The eyes of many Cyclones fans will be on Carson Benge, taken 19th overall in the first round of the 2024 draft after hitting 18 homers and posting a 1.109 OPS in 61 games for Oklahoma State. Others to watch include infielder Boston Baro, lefty Jonathan Santucci and catcher Christopher Suero. Gilbert Gómez will become the first Cyclones manager to lead the team for a second straight year since Edgardo Alfonzo (2017-2019.)
CATCHERS
Ronald Hernandez – He hit .271/.362/.359 with five homers and seven steals in 403 plate appearances with Low-A St. Lucie last season and went 6-for-42 (.167 batting average) in 10 games with Brooklyn. The 21-year-old switch-hitter came to the Mets in the July 2023 trade with the Marlins for David Robertson.
Christopher Suero – The Bronx-born, 21-year-old hit seven homers and stole 15 for Brooklyn last season while slashing .228/.353/.350 in 357 plate appearances. He can also play the outfield and first base.
Onix Vega – The 26-year-old selected by the Nationals in the 20th round of the 2018 draft has a .663 OPS in six minor league seasons.
INFIELDERS
Boston Baro – He was second in the Florida Complex League in batting average (.288) and on-base percentage (.368) in his first full pro season last year. The 20-year-old plays second, short and third and is No. 13 on the MMO prospect list.
Estarling Mercado – The 22-year-old first baseman/outfielder hit eight homers, but slashed .177/.320/.371 in 225 plate appearances for St. Lucie last season.
Jefrey De Los Santos – The 21-year-old left-handed hitter from the Dominican hit six homers and posted a .613 OPS in 358 plate appearances with the Cyclones last year.
Jacob Reimer – A hamstring injury limited the 21-year-old to 95 plate appearances last year and a .640 OPS with no home runs. In 2023, he hit eight homers and posted a .774 OPS in 102 games. He was picked in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.
Nick Roselli – The 22-year-old picked last June in the 11th round out of SUNY Binghamton went 17-for-55 (.309) with a homer, two doubles and a triple at St. Lucie. He was born in Levittown, NY.
D’Andre Smith – He hit two homers in 130 at-bats for Brooklyn last year and posted a .626 OPS. He was a fifth round pick out of USC in 2022.
Kevin Villavicencio – The 21-year-old from Mexico posted a .522 OPS in 342 plate appearances combined between St. Lucie and Brooklyn. He stole 19 bases in 24 attempts.
Carson Benge. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
OUTFIELDERS
Carson Benge – The 22-year-old, left-handed hitter comes in at No. 3 on the MMO prospect list. He hit a couple of homers, stole three bases and posted an .857 OPS in 69 plate appearances at St. Lucie after the Mets signed him for $3.9 million.
Diego Mosquera – The 21-year-old from Venezuela posted a .535 OPS in 246 plate appearances at St. Lucie last season.
Eli Serrano – He went 15-for-63 (.238 batting average) with a couple of homers for St. Lucie after the Mets selected him in the fourth round of the draft out of NC State last June.
Troy Schreffler – The Mets acquired the 24-year-old toward the end of the spring training from the Phillies. He hit eight homers in 285 plate appearances and stole 23 bases for Single-A Jersey Shore last season and slashed .228/.296/.396.
PITCHERS
Ryan Ammons – The 23-year-old lefty reliever struck out 60 in 45.1 innings pitched combined at Brooklyn and St. Lucie last year. He posted a 2.18 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.
Jace Beck – He missed all of 2024 due to injury after pitching 31.1 innings to a 3.73 ERA and 1.75 WHIP for Brooklyn in 2023. He struck out 57 and walked 30 that year.
Joel Diaz – In 17 appearances (14 starts) for St. Lucie, the 21-year-old righty went 2-6 with a 4.92 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. He fanned 62 and walked 28.
Saul Garcia – He went 3-8 with a 5.43 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 23 appearances (12 starts) for St. Lucie last year.
Brendan Girton – The Mets selected the 23-year-old in the 10th round of last June’s draft after he struck out 47 in 35.2 innings at Oklahoma while pitching to a 7.32 ERA and 2.10 WHIP.
R.J. Gordon – The Mets selected the 23-year-old in the 13th round of last June’s draft after he went 7-6 with a 5.13 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 17 starts for Oregon. He had 87 strikeouts in 94.2 innings pitched.
Noah Hall – He gave up 14 earned runs in 12 innings at Brooklyn last year.
Dakota Hawkins – The 25-year-old went 4-6 with a 4.47 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 30 appearances (11 starts) combined at Binghamton and Brooklyn last year.
Eduardo Herrera – The right-handed reliever pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 19 innings at Brooklyn last year.
Ryan Lambert – He was a teammate of Girton at Oklahoma and taken two rounds ahead of him in last June’s draft. He struck out 19 in 21 innings for the Sooners and posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.
Brian Metoyer – The 28-year-old has not pitched in a professional game since 2022. He was a 40th round pick in 2018 and has a 4.48 ERA in four minor league seasons.
Anthony Nunez – The 23-year-old gave up three earned runs in eight innings at St. Lucie last year.
Layonel Ovalles – He fanned 42 in 38 innings pitched at St. Lucie last year, but pitched to a 5.92 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.
Dylan Ross – He was selected in the 13th round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia, but the 24-year-old only threw one inning at St. Lucie last year due to injury.
Jonathan Santucci – The second round pick out of Duke last June went 6-1 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 13 starts for the Blue Devils. He struck out 90 in 58 innings and came in at No. 14 on the MMO prospect list.
Ben Simon – The 23-year-old right-hander born in Princeton, N.J., fanned 35 in 35.2 innings for Brooklyn last year with a 4.04 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.
Zach Thornton – In 20 appearances (12 starts) combined for Brooklyn and St. Lucie last season, the lefty was 5-4 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.
Austin Troesser – The fourth round pick out of Missouri in 2023 went 1-6 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 16 appearances (10 starts) for Brooklyn and St. Lucie last season. He had 61 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched.
Alfred Vega – The 24-year-old gave up 11 earned runs in 10.1 innings pitched combined for Brooklyn and St. Lucie last year.
