The New York Mets go for the sweep Sunday tonight in San Francisco. Saturday night was a much closer game than Friday night with the Mets holding on to a 2-1 lead. David Peterson and Robbie Ray, both 2025 All-Stars, delivered fantastic performances constantly weaving in and out of trouble. Then the bullpens for both clubs were essentially flawless. The Mets’ bullpen allowed one hit and the Giants allowed two hits.

Now, the Mets look to complete the sweep and hold on to their first-place lead in the division. Pressure continues to build on the Giants who have now lost nine of their last 12 games. They need to do a bullpen game Sunday followed by a spot-starter game Monday. A win tonight for the Mets puts them in a great position to take the season series and the tiebreaker from the Giants next week at Citi Field.

Mets Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo – LF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Juan Soto – RF
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Jeff McNeil – CF
6. Starling Marte – DH
7. Brett Baty – 2B
8. Francisco Alvarez – C
9. Ronny Mauricio – 3B

Kodai Senga looks to rebound. Senga is coming off of his worst start of the season allowing four runs from four hits and three walks over three innings of work against the Los Angles Angels last week. He has made 15 starts this season totaling 80 2/3 innings with a 1.79 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 1.178, WHIP and a 214 ERA+.

Senga is a very different pitcher than the last time he faced the Giants. He faced the Giants in April 2023 where he allowed four runs from five hits over five innings while walking four batters. This was the phase at the start of his MLB career where he was walking the world. The Giants have the following career numbers against Senga:

• Willy Adames 0-2, BB, K
• Matt Chapman 1-1, 2B, BB
• Rafael Devers 0-3, 2 BB
• Wilmer Flores 0-3
• Andrew Knizner 0-2
• Dominic Smith 1-4, 2B, 2 K
• Brett Wisely 0-3, K
• Mike Yastrzemski 2-3

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Giants Lineup

1. Jung Hoo Lee, CF
2. Heliot Ramos, LF
3. Rafael Devers, DH
4. Willy Adames, SS
5. Matt Chapman, 3B
6. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
7. Dominic Smith, 1B
8. Patrick Bailey, C
9. Brett Wisley, 2B

It’s a bullpen game for the Giants this evening. Matt Gage is projected to start things off for the Giants. He’s pitched in nine major-league games between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants this season totaling 9 2/3 innings with a 0.00 ERA, scattering eight hits and three walks (2.57 FIP).

Carson Seymour is in line to get the bulk of the work of the afternoon and his name should sound familiar to you. The Mets drafted Seymour in 2021 and traded him along with J.D. Davis and Thomas Szapucki to the Giants for Darin Ruf at the 2022 trade deadline. Seymour has pitched in three games this season totaling six innings allowing four runs (two earned) from eight hits and a walk. He has allowed three home runs in only six innings. Critically, for the Giants Sunday, before being called up at the end of June, Seymour was stretched out to six innings in the minors. He routinely tossed more than 80 pitches, maxing at 102. The Giants need a long outing from Seymour Sunday night.

Game Notes

Prior to Sunday night’s game, the Mets announced they’ve designated LHP José Castillo for assignment to make room for newly acquired LHP Gregory Soto.

Sunday morning, reports that the Mets were interested in St. Louis Cardinals receiver Ryan Helsley and the fact that the Chicago White Sox covet infielder Mark Vientos in any trade for outfielder Luis Robert Jr. came out.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mark Vientos. Vientos’ name has started to bubble up in trade rumors. Vientos has been showing signs of his 2024 since July 10. Over his last 12 games, Vientos has gone 13-for-43 at the plate with four doubles, a triple and six RBIs while slashing .302/.318/.442. He’s raised his season stat-line from .210/.272/.341 to .226/.280/.358. Currently he has a six-game hitting streak and has hit doubles in back-to-back games.
2. Gregory Soto. Soto joined the team yesterday and is expected to be active for Sunday’s game. Soto is the first acquisition the Mets made during this trade deadline, sending pitching prospects Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster to the Orioles. Soto is a power lefty with a fastball that averages 96.8 mph (86th percentile) with swing-and-miss stuff (87th percentile). He does struggle with control (11th percentile in walks), but hitters struggle to barrel the ball against him (94th percentile).
3. Francisco Lindor’s new streak. Lindor has reached base at least twice in three straight games. Saturday night, he went 1-for-4 with a walk. Unfortunately, the bats behind him were struggling and the Mets couldn’t bring him home. Over his last three games he has gone 6-for-13 at the plate with a double, a home run, and four runs scored while slashing .462/.500/.769.

The post Game Chat: Mets vs. Giants, 7:10 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

August 2 of this past season left a lot of fans and pundits a tad puzzled at Billy Eppler and the New York Mets’ trade deadline approach. Interestingly enough, Friday morning Eppler defended the team’s decision making once again explaining that he has “no regrets” with how the deadline was handled.

The approach that the Mets took was one that showed great conservatism. They did not want to give up their higher-tier prospects and jeopardize their ability to build a sustained winner. Which, given how the Mets’ system is currently built, may have been a wise decision. Regardless, that is the approach the team took, if it was right or wrong is another story.

In total, the Mets made four main moves leading up to and on the August 2nd MLB Trade Deadline. Looking back on those deals, how did the Mets make out? How did the players involve in the trades fair? Let’s take a look.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Trade #1: July 22 – Daniel Vogelbach (1B/DH) from Pittsburgh for Colin Holderman (RHP)

At first, several seemed skeptical of the move to deal the young Holderman due to his success as well as age. However, several fell in love with 270-pound Vogelbach, who the Mets acquired for the relief pitcher, as he started his tenure red hot. As is well documented, Vogelbach cooled off considerably for a stretch, before once again playing well to end the season.

In all, the left-handed hitting Vogelbach, who exclusively faced right-handed pitching, slashed .255/.393/.436 and hit six home runs while tallying 25 RBI during his time in New York. This good for a very strong .830 OPS. His OPS+ of 139 was also a superb figure, and well above the league average. All-in-all, Vogelbach did a nice job for the Mets after coming over in the deal.

Holderman, meanwhile, pitched to a 2.04 ERA with the Mets across 17 2/3 innings pitched before being moved. For that reason, the trade was highly scrutinized by many right off the bat. However, a deeper dive into that 2.04 ERA shows a FIP of 3.79. This indicating that the 2.04 ERA figure may have been a result of some good luck and fielding behind him.

Largely limited by injury, Holderman only threw three innings in Triple-A and 10 2/3 at the major-league level with Pittsburgh. He posted ERAs of 3.00 and 6.75, respectively. Holderman is currently on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder issue.

At the end of the day, relievers such as Holderman are easily replaceable, and as his underlying numbers and numbers in limited action with Pittsburgh indicates, his early success with the Mets may have been overly stated. Meanwhile, Vogelbach, despite a pro-longed slump and sometimes frustrating approach at the plate, did good work for New York. He is also not slated to be a free agent, as of now, until 2024.

Grade: B

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Trade #2: July 28 – Tyler Naquin (OF) and Phillip Diehl (LHP) from Cincinnati for Hector Rodríguez (2B) and Jose Acuña (RHP) 

Billy Eppler’s next move was for outfield depth, and another bat that historically racked against one type of pitcher. In the deal, New York also acquired a minor league, left-handed pitcher. In doing so, they gave up two prospects. Each were not among the top-30 prospects in the Mets’ system, per MLB.com‘s prospect rankings, at the time of the deal.

Despite a strong start, most of Naquin’s tenure did not go as planned. The rental, as he is now a free agent, had a very nice two home run game before largely faltering the rest of the season. His OPS decreased by 113 points (.749 to .636) from his time earlier in the season with the Reds and his overall performance against right-handed pitching decreased as well. This as his OPS against left handers with the Mets was one of the lowest marks of his career.

Diehl, unsurprisingly, did not see any major-league time. Though, posted a woeful 8.27 ERA in 16 1/3 innings pitched with Syracuse (Triple-A).

Hector Rodríguez, an 18 year old, five-foot-eight infielder, had a very nice year in the Dominican Summer League with the Mets’ organization in 2021. He backed that up with .928 OPS with the Mets’ organization in the Florida Complex League this year before getting moved. With the Reds, he had 1.184 OPS in 24 at-bats in the Arizona Complex League and .786 OPS in 45 at-bats in the Florida State League.

Jose Acuña, a 19 year old pitcher, had an ERA of 3.86 in 2021 and an ERA of 3.16 this season with the Mets in the Florida Complex League before being dealt. In 31 1/3 innings with the Reds’ organization after being dealt this year, he struck out 35 and posted a 3.16 ERA.

Neither Rodríguez or Acuña are ranked in the Reds’ top-30 prospect rankings via MLB.com.

Regardless, Naquin did not perform well at all for the Mets, and each prospect they gave up can very well develop into decent players. Though, to give the Mets the benefit of the doubt, at the time of the deal, it did make sense what general manager Billy Eppler was trying to accomplish. It would also have been difficult to predict Naquin completely falling off a cliff and no longer hitting right-handed pitching, something he usually does so well. Though, that is the risk with these type of moves, and evidently the Mets got burnt.

Grade: D-plus

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Trade #3: August 2 – Darin Ruf (1B/DH) from San Francisco for J.D. Davis (3B/DH), Thomas Szapucki (LHP), Carson Seymour (RHP), and Nick Zwack (LHP)

At the time, this was by far the most head-scratching of the deals made by general manager Billy Eppler and crew. The Mets gave up three prospects and a major-league player for a 36-year-old platoon player. In Eppler’s mind, he was acquiring a right-handed designated hitter complement to Vogelbach. Right of the bat, it was rightfully perceived that the Mets were giving up way too much.

The Ruf experiment went well, rough. Before coming over from San Francisco, he was slashing 252/.364/.523 against left-handed pitchers, which was good for a strong .887 OPS. He was a career .900-plus OPS guy against left handers. And these were the reasons why the Mets presumably targeted him.

Well, that certainly did not happen with New York. In total, Ruf slashed .152/.216/.197 good for a .413 OPS, 474 total percentage points lower than his OPS earlier in the season with San Francisco. He did not register a single home run and forced the Mets’ hand in calling up top prospect Francisco Álvarez.

The lone established major-league piece the Mets gave up was Davis. J.D. was an enigma for the Mets before being dealt. His hard-hit rate was one of the best in the league, yet he was seemingly unable to make contact most of the time. This resulting in an absurdly high strikeout rate. Well, with the Giants, Davis increased his OPS by 174 points, from .683 to .857. He was also able to hit four more home runs in 44 less at-bats than he did with the Mets. Though, coincidentally enough, Davis struck out at even a higher of a rate than he did with New York.

Szapucki, the Toms River, NJ native, found success as well. He pitched to a 1.98 ERA (1.34 FIP) across 13 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts at the major-league level with the Giants. He also had a 1.08 ERA in only 8 1/3 innings pitched in Triple-A. As many alluded to was possible, it appears Szapucki may be emerging as a decent left-handed bullpen option.

Seymour, a 2021 sixth-round pick by the Mets, posted ERAs of 1.19 and 3.68 between Single-A and High-A ball levels with New York before being dealt. With San Francisco (High-A level) after the deal, he started six games throwing 29 1/3 innings posting a 3.99 ERA. He struck out 43 batters, showing his superb strikeout rate with Brooklyn (High-A) was not an illusion.

Zwack, who was named South Atlantic League player of the month with the Mets’ organization for June, had a 1.84 ERA in 63 2/3 innings pitched with Brooklyn (High-A) before the trade. Zwack started six games for the Giants’ organization at the High-A level posting a 3.99 ERA across 29 1/3 innings. He struck out 36.

Zwack and Seymour checked in at 29th and 30th, respectively, on the Giants’ top-30 prospect rankings by MLB.com.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As mentioned above, what general manager Billy Eppler wanted to accomplish was clear. He believed acquiring Ruff, who had a .900-plus OPS against left-handed pitching throughout his career, would adequately compliment Vogelbach and ultimately form a formidable designated-hitter position for New York down the stretch. Though, that certainly did not happen.

From the jump, the Mets gave up too much: an established, albeit at the time, struggling major-league bat, a potential major-league left-handed bullpen option, and two pitching prospects with intriguing upside. To make matters worse, Ruf faltered heavily and each of the pieces the Mets gave up lived up to what several thought they were currently. This putting the nail in the coffin of this immediately ugly trade.

Grade: F

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Trade #4: August 2 – Mychal Givens (RHP) from Chicago (NL) for Saúl González (RHP)

One of the dyre needs of the Mets at the deadline was the needed acquisition of a reliever or two. New York went ahead and only added one major-league reliever in veteran Mychal Givens. In doing so, New York gave up a non-top-30 prospect in Saúl González.

Evaluating Givens’ Mets’ tenure is an interesting task. On the surface, his 4.79 ERA, 24 hits allowed, and subsequent 4.79 ERA with New York appears to show another deadline blunder. However, when you further analyze Givens’ time in Flushing, 73% of his earned runs (eight of 11) came in only two appearances. In total, Givens appeared in 19 different regular-season games for the Mets, he allowed a run in only four of them. Overall, 79% of Givens’ outings were scoreless, and he posted eight-straight scoreless appearances to end the regular season.

González, a six-foot-seven 22 year old, posted a 8.71 ERA in 10 1/3 innings during the 2021 season with St. Lucie (Single-A). He had a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings this season before the trade. Serving exclusively as a reliever, as he did with the Mets, González posted a 3.63 ERA in 17 1/3 innings with Single-A Myrtle Beach in the Cubs’ system after the deal. He is not in the among the top 30 in the Cubs’ prospect rankings per MLB.com.

At the time this trade was made, it appeared to be a nice move for the Mets. Looking back, it appears to be exactly such. New York did not give up much while getting a usually reliable arm. Though, you cannot completely ignore those two bad outings and have to factor in the two runs given up in the postseason.

Note, Givens and the Mets have a mutual option for this upcoming season valued at $3.5 million.

Grade: B-minus

Final Thoughts

Looking back on it, it was certainly a lackluster deadline for the Mets and general manager Billy Eppler, in terms of the four deals completed. Two of the trades turned out perfectly fine, and two others ended up being pretty poor. Especially the deal for Ruf. Whether or not Eppler could/should have done more at the deadline is a different story. Though, for what he did do, certainly provided some mixed results.

The post Regrading The Mets’ Heavily-Debated 2022 Trade Deadline Moves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jaylen Palmer, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Jaylen Palmer hit three home runs this week as Brooklyn took four of six from Hudson Valley. We’ll take a closer look at Palmer’s potential breakout series and other happenings throughout the Mets’ system.

Triple-A Syracuse

Syracuse dropped three of four to the Buffalo Bison with a pair of rainouts.

Johneshwy Fargas led the Mets with five hits in 18 at-bats last week including a double and a home run. He also stole a pair of bases to give him nine on the year between Syracuse and Binghamton.

Johneshwy Fargas laser beams one over the left-field wall and ties the ballgame at one!

How it sounded on @TheScore1260 with @evstockton on the call ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/phcx9yRgKW

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) May 19, 2022

Mark Vientos also had another solid week, going 5-for-19 with a pair of doubles. The 22-year-old is now slashing .213/.306/.426 this season while posting a .831 OPS in his last 39 at-bats.

Pitching was inconsistent in Syracuse again. The best start of the week came from Connor Grey. The right-hander struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and a pair of walks. Grey, a 20th-round draft pick in 2016 who joined the Mets’ organization last season, now has a 4.78 ERA through 32 innings this season.

On the other end, Mike Montgomery could only record one out while allowing four runs on two hits and three walks. The veteran southpaw is now 0-5 with a 6.61 ERA through eight starts.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies dropped five of six to the Akron RubberDucks as they fall to 12-26 on the season.

Jake Mangum led the Ponies with an 8-f0r-19 series including a pair of doubles, culminating with a promotion to Triple-A. The 26-year-old outfielder was slashing .283/.353/.408 in 12o at-bats with Binghamton.

Meanwhile, it was an up-and-down week for some of the Mets’ top prospects. Ronny Mauricio went 7-for-25 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run though struck out 12 times. He’s now slashing .270/.302/.496 with a 27.5% strikeout-rate. Francisco Álvarez was also punched out 11 times in a 6-for-24 week. The 20-year-old backstop still hasn’t homered since April 17.

Mets #3 Prospect Ronny Mauricio slugged his third home run in 10 games as part of a four-RBI day for the @RumblePoniesBB yesterday.

Read Full Recap on @Mets Minor League Teams yesterday: https://t.co/jJV7UBZ0IJ pic.twitter.com/3wJUJuplQY

— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) May 23, 2022

Binghamton pitching struggled mightily last week allowing 40 runs in the six-game set.

Jose Butto allowed three earned runs on six hits in just 2 2/3 innings. Butto now has a 3.77 ERA in eight starts. Jose Chacin and Alex Valverde each allowed four runs in four-plus innings while David Griffin was shelled for seven runs in 4.1 innings.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones took four of six from the Hudson Valley Renegades as they improve to 17-19.

There were some encouraging performances in Brooklyn this week. Jaylen Palmer went 5-for-14 with three home runs (his first three of the year) and a double. The New York native is now slashing .174/.304/.314 after a very slow start to the season.

Brooklyn's own Jaylen Palmer "out the back door into the backyard" with an opposite field home run to put the Cyclones back on top 2-1 in the bottom of the 5th. #amazinstartshere pic.twitter.com/XkPDMqVd3B

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) May 18, 2022

Shervyen Newton also hit a pair of home runs in a 4-for-16 week. Jose Peroza and Joe Suozzi homered as well in the series victory.

Brooklyn also got some solid pitching performances last week. Nolan Clenney pitched nine innings over two starts, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out ten. Clenney, signed as a free agent last June, has a 4.84 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in 22.1 innings.

Junior Santos and Garrison Bryant each allowed two earned runs in five innings. Meanwhile, Daison Acosta allowed four earned runs on two hits and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning.

Low-A St. Lucie

St. Lucie split their series with the Tampa Tarpons, winning the first three before dropping the final three contests.

Alex Ramirez led the Mets again with seven hits, including a double, in 23 at-bats.

Omar De Los Santos continued his blazing start to the season going 5-for-22 with a home run and four stolen bases. De Los Santos now has a .786 OPS with four home runs and 21 stolen bases.

Omar De Los Santos got all of this one. 💥 pic.twitter.com/mxtsWscZWL

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) May 20, 2022

Carlos Dominguez and Junior Tilien each had five hits and a home run as well, while Kevin Villavicencio went 5-for-15 with two doubles and a stolen base.

Mike Vasil earned a promotion to High-A Brooklyn after allowing just an unearned run on two hits over seven innings while striking out 11. Vasil, an eighth-round pick out of the University of Virginia, was 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 35 innings with St. Lucie.

Calvin Ziegler showed off his potential as well, striking out nine over 4 2/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on two hits and three walks.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Alex Ramirez (SLU) – .353

OPS – Alex Ramirez – .916

HR – Daniel Palka (SYR)/Carlos Dominguez (SLU) – 9

SB – Omar De Los Santos (SLU) – 21

Pitching (min. 20 innings)

ERA – Carson Seymour (SLU) – 1.19

SO – Calvin Ziegler (SLU) – 48

WHIP – Mike Vasil (SLU/BRK) – 0.97

Players of the Week

Offensive: Jaylen Palmer – 3B/OF Brooklyn

Palmer was selected in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft out of Holy Cross High School, a 10-minute drive on Northern Boulevard from Citi Field.

After a pair of solid seasons in rookie ball, expectations were high for Palmer following his debut 2021 debut with St. Lucie where he slashed .276/.378/.386 while stealing 23 bases.

However, he struggled after a promotion to Brooklyn midway through the season and opened 2022 with a .174./.304/.314 line and a staggering 45.1% K-rate.

Palmer broke through this week with four extra-base hits (including his first three home runs of the season) and six RBIs. Hopefully, a strong week will mark a turning point for the versatile 21-year-old. Despite a lower draft stock, Palmer came into the year as Baseball America’s 14th-ranked prospect in the Mets system thanks to his speed/power combo and ability to play multiple positions well defensively. He’s already demonstrated the speed element (six steals in seven attempts this season) and hinted at his power potential this week.

When Palmer does hit the ball he hits it hard. Cutting down on strikeouts will be key to his success in 2022 and beyond.

Pitching: Mike Vasil – RHP St. Lucie/Brooklyn

Vasil was dominant for St. Lucie Tuesday, striking out 11 in a victory. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out another two in an inning Sunday before being pulled in anticipation of his promotion to High-A Brooklyn.

Vasil, drafted in the eighth round of the 2021 draft, has the potential to be a fast riser. He was a highly-regarded prospect in high school, with some viewing him as a potential first-round pick in the 2018 draft. However, Vasil withdrew from the draft following an injury and went on to pitch at the University of Virginia. He couldn’t seem to match his success post-injury, finishing his final collegiate season with a 4.89 ERA in 15 starts.

The Mets saw enough upside in Vasil to take him in the eighth, and so far it’s paid off. He throws a mid-90s fastball with a hard cutter while he continues to develop a solid curveball and a mid-80s changeup.  In 42 innings between 2021 and 2022, Vasil has a 1.71 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP while logging 47 strikeouts. If he can keep up his success in High-A, Vasil could make a push for Binghamton before the end of the summer.

Promotions/Demotions

• Mike Vasil from Low-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
• Carson Seymour from Low-A St. Lucie to High-A Brooklyn
• Jake Mangum from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse
• Carlos Cortes from Triple-A Syracuse to Double-A Binghamton
• Quinn Brodey from Triple-A Syracuse to Double-A Binghamton
• Joel Diaz to Low-A St. Lucie
• Javier Atencio to Low-A St. Lucie

Upcoming Schedule: May 24-29

Syracuse: vs. Rochester

Binghamton: @ Reading

Brooklyn: @ Bowling Green

St. Lucie: @ Dunedin

The post Mets Minors Weekly Report: Jaylen Palmer Powers Brooklyn appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mike Vasil, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

A source informed me on Sunday afternoon that the Mets were promoting St. Lucie right-handed pitchers Mike Vasil and Carson Seymour to High-A Brooklyn following their game with Tampa.

Vasil, 22, was an eighth round selection out of Virginia for the Mets in last year’s draft. To date, Vasil has posted a 1.80 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP to go along with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks. Vasil is coming off the best start of his professional career, in which he went seven innings, allowed just two hits, no walks, no earned runs, and struck out eleven batters. He got just one inning in against Tampa as an opener before being pulled and subsequently promoted.

Seymour, 23, was selected out of Kansas State in the sixth round last year and has had an incredible start to the season. He began his season by allowing just one run in his first 25 innings of work. He finally allowed more than one run in his most recent start against Tampa, in which he allowed three. He ends his time in St. Lucie with an ERA of 1.19 over the course of 30 1/3 innings and seven games, four of which were starts.

Another source also indicated that there may be more promotions coming from Port St. Lucie in the coming days and weeks, but nothing is set in stone yet. Among candidates to receive promotions from St. Lucie soon are outfielders Carlos Dominguez, Omar De Los Santos, Stanley Consuegra, and infielder William Lugo.

Carlos Dominguez has slugged nine homers this year, a team best, while De Los Santos has stolen 21 bases already, which is an organizational best. Watching De Los Santos in person, he also has an incredibly strong arm and his development is one to keep an eye on through this season and beyond.

Also is outfielder and top prospect Alex Ramirez, however there do not seem to be immediate plans on promoting the center fielder. He has succeeded immensely to a slash line of .353/.387/.529 through 153 at bats, but at only 19 years of age there is no reason to rush him through the system.

Right-hander pitcher Joel Diaz has been added to the St. Lucie roster. Diaz, only 18 years old, is our No. 14 prospect at MMN and Baseball America has him as their No. 9 prospect in the Mets system. He posted a sparkling 0.54 ERA and struck out 63 batters in 50 innings for the DSL Mets last year.

Joining Diaz is left-handed pitcher Javier Atencio, with both making their stateside debuts. The 20-year-old had a 2.44 and a whopping 76 strikeouts in 48 DSL innings last season.

Also of note, Khalil Lee returned to the Syracuse Mets after a brief stint in St. Lucie, according to the MiLB Transaction page. He hit .241/.371/.414 during an eight game stint.

Center fielder Jake Mangum is getting promoted to Triple-A Syracuse with outfielder Carlos Cortes being demoted from Syracuse to Double-A Binghamton.

MetsMerized and Mets Minors will keep you up to date with coverage on the Mets farm system as promotions are underway.

The post Source: Mike Vasil, Carson Seymour Promoted to Brooklyn appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Carson Seymour, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Carson Seymour was one of the more interesting players taken in the Mets’ pitcher-heavy 2021 draft. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound right-hander pitched two seasons at Kansas State, where he posted a 6.19 ERA across 56 2/3 innings in 2021 with a 1.59 WHIP, after transferring from Dartmouth following his freshman season.

While the results may not have been encouraging, Seymour featured some very intriguing “stuff”. His sinking fastball sits in the mid-90s and can reach 99 while throwing a hard cutter in the low-90s with a potentially-plus changeup and developing curveball. In fact, there were rumblings following the shortened 2020 season that Seymour could work himself into the first-round conversations with a bounce-back 2021 campaign.

However, Seymour continued to struggle with command in 2021 and ultimately fell to the Mets in the sixth round. After 25 innings so far with St. Lucie this year, that’s starting to look like a steal as he’s turned potential into results. Seymour has allowed just one run (giving him a 0.36 ERA) with a WHIP of 0.96 while striking out 19 (a 6.84 K/9). Most encouraging is the improvement in command. Seymour has issued just seven walks so far this year after posting a BB/9 of 5.1 in his final season with Kansas State.

Groundouts and soft contact have been key to Seymour’s early-season success. He’s implemented his sinker as a primary pitch this season, leading to a 62.7% ground ball rate. In Seymour’s recent outing against the Palm Beach Cardinals, he threw the sinker 53% of the time (36 total), generating an average exit velocity of 80.7 mph while recording seven outs on ground balls.

Seymour has overmatched hitters in Low-A and should be on the shortlist for a move to Brooklyn soon. While the results so far are certainly encouraging, he’s older for a Low-A pitcher at 23. It’ll be telling if he can maintain his command improvements at higher levels, thus maximizing the effectiveness of his secondary pitches while limiting hard contact.

Seymour has the potential to pitch in a big league rotation, or at least out of the bullpen, with his large frame and strong pitch mix. We’ve seen the Mets develop pitchers with less — see Tylor Megill (picked in the eighth round) or a certain converted shortstop picked in the ninth.

Obviously, these comparisons are incredibly premature but it’s not unprecedented to see the Mets make something out of mid-round college arms, especially if they have the stuff that Seymour does. The organization lacks starting pitching depth in the upper levels, so Seymour can certainly ascend the system quickly if he keeps up his early success.

The post Prospect Pulse: Carson Seymour Dominating in St. Lucie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Triple-A Recap

Syracuse Mets (6-11) 4, Worcester Red Sox (10-8) 2  Box Score

• Nick Plummer CF: 2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, K, .300/.400/.600
• Mark Vientos 3B: 1-for-4, 3B, 2 K, .160/.232/.320
• Travis Blankenhorn 2B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 K, .191/.220/.426

The Mets didn’t have a ton going on offense in Sunday’s game, but they got the big hit when they needed it. Plummer was the one who came through for them with his go-ahead three-run homer to right field in the eighth inning. He hasn’t played much yet this season with the time he’s spent on the major league taxi squad, but Plummer has looked very strong through his first six games with Syracuse. Used at all three outfield positions a year ago, it is interesting to note that he has only played center field this season.

Vientos had a .978 OPS during his cup of coffee with Syracuse last year, so it is a bit of a surprise to see him struggle so mightily through the first couple of weeks of 2022. Four of his eight hits have gone for extra bases, so the power is still there, but his 34% K% is very high. The other top-hitting prospects in Syracuse – Khalil Lee and Carlos Cortes – have experienced similar struggles this season.

• LHP Mike Montgomery (0-2, 2.65 ERA) 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 4 K
• RHP Rob Zastryzny (0-1, 2.45 ERA) 2.0 IP, BB, 4 K
• LHP Alex Claudio (W, 1-0, 1.13 ERA) 2.0 IP, BB, K

Syracuse has had significant pitching woes early in the 2022 season, but these three pitchers have not been responsible for those struggles. Montgomery has been consistently good through his first four starts, giving up no more than two earned runs in any single start. His 16:1 K: BB ratio over 17.0 innings pitched is also outstanding. Claudio has only given up one earned run over his first eight innings this season.

Double-A Recap

Portland Sea Dogs (9-6) 13, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (4-10) 5  Box Score

• Ronny Mauricio SS: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, K, .320/.358/.580
• Brett Baty LF: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K, .354/.415/.542
• Francisco Álvarez C: 0-for-4, 2 K, .289/.378/.711

It’s a rare sight to look at a Binghamton box score and see that both Baty and Álvarez were hitless, but Sunday was one of those unusual days. Mauricio, however, picked up the slack for his fellow top prospects with a multi-hit game of his own. Through the first 14 games of the season, the three top prospects are among the top 13 hitters in the Eastern League in terms of OPS. MMO’s Josh Finkelstein noted Ronny Mauricio’s debut on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.

It almost seems hypercritical to say anything negative about a player with an OPS over 1.000 and the youngest player in the league. Still, Álvarez has been uncharacteristically strikeout-prone over the past few games. He has a 31.1 K% for the season, well above his 22.3% from last year. Both Àlvarez and Mauricio were removed for pinch hitters in the eighth inning; the Rumble Ponies gave no reason for their removal, but it does not appear injury-related.

• RHP Mitch Ragan (L, 0-1, 12.96 ERA) 0.2 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, BB, K
• RHP Justin Lasko (0-0, 10.13 ERA) 4.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, BB, 5 K
• RHP Michel Otanez (0-1, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, H

It was a start to forget for Ragan, against whom more at bats ended in home runs (3) than outs (2). He hadn’t been dominant early in the season, but this start ballooned his ERA from a sour 5.87 to an abysmal 12.96. Lasko wasn’t much better in relief (although he did make it from the second through the fourth inning unscathed), and the score was out of hand by the fifth inning. However, one positive from this pitching performance is that Otanez continues to look strong and displays much better control in relief than last year. It has only been five appearances, but a 1.93 BB/9 was a dramatic improvement from his 9.15 BB/9 a year ago.

High-A Recap

Hudson Valley Renegades (8-7) 3, Brooklyn Cyclones (8-7) 0  Box Score

• Nic Gaddis 3B: 1-for-3, BB, E, .152/.293/.212
• Jaylen Palmer DH: 0-for-2, K, HBP, .161/.297/.226
• Tanner Murphy LF: 1-for-2, 2B, BB, K, .273/.308/.545

There was nothing positive about the Cyclones’ offensive performance on Sunday. They recorded just two hits on the day and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Palmer improved his strikeout numbers a bit last season, especially during his time with St. Lucie, but a 48.6% K% through his first ten games is certainly not conducive to success for the high-upside prospect. However, offensive struggles early this season are not limited to just Palmer. Instead, the Cyclones rank dead last in the South Atlantic League with a .580 team OPS.

• RHP Daison Acosta (L, 0-2, 12.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, ER, BB, K
• RHP Garrison Bryant (1-0, 2.79 ERA) 4.0 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Justin Courtney (1-0, 2.70 ERA) 1.1 IP, H, 2 K

Acosta lasted just one inning in his third start of the season. He is coming back from Tommy John surgery and threw 56 pitches in his last outing, so seeing him leaving this start after throwing just 16 pitches is a bit concerning. Following Acosta’s outing, Bryant pitched well in relief. Courtney has looked excellent in his first full season in the Mets organization. He has given up just two earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched and has a 13.5 K/9.

Low-A Recap

Jupiter Hammerheads (8-7) 2, St. Lucie Mets (9-6) 1  Box Score

• Stanley Consuegra CF: 2-for-4, 2B, K, .264/.316/.340
• Raul Beracierta DH: 2-for-4, K, .259/.286/.296
• Shervyen Newton SS: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, K, 2 E, .283/.358/.457

The Mets couldn’t get anything going offensively in Sunday’s game. They had just seven hits and couldn’t take advantage of their limited chances, with Newton’s RBI double in the eighth inning being their lone hit with runners in scoring position out of seven at bats. Consuegra is one of the more exciting prospects on this St. Lucie team, but he has struggled a bit with strikeouts: he has recorded a 35.1% K% through the first 13 games of the season. Alex Ramirez was not in the lineup for Sunday’s game.

• RHP Dominic Hamel (0-0, 4.66 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, 2 K
• RHP Carson Seymour (1-0, 0.00 ERA) 4.0 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K
• RHP Joshua Cornielly (L, 0-1, 5.06 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, 3 BB, K

Hamel made his third start of the season but was removed after one scoreless, 14-pitch inning. It is unclear if this was because he was being used as an opener for Seymour or if the removal was injury-related. He had gone at least four innings in his first two starts of the season. Seymour has thrown nine scoreless innings and has held opponents to a .335 OPS this season.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Ronny Mauricio Another Two Hits In Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Allen Greene Photography

Columbus Clippers (9-3) 4, Syracuse Mets (1-10) 3  Box Score

• Khalil Lee CF: 1-for-2, 2 BB, .103/.235/.138
• Patrick Mazeika 1B: 2-for-3, R, BB, .226/.333/.226
• Travis Blankenhorn 2B: 1-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K, .233/.258/.533

Despite only recording six hits, the Mets’ offense had plenty of opportunities in Sunday’s game, but they went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Following a phenomenal 2021 season, Lee has struggled to start 2022, but he reached base three times in this game and has had a hit in the last three games. Interestingly, he had predominantly played center field this year when he was mostly in right field last year, although this may be because there is no other clear option in center on the current roster. Blankenhorn has had an impressive power surge to start the season as he now has three home runs in the first seven games of the year. Mark Vientos was hitless with four strikeouts.

• LHP Mike Montgomery (L, 0-2, 3.00 ERA) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K
• RHP Colin Holderman (0-0, 1.93 ERA) 1.1 IP, H, ER, BB, KÁ
• RHP Stephen Nogosek (0-0, 1.69 ERA) 1.0 IP

The Mets have only won one of their first eleven games, and the pitching staff is mostly to blame for this. They have the worst ERA in the league and have allowed 7.3 runs per game. In this context, only allowing four runs feels like a victory, even if that wasn’t the game’s ultimate result. Montgomery continues to have a solid season with Syracuse; he has an excellent 12:1 K: BB ratio through 12 innings pitched. Holderman gave up his first run of the season on a sixth-inning home run. Nogosek has struck out seven batters without walking anyone over 5.1 innings to start the season.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (3-5) 9, Bowie Baysox (4-4) 6  Box Score

• Francisco Álvarez DH: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K, .375/.429/1.000
• Brett Baty 3B: 1-for-3, BB, K, .400/.419/.667
• Ronny Mauricio SS: 0-for-4, 2 K, .276/.323/.483

The Rumble Ponies’ offense only had one run through the first four innings but would explode for eight more runs over the final four offensive frames of the game. Six of the team’s ten hits in Sunday’s game went for extra bases, including home runs by Álvarez, Jake Mangum, and Luke Ritter. With two extra-base hits in this game, Álvarez’s power numbers in the early days of the season are indeed something to behold. He has only played six games, but seven of his nine hits have gone for extra bases, and his four home runs rank him second in the league. Perhaps the only minor issue one could take with the early part of his season is that he has struck out 25% of the time. Baty’s performance has been lost a bit in the hype, but even with an unsustainable .550 BABIP, he has been fantastic.

Francisco Álvarez hit his fourth home run of the year.

No idea how he muscled this one out. #Mets pic.twitter.com/bKoRqsEWJQ

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) April 17, 2022

• RHP Alec Kisena (1-0, 4.26 ERA) 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Brian Metoyer (1-0, 3.38 ERA) 1.0 IP, BB, 3 K
• RHP Bryce Montes de Oca (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, K

Kisena started on Sunday, and while he did allow several baserunners and threw 39 pitches before exiting, it was not immediately clear why he was removed from the game. He had two runners on in the second but had not yet allowed a run to score. It may have just been a pitch count issue, or it could have been due to injury. Montes de Oca has not allowed a single hit over the four innings he has pitched this year. The sample size is too small to make much of his improved control, but it is good to see his walk rate drop from 7.2 to 4.5 BB/9 while his strikeout rate has increased.

Brooklyn Cyclones (6-3) 6, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (1-8) 1  Box Score

• Brandon McIlwain RF: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB, K, .353/.450/.647
• Tanner Murphy LF: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI, K, .222/.200/.444
• Jose Peroza 2B: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, K, .192/.214/.192

Everyone contributed to the Cyclones’ win on Sunday: each player in the lineup reached base at least once, and the team’s ten hits were spread out among seven different players. McIlwain has emerged from being a relatively obscure minor league free agent signing a year ago to now becoming the early star for the Cyclones. He has had success getting hits and stealing bases over the first week of the season but flashed his power for the first time with a big home run to left field to get the Cyclones on the board in the second inning.

B-Mac said B-Gone to this baseball. Brandon McIlwain’s first home run of the year gives Brooklyn a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd here on Coney Island.#AmazinStartsHere #MiLB pic.twitter.com/6WvAUOM0R6

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) April 17, 2022

• RHP Carlos Ocampo (0-1, 8.10 ERA) 3.0 IP, R, 5 BB, 2 K
• RHP Garrison Bryant (W, 1-0, 3.18 ERA) 2.0 IP, H, BB, K
• RHP Josh Hejka (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, H, 2 K

A week after a disastrous first start of the season, in which he was knocked out of the game in the first inning, Ocampo was unhittable over three innings on Sunday. While not allowing a hit is an improvement, Ocampo was plagued by walks during his outing, and just half of his 56 pitches were strikes. Hejka has looked strong over the first week of the season, striking out five and walking none over three scoreless innings.

St. Lucie Mets (7-2) 5, Clearwater Threshers (1-8) 4  Box Score

• Alex Ramirez CF: 1-for-4, RBI, K, .485/.528/.697
• Stanley Consuegra LF: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K, .333/.389/.424
• William Lugo DH: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI, 2 K, .250/.357/.458

Home runs by Lugo, and Omar De Los Santos powered the Mets to victory on Sunday. Lugo has struggled with strikeouts throughout his career, and despite his solid slash line so far, he has still struck out in exactly half (14 of 28) of his plate appearances. On the other hand, Ramirez struggled with strikeouts last year but has dramatically improved in that category this year. He has struck out in just 13.9% of his plate appearances in 2022. He also has an eight-game hitting streak, having recorded a hit in each game he has played this season. Consuegra has also impressed so far, even though his well-regarded power has not shown up yet outside of a few doubles, including one on Sunday.

• RHP Calvin Ziegler (0-1, 3.86 ERA) 3.1 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• RHP Carson Seymour (W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, 2 K
• LHP Nathan Lavender (S, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) 2.0 IP, 4 K

2021 draft picks Ziegler, Seymour, and Lavender shone in Sunday’s game for St. Lucie. Ziegler, picked in the second round of last year’s draft, was nearly flawless in his second start of the year. His lone blemish came on a home run in the fourth inning, against the last batter he would face before coming out of the game with 60 pitches. He struck out rehabbing major leaguer Odubel Herrera twice in his start. Seymour’s first appearance of the season was a four-inning start, but he was much more dominant in his single-inning appearance on Sunday. He only needed eight pitches to strike out two batters and finish a perfect inning. Lavender followed with two perfect innings himself, in which he threw 19 of 22 pitches for strikes.

The post MMN Recap: Álvarez Blasts Fourth Home Run Of The Season appeared first on Metsmerized Online.