently riding a two-game losing streak. Their overall record is 14-13 after the first month of the season.

Mark Vientos had a slow start to the week but ultimately posted his usual superb numbers. He went 8-for-22 with two homers, four doubles, and six RBI. His 1.182 OPS is good for third in the International League, and his eight home runs are tied for sixth-most this season.

Ronny Mauricio had a rough week by his standards, going 6-for-26 with three runs scored. He only had one double and no homers, he failed to drive in any runs, and he was unsuccessful on his only stolen base attempt. His season average of .321 and his season OPS of .948 are both very impressive still.

Dedniel Núñez pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings across his two outings, striking out three batters but also issuing four walks. Josh Walker also pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings across his two appearances, picking up three strikeouts and allowing just a single baserunner.

The best starts of the week go to Zach Muckenhirn and Humberto Mejía, who fired off consecutive scoreless three-inning outings. David Griffin allowed just two hits and struck out six batters across five scoreless innings to pick up a win in his lone relief appearance.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies won four of their five games at home against the Akron RubberDucks, losing the last game of the series to a weather postponement. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and improve to a 10-9 record this season.

José Peroza led the way on offense, going 6-for-16 with one home run, one double, and five RBI. He had at least one hit in all four games he played in. Matt Rudick continues to hit well, going 5-for-14 with two RBI and three runs scored. He drew six walks and also stole two bases.

Justin Verlander made a rehab appearance, firing off 4 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. He looks to be in line to make his Mets regular-season debut this week in Detroit.

Mike Vasil allowed three runs across five innings in his start, striking out seven. Dominic Hamel allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings of work in his start, also collecting seven strikeouts.

Nathan Lavender continues to be superb out of the bullpen, and he put together arguably his best appearance of the season on Saturday. He struck out seven batters across three innings and allowed just one unearned run. He also picked up a one-inning save in his other outing, dropping his season ERA to 1.74.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones only played three games this week, losing two of three away at the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. They are 6-11 this season and will hopefully be in action on Tuesday for the first time since last Thursday.

Alex Ramírez went 4-for-11 with one RBI, one run scored, and two steals. Kevin Parada went 3-for-13 with one double, one RBI, and one run scored.

Stanley Consuegra went 3-for-11 with a home run, three RBI, and his first stolen base of the season. Jaylen Palmer had the best single-game performance on offense, going 3-for-4 on Wednesday and finishing a home run shy of the cycle.

Blade Tidwell surrendered three runs across five innings in his start, striking out six batters but also issuing four walks. Cameron Foster had a great day on the mound in his start, allowing just one run in 5 2/3 innings and striking out six.

Wilkin Ramos struck out five batters across three scoreless innings in his lone appearance out of the bullpen, picking up his second win of the season. He has allowed just one run across six appearances, racking up 16 strikeouts in 11 innings.

Low-A St. Lucie

The St. Lucie Mets were swept in their six-game series away at the Clearwater Threshers. They have lost 9 of their last 10 games and their 5-16 record is the worst mark in the Florida State League.

Jett Williams only played in the first two games of the series, going 3-for-4 in the first game and 0-for-3 in the second. He was pinch-hit for in that second game, and there will likely be some clarity on his situation soon. Williams also entered the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects list this week, giving the Mets five players on the list.

Tim Locastro made a rehab appearance on Sunday, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, stealing a base, and scoring a run. He was hitless in 10 plate appearances in the majors before suffering an injury, but he did steal four bases and could be in line to reclaim his major league roster spot once healthy as the team’s primary pinch runner.

There really weren’t many pitching performances of note among the team’s top-rated pitchers during this winless series. Javier Atencio (2 ER in 2 IP), Layonel Ovalles (4 ER in 3 2/3 IP), and Jordany Ventura (7 ER in 1 2/3 IP) all struggled on the bump.

Eli Ankeney put together a scoreless two-inning outing in his lone appearance out of the bullpen, striking out three batters. He has yet to allow an earned run in his professional career, racking up 13 strikeouts across 8 1/3 innings during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Mark Vientos (SYR) – .367

OPS – Mark Vientos – 1.182

HR – Mark Vientos – 8

SB – Omar De Los Santos (BRK) – 10

Pitching

(Among qualified players)

ERA – Tyler Stuart (BRK) – 1.98

SO – Mike Vasil (BNG) – 27

WHIP – Mike Vasil – 0.88

Players of the Week

Offense – Mark Vientos, 3B Syracuse

Vientos has historically gotten off to very slow starts to each season. His 2023 campaign has been more than just an exception, as he has been one of the best hitters in all of the minor leagues. He is currently top-10 in the International League in just about every statistical category, is showing off his skills at the plate on a nightly basis, and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Vientos is far from a complete prospect, as he is generally considered to be a work-in-progress when it comes to his defense. However, his hitting this season has been impossible to ignore, and with the Mets’ woes at the DH position, it seems like a matter of when, not if, he will get the call up to the majors. He has done everything he can to earn that promotion.

Pitching – Nathan Lavender, P Binghamton

Lavender has been nothing short of sensational out of the bullpen for the Rumble Ponies to begin the 2023 season, and his performance this week perfectly encapsulates what he brings to that team and to the organization as a whole. He picked up his fourth save of the year in his first outing before pitching three scoreless innings in his second outing, racking up nine strikeouts in just four innings of work.

A 14^th-round pick in the 2021 draft, the 23-year-old southpaw has a career 1.67 ERA across parts of three minor league seasons. His strikeout numbers are stellar (98 Ks in 64 2/3 innings), and he has done an excellent job of limiting walks after struggling with giving out free passes last season. Lavender might not be ready to make the jump to the majors or even Triple-A just yet given his relative lack of innings pitched, but with the major league team currently lacking a true lockdown left-handed reliever, the team has to be beyond pleased with what they’ve seen from Lavender so far.