Minors Weekly Report: A.J. Ewing, Marco Vargas Earn Promotions

It’s around that time when we start to see minor league players rewarded for their excellent early-season play with promotions to the next level. Five Mets prospects were given promotions this past week, including A.J. Ewing and Marco Vargas, who tore up Low-A St. Lucie (1.121 OPS and 1.073 OPS, respectively) and will now head to High-A Brooklyn.

Ewing and Vargas will join Chandler Marsh (0.00 ERA, 14 K, 1 BB in 10 2/3 innings) in Brooklyn. Pitchers Zach Thornton (0.44 ERA, 25 K, 2 BB in 20 2/3 innings) and Ryan Lambert (1.13 ERA, 17 K, 1 BB in eight innings) have been promoted from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton.

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets played seven games, including two doubleheaders, against the Worcester Red Sox this past week. The series got off to a disastrous start, as the Mets dropped the first four games, but they rallied to win the final three games, including the series finale in which they won by an astounding score of 20-12. Through 27 games, the Mets are 13-14.

Jon Singleton led the way offensively for the Mets, leading the team in hits and runs during the series while tying for the team lead in home runs (with Jakson Reetz) and stolen bases (with two other players). Singleton batted .360 for the series and had an OPS of 1.067, raising his OPS for the season to .962.

Billy McKinney also had a solid series, going 5-for-19 with a double, a home run, four runs, four RBIs, and seven walks. The former major league Met has not had a strong start to the season but could look to build off the momentum of this last series.

Of note, Brett Baty made his first appearance with Syracuse after being sent down following Jeff McNeil‘s reinstatement to the roster. Baty naturally made an impact in his first game, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and three RBIs.

The best start from a starting pitcher in this series came from Brandon Waddell, who has been excellent this year. It wasn’t a particularly strong start, though, as he allowed two runs (one earned) in just four innings. Still, Waddell owns a 1.54 ERA through five starts.

Kevin Herget made an impression out of the bullpen, tossing four scoreless innings over two appearances. Herget allowed just three hits, no walks, and struck out seven. The veteran owns a 3.72 ERA through nine appearances.

Ryan Clifford. Photo by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Double-A

Like Syracuse, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies also had to play seven games this past week. They had more success than their Triple-A friends, winning five games, including the first four in the series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The series win has the Rumble Ponies at 12-8 on the season.

Ryan Clifford had an up-and-down week, going just 4-for-19 with 10 strikeouts, but three of his four hits went for extra bases (two home runs and a double), and he also drove in four runs, which led the team for the series. Clifford has a low average and has struck out 25 times in 62 at-bats this season, but he’s raised his OPS to .786 as he looks to get going.

Nick Morabito had a strong week, going 6-for-22 with a double, two triples, and a home run with three RBIs and two stolen bases. The speedster had been off to a slow start in his first taste of Double-A, and he still has just a .687 OPS.

Jonah Tong had an excellent week on the mound, displaying the swing-and-miss stuff that made him a breakout prospect a year ago. Tong made two starts and allowed two runs (one earned) in 8 1/3 innings while striking out a ridiculous 19 batters. Tong lowered his ERA this year to 3.63 and now has 30 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings.

Nearly every other starter in this series shined as well, with Jack Wenninger (5 IP, 0 ER, 10 K), Jonathan Pintaro (5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 9 K), and Joander Suarez (5 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 5 K) dealing. Felipe De La Cruz (4 1/3 IP, ER, 7 K) and Nolan McLean (5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 K) were solid as well. Now, Zach Thornton and Ryan Lambert will join this productive pitching staff following their promotions.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones played just five games this week, with one game postponed due to rain. The Cyclones won the series against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws three games to two, dropping the series opener and finale but winning the middle three games. Brooklyn now owns a 13-7 record.

Carson Benge and Eli Serrano III, two of the Mets’ highly touted 2024 draft picks, had productive weeks for Brooklyn. Benge went 6-for-19 with a home run and four RBIs, also walking five times. Meanwhile, Serrano went 6-for-21 with three doubles, a home run, and two walks. Serrano has fared better than Benge in the early going, owning an OPS over .100 points higher (.826 to .725).

Estarling Mercado also continued his fast start to the year, going 6-for-14 with a double, a home run, three walks, and a stolen base. Mercado has been excellent in 12 games, owning a .405 average and a .1075 OPS. He had just a .665 OPS between Low-A and High-A ball in 2024.

R.J. Gordon, the Mets’ 13th-round pick in 2024, struck out nine and allowed just one run in five innings during his start against Jersey Shore. Gordon, who made his first pro ball appearance this year, has a 2.70 ERA through four appearances with Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, Joel Díaz and Noah Hall each went four scoreless innings in their starts. Díaz allowed just two hits and struck out five, while Hall allowed seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Hall did allow a run, though it was unearned. Both pitchers have been fantastic this year, with Díaz not allowing a run through his first 15 2/3 innings, while Hall owns a 1.45 ERA through four starts.

Beginning Tuesday, A.J. Ewing, Marco Vargas, and Chandler Marsh will get their first taste of baseball above the Low-A level.

A.J. Ewing. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets took four of six games from the Daytona Tortugas this past week. It was a great week for the pitching staff, who allowed more than three runs in just two of the six games. St. Lucie is now 12-9 through 21 games.

A.J. Ewing, who is heading to Brooklyn, shined yet again for the Mets. Ewing went 5-for-16 with two triples, four RBIs, five walks, and four steals in just five games against Daytona. His stint in St. Lucie ends with a 1.121 OPS.

Kevin Villavicencio also had an excellent week, leading St. Lucie with eight hits, though just one (a double) went for extra bases. Villavicencio also drove in a run, and he now has a .394 average and .945 OPS in nine games with St. Lucie.

Nate Dohm made two excellent starts in the series, striking out 12 in 7 2/3 total innings. He allowed three runs, though just one was earned, and he also allowed six hits and three walks. Through five starts, Dohm owns a 2.84 ERA.

Edgar Moreta held the Tortugas scoreless in his start, going five innings and allowing just two hits while striking out three. Still, Moreta has struggled and owns a 4.97 ERA through four appearances.

Perhaps the most interesting start in St. Lucie this past week came from Raimon Gomez, who is not just one of the hardest throwers in the Mets’ system but in all of professional baseball. Gomez tossed three hitless innings, allowing a walk and striking out four, but the most notable stat from his start was that he reached a ridiculous 104.5 miles-per-hour with his fastball in the first inning.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Marco Vargas (STL)/Kevin Villavicencio (STL/BRK) – .409

OPS – A.J. Ewing (STL) – 1.121

HR – Jon Singleton (SYR) – 6

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL) – 14

Pitching

ERA – Joel Díaz (BRK) – 0.00

SO – Blade Tidwell (SYR) – 37

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK) – 0.68

Players of the Week

Offense – A.J. Ewing, 2B/OF St. Lucie

It’s no surprise that Ewing is, once again, the Offensive Player of the Week. He has lit it up in St. Lucie all year, including this past week, giving the Mets no choice but to promote him. Still just 20, Ewing will likely hit an adjustment period heading to Brooklyn, but his development has been a pleasant one so far for the Mets.

Pitching – Jonah Tong, P Binghamton

Tong was the breakout pitcher, and perhaps overall player, of the Mets’ system in 2024. He hadn’t been off to the best start to the year, but his two starts in this last series cemented why the Mets are so excited about his potential. Tong is still just 21 years old and will look to continue to establish himself as one of the best pitchers on the Mets’ farm in 2025.