Triple-A Syracuse is now over a full week’s worth of games into their season, sitting exactly at .500, with Joander Suarez looking to finally push himself over the top and onto the Mets’ major league roster. Brendan Girton looked to make a strong season debut in Binghamton (Double-A) after a solid 2025, while the Cyclones were just hoping their offense would score a few more runs than they did on Friday. For St. Lucie (Single-A), Cam Tilly made his season debut after being drafted in 2025.

Joander Suarez, Photos by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

Syracuse (4-4) 9, Toledo (3-5) 7

Box Score

• RHP Joander Suarez: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (9.00 ERA)
• RHP Joey Gerber: 1.1 IP, H, R, ER (8.10 ERA)
• RHP Mike Baumann: IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB (18.00 ERA)
• RHP Austin Warren: 2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (0.00 ERA)
• LHP Anderson Severino: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, K (0.00 ERA)

If you don’t like seeing pitchers give up runs, look away. Suarez struggled mightily in his start, allowing more base runners than he recorded outs. He gave way to Gerber and Baumann, who both struggled in their own rights. Baumann was the worst of the two, allowing two of his three base runners to score.

he staff was settled down by Warren, who is likely the first man up for the Mets’ bullpen if someone were to go down. He was followed by Severino, who turned in two scoreless innings of his own. The two combined for four scoreless innings with no base runners and five strikeouts.

• C Hayden Senger: 2-3, HR (3), BB, 2 RBI
• DH Nick Morabito: 1-5, HR (1), RBI
• SS Jackson Cluff: 1-3, HR (1), RBI
• 1B Jose Rojas: 2-4, 2B, RBI
• 2B Vidal Brujan: 2-4, RBI
• LF Jihwan Bae: 2-4

If you like seeing pitchers give up runs, this is the part of the box score for you. Syracuse smacked three homers on Saturday, with Senger hitting his third in just five games on the season. Morabito and Cuff smacked their first of the season each, while Morabito’s incredibly strong play continues into the second week of the season. He was a designated hitter for the second straight game and the third time on the young season.

With Juan Soto being removed from the Mets’ game on Friday with a calf issue, MJ Melendez‘s .717 OPS so far is more important to note than before.

Brendan Girton. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A

New Hampshire (1-1) 2, Binghamton (1-1) 1

Box Score

• RHP Brendan Girton: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (2.70 ERA)
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (0.00 ERA)
• RHP Bryce Conley: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (3.00 ERA)

Brendan Girton was strong in his season debut, albeit with mediocre command. He was able to navigate his command issues well, only allowing one of his four base runners to score. He also received some help from his defense, as A.J. Ewing gunned down a runner at second base in the fourth to help limit a New Hampshire offensive threat

• LF Matt Rudick: 2-3, 2 2B (2.000 OPS)
• CF A.J. Ewing: 1-3, 2B, RBI (1.101 OPS)
• RF Eli Serrano III: 1-3, 3B (1.600 OPS)

Matt Rudick, the elder statesman of the Binghamton offense, smacked a pair of doubles in his first game of the season at 28 years old. A.J. Ewing and Eli Serrano followed up their solid play on Friday with more extra-base hits, but that was all there was to the Binghamton offense on Saturday.

Overall, the others in the lineup went 0-for-22 on the day. Top prospect Jacob Reimer is just 1-for-10 to start the 2026 season.

Mitch Voit. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

Hudson Valley (2-0) 8, Brooklyn (0-2) 1

Box Score

• RHP Wyatt Hudepohl: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, K (16.20 ERA)
• RHP Garrett Stratton: 1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Brett Banks: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K

Wyatt Hudepohl struggled mightily in his season debut, but the bullpen behind him was solid. After the starter got shelled for six in his season debut, five Cyclones allowed just two runs over 5 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking just two in relief. Banks and Jenkins each provided over an inning of scoreless work.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-5, 2B (.333 OPS)
• 3B Antonio Jimenez: 1-3, BB (1.056 OPS)
• 2B Colin Houck: 1-3, BB (.393 OPS)

Once again, the Cyclones’ bats did not do much against Hudson Valley. They managed just three hits, but this time it was the duo of first-rounders in Voit and Houck, while last year’s second-rounder Jimenez is the only bat to record a hit in both games to start the year. His 2026 campaign is off to a nice start, but he’s been a lone bright spot.

Cam Tilly. (photo via Auburn)

Single-A

St. Lucie (2-1)  1, Palm Beach (1-2) 0

Box Score

• RHP Cam Tilly: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO
• LHP Conner Ware: 3.0 IP,1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO

Right-handed starter Cam Tilly threw five hitless innings for St. Lucie (Single-A) on Saturday. Tilly, a seventh-round pick in 2025, generated 11 whiffs to go along with only two hard-hit balls against. It was a sensational debut for the 21-year-old in his first professional outing.

St. Lucie only needed three pitchers to shutout Palm Beach. The other multi-inning eater was left-handed pitcher Conner Ware. Ware was a 15th-round pick out of Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2025. In his first professional outing, he struck out four over three one-hit innings.

• SS Elian Peña: 1-4 (.929 OPS)
• DH Julio Zayas: 1-4 (.923 OPS)
• LF Randy Guzman: 1-4, RBI (.398 OPS)

St. Lucie’s bats were largely silenced in their 1-0 win on Saturday. The lone run was scored in the fourth inning as Randy Guzman posted a two-out RBI.

18-year-old Elian Peña has began his first full professional season with a hit in each of his first three games. He is 4-for-12 to begin the season.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Cam Tilly Dominates In First Professional Outing appeared first on Metsmerized.

Following their opening day win, the Syracuse Mets (Triple-A) hosted the Woo Sox again for the second game of their series, looking to sprint out to a 2-0 start to the season.

Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox (1-1) 5,  Syracuse Mets (1-1) 3

Box Score

• DH Christian Arroyo: 2-4, (.500 OPS)
• LF Ryan Clifford: 1-4 (.500 OPS)
• 3B Ronny Mauricio: 1-4 (.500 OPS)
• 1B José Rojas: 1-4 (.875 OPS)

Syracuse matched their run output from Opening Day in their second game of the year, but it was not enough. The lineup was able to get six runners on base in total, but only Arroyo reached more than once. Rojas’ Opening Day home run remains his only extra-base hit through two games. As a team, Syracuse struck out more than they reached base.

• RHP Joander Suarez 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, L (5.40 ERA)
• RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (9.00 ERA)
• RHP Joey Gerber: IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
• RHP Alex Carrillo: IP, H, R, ER, 2 BB, K (9.00 ERA)

Suarez is coming off an incredibly strong 2025 campaign in which he posted an ERA of 3.76 in 23 appearances across Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. The base runners were a major concern for him early in his career, but he managed to get his WHIP all the way down from 1.83 in 2022 to 1.05 last year.

He was followed up by four Syracuse relievers, two of whom made appearances in the major league last year: Pintaro and Carrillo. They figured to be two of the first options for relief depth for the big-league squad, along with Gerber, who is new to the organization and is on New York’s 40-man roster.

The Mets and Red Sox play their rubber match this afternoon at 1:10 pm ET with right-hander Bryce Conley set to make his organizational debut.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Syracuse Suffers First Loss Of Their Season appeared first on Metsmerized.

There are two days and three games left of spring training! Over the last few days, a few things have become clearer for the Mets. The Mets will start the season with a five-man rotation consisting of Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga. Jonah Tong and Christian Scott have both been assigned to Syracuse. Also announced was news surrounding Sean Manaea. The lefty will spend the first two turns in the rotation piggybacking other starters. Austin Warren was optioned yesterday, meaning there are only three players left in camp with a legitimate shot at the last bullpen spot. MJ Melendez was assigned to the Syracuse Mets, meaning that Mike Tauchman, Carson Benge, or both will make the Opening Day roster. We are so close to the regular season!

Jonah Tong
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Mark Vientos – 1B
3. Jared Young – DH
4. Luis Torrens – C
5. Tyrone Taylor – LF
6. Vidal Bruján – 2B
7. Jacob Reimer – 3B
8. Cristian Pache – CF
9. Yonny Hernández – SS

Starting Pitcher: Joander Suarez

Nationals Lineup

1. Nasim Nuñez – 2B
2. José Tena – 3B
3. Keibert Ruiz – C
4. Luis García Jr. – 1B
5. Andrés Chaparro – DH
6. Joey Wiemer – CF
7. Christian Franklin – RF
8. Seaver King – SS
9. Sam Peterson – LF

Starting Pitcher: Cade Cavalli

Saturday, March 21, 2026 • 1:10 PM
Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, FL
RHP Mike Burrows (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Jonah Tong (0-1, 10.13)
WPIX

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Bo Bichette – DH
4. Jorge Polanco – 1B
5. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
6. Brett Baty – 3B
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Mike Tauchman – RF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Jonah Tong

Astros Lineup

1. Joey Loperfido – LF
2. Isaac Paredes – 2B
3. Cam Smith – RF
4. Zach Cole – CF
5. Kyle Walker – 1B
6. Yainer Diaz – C
7. Cavan Biggio – DH
8. Riley Unroe – 3B
9. Nick Allen – SS

Starting Pitcher: Mike Burrows

Game Notes

• Francisco Alvarez is back in the lineup today for the Mets. He was pulled in Thursday night’s game with lower back tightness but avoided major injury.
• The Mets announced Sean Manaea will begin the season piggybacking other starters. The lefty dealt with multiple injuries in 2025, and has averaged 88 miles per hour on his fastball this spring.
• According to Carlos Mendoza, the final roster spot has not been filled ahead of Opening Day Thursday. Both Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman are battling for the spot, and both are starting today in separate games.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Looming Right Field Decision. A few days ago, the Mets assigned MJ Melendez to the Syracuse Mets. But who is the right fielder on the Mets? As of right now, it looks like there is a possibility that both Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman will be added to the 40-man roster to fill the spot. One possibility of making sure Brett Baty gets more at-bats, is to use him in the infield, getting DH time for the Mets’ plethora of infielders. Both Tauchman and Benge have earned spots on the roster with their performance this month. Tauchman has gone 7-for-28 with three doubles and a home run. Benge has gone 13-for-32 with a double and a triple. The odd man out is Cristian Pache, who also had a tremendous spring (13-for-28, 3 2B, 2 HR, SB, .545 OBP).
2. Last Bullpen Spot. A few days ago, Anthony DiComo reported that there is essentially one spot in the bullpen right now. There are several pitchers who haven’t been assigned to minor league camp yet, competing for that last spot, including Craig Kimbrel, Bryan Hudson, and Richard Lovelady. Hudson just allowed three runs in one inning of relief and has allowed six runs over 3 1/3 innings this spring from five hits and three walks. Lovelady, who started spring with the Nationals, has allowed one run over five innings from five hits and three walks. Both Lovelady and Hudson are on the 40-man roster. Kimbrel is not on the 40-man and has allowed three runs over six innings from four hits and five walks this spring. There is also the possibility the Mets go with no one on this list and sign a pitcher cut from another team.
3. Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez was slated to play the full nine innings Thursday night, but left the game in the fourth inning with back tightness. The game was not carried by SNY or Mets Radio, and with the Spring Breakout game happening at the same time, we had to wait until after the game to find out that it was precautionary and Alvarez would have played through the injury if it were a normal game. The Mets have a great one-two punch with Alvarez and Torrens on the roster, but as soon as one of them goes down, things get a lot murkier, and the depth is tested real fast.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Split Squad Game Chat: Mets @ Nationals (1:05 PM), Astros vs Mets (1:10 PM) appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets are stacked with prospects, both pitching and hitting.

Let’s take a look at which prospects led the organization in all the important statistical categories and what the outlook is for them heading into 2026 and beyond. For the rate stats, it’ll be qualified players. For the pitching stats, there are so few qualified arms that we’ll look at pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched, a group of 14. We’re also only going to look at Single-A and above here, excluding the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League. While many of the players are “qualified,” so many fewer games are needed to qualify in those leagues.

Hitting

A.J. Ewing — 153 H, .315 BA, .401 OBP, 70 SB

After an up-and-down 2024, A.J. Ewing broke out in a big way in 2025. He started the season at Single-A, hit .400, got promoted to High-A, weathered the harsh environment of being a left-handed hitter in Brooklyn, and received a second promotion to Double-A. His bat took a huge leap forward, and his glove wasn’t half bad in center field as well.

Most impressively, though, was his improvement on the basepaths. After stealing 13 bases in 90 games in 2024, Ewing swiped 70 in 124 games in 2025. It was by far the most of anyone in the Mets organization, and the fifth most of anyone in minor league baseball. Of the 12 players to swipe at least 60, Ewing was one of three to do so while also hitting over .300.

Ewing propelled himself from a borderline top-30 organizational prospect to a no-doubt top-10, and if he starts his 2026 just as well, he has a good chance to crack MLB top-100 lists.

Jacob Reimer — .491 SLG, .870 OPS, 157 wRC+

Jacob Reimer entered 2025 as almost a bit of an afterthought. He broke out in 2023 and established himself as one of the organization’s top infield prospects, but then played just 25 games in 2024 due to injury. It was a lost season for Reimer, and other prospects grabbed more of the headlines by the time 2025 came around.

Reimer took the headlines back. He started the year with High-A Brooklyn and was a huge part of the middle of their lineup. He was promoted to Double-A after 61 games, and basically repeated his performance at Binghamton for another 61 games. He has plus power that he maximizes by lifting and pulling the ball, and he makes really good swing decisions to boot.

The Mets will likely make a slew of changes to their lineup in the offseason, particularly on the infield. One possible path is moving on from Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuña, giving Brett Baty the everyday third base job, and having the right-hand-hitting Reimer in Triple-A if Baty falters.

Ryan Clifford — 29 HR, 93 RBI, 85 BB, .233 ISO

Ryan Clifford is the prototypical three true outcomes hitter. He hits for a ton of power, draws a ton of walks, and of course, strikes out way, way too much. He’s never going to hit for a high batting average, but if he maximizes his potential, he will get on base and slug. His 29 home runs were 12 more than any other Mets minor leaguer, and sixth among all minor league baseball players. Of the five players above him, four were in their age-24 season or older. Clifford was in his age-21 season.

Likely a first baseman at the big league level, there’s a real scenario where Clifford gets the bulk of the playing time at first base for the Mets in 2026. Of course, that would only happen if Pete Alonso and the Mets part ways, but it’s certainly possible. He’d also need a platoon partner against left-handed pitching as Clifford’s OPS is over 200 points lower vs. southpaws, so the Mets would need to bring in a righty first baseman (Wilmer Flores reunion?).

Or, the Mets just re-sign Alonso, and Clifford becomes a potential DH option when needed.

Jett Williams — 91 R, 58 XBH

The highest-profile Mets hitting prospect for several years, Jett Williams, had a very positive 2025 season. Similar to Reimer, Williams lost most of his 2024 season due to injury, playing just 33 games, but was back in full force in 2025. He didn’t light the world on fire, but did exactly what people expected him to do.

He has an outstanding approach, which allows him to get on base a ton, setting the table for the big boppers behind him. And even then, he out-bopped everyone else when it comes to extra-base hits. He’s not ever going to lead his team in home runs, but he did smack a very respectable 17 in 2025, an impressive mark for someone standing just 5-foot-7. He hit a ton of doubles and triples, too, and stole 34 bases on top of that.

There’s a very clear path for Williams to see significant playing time in the big leagues in 2026. Jeff McNeil, if he is still on the team, will be a free agent at the end of the season. Williams can start the year in Triple-A (he needs to), and then eventually work his way into the lineup in place of McNeil at second base. There’s a natural platoon formed there with McNeil being a lefty and Williams being a righty, and both players can play the outfield as well. Then, in 2027, Williams takes the full-time second base job.

Pitching

Jonah Tong — 1.43 ERA, 1.68 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, 2.16 xFIP, 179 K, 40.5 K%, 29.9 K-BB%, .148 BAA

Nolan McLean was the breakout Mets pitching prospect of 2025 after bursting onto the scene in the big leagues and instantly establishing himself as the team’s ace. Make no mistake, though, Jonah Tong was the best Mets pitcher in the minor leagues (and likely best pitcher in general among all 30 organizations).

There might be an instinct to brush this off because of Tong’s uneven performance in the big leagues over his five starts to finish the year, but don’t do that. You don’t put up a 1.43 ERA by accident. You don’t strike out 179 batters by accident. You don’t lead the best pitching system in all of minor league baseball in ~almost~ every statistical category by accident.

He’s young, and he has things to work on. He needs to bring down the walks a bit, and he needs to get more comfortable with his curveball and slider. But the stuff is absurd, and his future looks bright.

Joander Suarez — 4.5 BB%

Yes, the only thing Tong doesn’t lead in is walk percentage. Suarez isn’t a highly regarded prospect, nor does he have outstanding stuff, but he’s slowly been making his way through the levels of the Mets organization since 2018 and turned in his best season yet in 2025. He posted a 3.76 ERA on the season, and it was 3.05 at Double-A, where he spent the majority of his season; he just got rocked in a few games at Triple-A. He strikes out enough guys, 93 in 93 and 1/3 innings, and as shown by his inclusion on this list, he doesn’t walk people.

For all the successes of the Mets organization in developing pitching, there is a tendency among some of their arms to walk too many batters. Tong, McLean, and Brandon Sproat all ran walk rates above 10% this season, and in total, eight of the 14 qualified pitchers did so. Suarez, all the way down at 4.5%, was essentially an outlier. Again, you’re not going to find him high on any prospect lists, but there’s definitely something interesting here. He should get a chance to conquer Triple-A next season, and if he does, he could be an option for the Mets either as a spot starter or long reliever.

The post Mets 2025 Minor League Season Leaders appeared first on Metsmerized.

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (33-44) vs. Rochester Red Wings (27-47) POSTPONED

The Syracuse Mets/Rochester Red Wings game was postponed and will be made up on Saturday, June 28th as a double-header starting at 4:30 P.M.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (47-23) 2, Portland Sea Dogs (35-35) 1

• 2B Jett Williams – 0-for-4, 1 BB, CS (5), 2 K (.899 OPS)
• CF Nick Morabito – 1-for-2, 2B, 1 R, SB (30), CS (6), 2 BB, 1 K (.816 OPS)
• RF Ryan Clifford – 0-for-2, 2 BB (.831 OPS)
• C Kevin Parada – 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K (.723 OPS)
• LF Carson Benge – 1-for-2, 1 R, 2 SB (2), 2 BB (.542 OPS)
• 3B Jacob Reimer – 1-for-2, 1 RBI (3), 1 BB, 1 K (.667 OPS)

Jett Williams had a rare 0-for day, although he still reached base via a walk. Williams continues to keep the pedal to the floor when he gets on base, but was caught stealing on Thursday. Carson Benge stole his first two bases at Double-A behind a 1-for-2 day that also saw him draw two walks. The Rumble Ponies as a team walked ten times and only struck out nine.

• RHP Joander Suarez (3.72 ERA) 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 HR allowed (53 of 81 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Joshua Cornielly (3.92 ERA) 2 IP, 3 K
• RHP Ryan Lambert (2.79 ERA) 1 IP, 1 H, 3 K

Joshua Cornielly, who was born in Venezuela, had a great moment when his parents were finally able to see him pitch in the United States and he showed out for them with two scoreless innings and striking out three. He has had a solid season up to this point providing stability in the Binghamton bullpen. Ryan Lambert got back on the horse and struck out three batters in his one inning of work to grab his third save of the season.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (50-22) 4, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (27-42) 5

BOX SCORE

• 3B Boston Baro – 1-for-5, 1 K (.616 OPS)
• CF  A.J. Ewing – 2-for-5, 1 K (.805 OPS)
• 2B Jesus Baez – 0-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB (.777 OPS)
• 1B Chris Suero – 0-for-4, SB (23), 1 BB, 1 K (.832 OPS)
• DH Colin Houck – 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K (.258 OPS)

With Marco Vargas and Eli Serrano III off, the Cyclones scored three runs in the first two innings and would not score another run until the 11th inning. Every Cyclone player reached base and only two went hitless.

• RHP Brendan Girton (2.87 ERA) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8 K (44 of 63 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Joel Díaz (3.49 ERA)  4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR allowed

Brendan Girton was virtually unhittable in an abbreviated outing, striking out eight hitters. Joel Díaz had a rare stumble, allowing a two-run home run that would tie the game and inevitably send it into extra innings. Dakota Hawkins has been good in June, and another two-inning, two-strikeout appearance did nothing but help him keep his June intact.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (39-32) 0, Jupiter Hammerheads (32-40) 6

BOX SCORE

• 3B Trey Snyder – 0-for-3, SB (22), 1 BB, 1 K (.689 OPS)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez – 0-for-3, 1 BB, CS (7), 3 K (.595 OPS)
• 1B Trace Willhoite – 1-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K (.845 OPS)

St. Lucie only managed three hits on the day, while striking out 14 times. Jeremy Rodriguez has stolen 17 bases on the season, but has been caught seven times. While it is great to see aggression on the basepaths, it has to be measured and used appropriately, especially when Rodriguez is only hitting .228 with five extra-base hits in 232 at-bats.

• RHP Channing Austin (4.31 ERA) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (49 of 84 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Layonel Ovalles (0.00 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K

Layonel Ovalles – he who has not allowed a run this season…did not allow a run. He has struck out 12 batters in 11 innings , but has walked nine batters. Channing Austin came back after his last outing allowing four runs to only allow one run on two hits while striking out nine.

Florida Complex League

FCL Mets (13-22) 4, FCL Cardinals (16-18) 5/8 INNINGS

Edward Lantigua hit his second double of the season and went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI, a walk and was caught stealing. Dangelo Sarmiento went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk. Nicolas Carreno struck out five in three innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run.

Bryce Jenkins returned to the mound after missing the entire 2024 season. He struck out two in a scoreless inning.

Elian Peña

Dominican Summer League

DSL Mets Orange (12-5) 20, DSL NYY Bombers (6-10) 19

Elian Peña went nuclear, going 4-for-5 with four runs scored, a double, three home runs and seven RBI. Despite his low batting average, Peña has a .732 OPS on the season. The game featured a combined 23 hits, 23 walks and six errors.

The Mets ran out of pitching and had to use a position player to lock down the save.

DSL Mets Blue (2-9) 1, DSL Nationals (6-5) 9 – COMPLETION OF JUNE 16TH GAME

DSL Mets Blue (7-11) 7, DSL Nationals (9-9) 3

Yovanny Rodriguez went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, Yunior Amparo went 0-for-1 with a run scored, two stolen bases and two walks and Justin Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a K.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Elian Peña Hit Three Homers appeared first on Metsmerized.

From Nolan McLean at Triple-A to Jose Chirinos, who recently got promoted from the Florida Complex League, and every level in between, there is pitching talent with tantalizing potential throughout the organization.

Nolan McLean. Photo Credit: Kylie Richelle

The Stable

The headliners are McLean and Jonah Tong, prospects with big-time helium who are taking off in 2025.

McLean started the year at Double-A, dominated, got promoted to Triple-A, and hasn’t missed a beat. He has an elite sweeper that has been big league ready from the moment he stepped onto a professional mound, a mid-90s heater, a sinker that has been missing bats like crazy, a cutter that has been inducing weak contact, and a changeup and curveball he mixes in occasionally.

Tong boasts the best fastball in the organization. Due to it’s elite IVB (induced vertical break), it was already the best fastball in the organization when he was throwing it in the low-to-mid 90s. Now, he’s routinely throwing it 95 and can get it up to 97. He has a big looping curveball and a slider that can both be plus pitches, but his new Vulcanchange has been a game changer, giving him an effective offspeed pitch that he had been searching for. He’s too good for Double-A, and should probably receive a promotion to Triple-A soon.

There’s also Brandon Sproat, who is probably more of a household name than Tong and McLean despite those two passing him in the prospect ranks. Sproat flew through the minors last year, making it all the way to Triple-A in what was his first season of professional baseball. However, he struggled mightily once he got there, and those struggles have continued in 2025. Sproat has a bunch of solid offerings, but no standout pitch like Tong and McLean. He’s still just 24, and is less than a year removed from dominating hitters at Double-A, so there’s plenty of time for him to right the ship. (He has a 2.25 ERA in his last 16 innings as of publishing.) He remains one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, the hype has just faded a bit.

Blade Tidwell is at Triple-A as well, and he’s been one of the most effective pitchers in the league. Don’t let the 4.02 ERA fool you—that’s pretty good for the International League. It’s also a full run lower since he was returned to Triple-A after making his big league debut a little over a month ago. He got hit around a bit by the Cardinals in that debut, but he has good stuff, and it’s very possible he makes another big league start at some point this season.

Meanwhile, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies have a stacked rotation just one level below. It’s headlined by Tong, but there are multipe probable future big leaguers on that staff as well.

Jack Wenninger. Photo by Kylie Richelle

Jack Wenninger has turned in the fourth-highest strikeout rate among  Double-A qualifiers, only behind Tong, top MLB pitching prospect Chase Burns and rising Cardinals prospect Tekoah Roby. Jonathan Pintaro, a former Division II pitcher who was signed out of indy ball last year, would be near the top of those leaderboards as well if he were qualified. He’s a great story, and while he is older at 27, he’s turned himself into a legitimate prospect in this system. Then there’s Zach Thornton, a southpaw, who rarely walks people while still posting a high strikeout rate. Over his last three starts, he’s given up just three hits and one run over 19 innings while striking out 22 and walking four.

High-A Brooklyn has maybe even more talent. 2024 second-round pick Jonathan Santucci actually has the worst ERA of the bunch at 4.32, but after a rough start he’s thrown 20 and 2/3 innings of one-run ball over his last four starts. Third-rounder Nate Dohm has turned in four good starts after his promotion from St. Lucie, and Noah Hall, Brendan Girton and R.J. Gordon all have ERAs under 3.30 in over 40 innings.

The Cyclones actually have too many pitchers for available starts. Gordon and Girton piggybacked each other earlier this week, with Gordon going the first three and 2/3 and Girton going the next four and 1/3. Two days later, Dohm and Hall did the same, throwing a respective five and four scoreless innings en route to a shutout victory.

It continues down to Single-A St. Lucie and the Florida Complex League. Irving Cota has a 1.85 ERA in 35 innings and even threw five scoreless innings in a spot start at Double-A before being sent back to St. Lucie. Will Watson had success, earning a promotion to Brooklyn in early June. Edgar Moreta and Wellington Aracena have both had strong seasons. Jose Chirinos was great in the FCL, and then threw four and 2/3 scoreless with seven strikeouts in his Single-A debut.

There are more. Joander Suarez had a lot of success at Double-A and is now getting his first taste of Triple-A action. Joel Díaz has had a solid season at High-A. Former top prospect Matt Allan is finally back on the mound, pitching for Brooklyn. These guys might be more like organizational depth pieces, but they have all flashed before.

There are also, of course, relievers. Some are former starters, like Douglas Orellana, Felipe De La Cruz, Saul Garcia, Cameron Foster and Dom Hamel. There are a few fireballers, like Ryan Lambert, Dylan Ross and Raimon Gómez, who are capable of touching triple digits. Then there are other relievers, like Ryan Ammons, Anthony Nunez and TJ Shook, who have consistently turned in good results.

The farm system is deeper than it ever has been before.

The Mets have had groups of highly-touted pitching prospects before. Generation K. The Big 5 of the mid-2010s. Maybe it’s a reminder that so often, prospects don’t pan out as expected. But the Mets have also never had the infrastructure to support these pitching prospects as they do right now.

The Big Picture

The Arizona Diamondbacks just provided the baseball world with an unfortunate reminder this past week with the news of Corbin Burnes needing to undergo Tommy John surgery becoming official—don’t sign starting pitchers to long-term contracts. Develop pitchers, that way you’re not forced to sign free agent starting pitchers to big-money, multi-year contracts.

The Mets have leaned heavily into that philosophy in the first two years under David Stearns. They pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a unicorn in the free agent market at 25 years old, but other than that, they’ve stayed away from the big-name, high-priced free agent pitchers. No Burnes. No Max Fried. No Blake Snell. Fried has been great, but it’s an eight-year contract. That’s a long time to count on a pitcher to be healthy. Burnes and Snell are both already on the shelf.

Instead, the Mets opted for shorter deals. In 2024, it was Sean Manaea and Luis Severino. In 2025, it was Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning, Frankie Montas and re-upping Manaea. Montas and Manaea both opened the season on the injured list, but they are signed to two-year and three-year deals, respectively. There’s no true long-term commitment to either.

Is the Big Money Worth It?

Pitchers are inherently a high-risk free agent buy. Burnes signed a 6-year, $210 million deal with the Diamondbacks this offseason. He will miss the rest of 2025, and there’s a good chance he will miss all of 2026 as well. Arizona will pay him roughly $62 million for what could be 11 total starts from 2025 to 2026. The next time he pitches for the Diamondbacks will likely be when he is 32 years old. He already showed some early signs of decline this year before the injury. Who knows how he will look in 2027, especially coming off a major arm injury? Arizona will then be on the hook for four more years, with Burnes making over $30 million each year, and then owe him over $10 million a year for six more years in deferred money starting in 2031.

The Mets are better equipped than most to withstand injuries to players on big contracts, but no team wants that much dead money on the books. Even Steve Cohen wants to avoid paying people to not play as much as possible.

But how does a smaller market team justify that risk? That much dead money can be a backbreaker for a team that only signs a handful of players to big-money contracts — and “handful” might be too optimistic for a few organizations.

Since 2022, 11 pitchers (and Shohei Ohtani, who is yet to pitch for the Dodgers) have signed 9-digit free agent contracts: Max Scherzer, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodón, Edwin Díaz, Aaron Nola, deGrom, Yamamoto, Burnes, Fried and Snell. Eight of those 11 pitchers have made at least one trip to the 60-day IL. That includes the youngster Yamamoto, who made just 18 starts for the Dodgers in his rookie season.

Aaron Nola hasn’t, but after signing a seven-year, $172 million deal entering his age-31 season, he’s regressed so much just one year later that his contract is beginning to look like an albatross. He’s also currently on the 15-day IL and just had his return timeline pushed back. Fried hasn’t, and again, has looked fantastic, but he’s just two months into an eight-year deal. Gausman is the outlier, not taking a single trip to the injured list over the three years and change of his five-year deal, and has remained productive.

It’s an unfair line of thinking for pitchers, and it raises a lot of questions about a much larger issue. How does the league balance a need to compensate pitchers fairly for their work with the obligations of a front office to do what’s best for their organization?

Organizations getting what may be the best years of a pitcher’s career, while significantly underpaying them for six years for the value they are providing, and then tossing them aside when they finally have the opportunity to get paid is, to put it bluntly, a pretty crappy way to treat pitchers. However, organizations should always do what is in their best interests as they pursue the ultimate goal of winning a championship, and that includes wisely distributing their payroll. Smart organizations pay players for what they believe they will do over the course of their new contract, not what they have already done.

History shows it is not smart to sign free agent pitchers to long-term contracts, but underpaying pitchers for years only to cut them loose when it’s finally time for them to make money feels borderline predatory. Short-term contracts for pitchers will always exist, but even if they have high average annual values, they lack the security many players desire.

Is the solution players hitting free agency earlier, maybe after four years instead of six (or seven if their service time is manipulated)? That way, players hit free agency younger, they can cash in earlier, and maybe long-term deals for pitchers are more justifiable if that pitcher is 26 or 28 instead of 30 or 32.

Of course, that opens a much, much, MUCH larger can of worms, and would likely have a ripple effect on many other parts of the Collective Bargaining Agreement — too much to get into right now.

It’s such a difficult issue. Players deserve to be compensated fairly for the value they create, but ultimately, teams need to do everything possible to win, and anything less is malpractice. Unfortunately, that usually means staying away from giving long-term free agent deals to pitchers, signing pitchers to short-term deals when needed, and ideally, developing your own pitchers instead of buying them.

The Mets didn’t have a ton of MLB-ready, quality arms in the minor leagues in 2024 or to begin 2025. They turned to undervalued veterans with good tools like Manaea, Canning and the others, and focused on getting the most out of them. Soon, some of those big league starts will be taken by players the Mets have developed through the minor leagues themselves. McLean has the best combination of talent and proximity, but Sproat, Tidwell, Tong, Wenninger, Pintaro and Thornton are all at least at Double-A. Once you reach that level, the big leagues are within striking distance.

Not everyone will stick in the big leagues, but some will, and that’s an exciting thing for Mets fans to look forward to.

The post The Mets Have As Much Pitching Depth As They Ever Have appeared first on Metsmerized.

Joander Suarez. Photos by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (13-17) 8, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (15-14) 19

BOX SCORE

• CF Drew Gilbert – 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB (.714 OPS) (.714 OPS)
• SS Donovan Walton– 3-for-5, 2B, 3 R, 1 K (.686 OPS)
• 2B Luke Ritter – 0-for-4, 1 BB, 3 K (.547 OPS)
• DH Jon Singleton – 1-for-2, 2 R, HR (7), 3 RBI (17), 2 BB (.994 OPS)
• 3B Jared Young – 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI (8), 1 BB (1.085 OPS)
• 1B Joey Meneses – 1-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI (17), 1 K (.824 OPS)

Syracuse was effective on offense, scoring eight runs on nine hits and six walks. The three-through-five hitters combined for eight RBIs, with all but one player reaching base. Gilbert hasn’t been hitting the cover off of the ball, but he’s found some consistency and begun showing his solid plate discipline yet again. However, the game got out of control once Walton pitched the last inning after a 3-for-5 day at the plate.

• RHP Joander Suarez (24.00 ERA) 3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR allowed (45 of 73 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Dedniel Núñez (3.48 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 K
• RHP Sean Reid-Foley (10.13 ERA) 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BB

Suarez, who had a 0.00 ERA in Double-A, got a rude welcome from the RailRiders, giving up eight runs on eight hits in three innings. Unfortunately, every Mets pitcher minus Núñez allowed at least three runs, including Walton. Jordan Geber allowed four hits in three innings – three of which were home runs. This was a forgettable day for the Syracuse pitching staff, to say the least.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (13-9) vs. Erie SeaWolves (15-8) POSTPONED

The Binghamton/Erie game was postponed due to weather. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader today starting at 4:35 P.M.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (15-8) 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks (8-16) 8

BOX SCORE

• 3B Jacob Reimer – 1-for-5, 1 R (1.007 OPS)
• 1B Ronald Hernandez – 2-for-4, RBI (12), SB (8), 2 K (.787 OPS)
• CF Carson Benge – 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI (9), 1 K (.842 OPS)
• LF A.J. Ewing – 0-for-4, 1 BB, 2 K (.421 OPS)
• DH Marco Vargas – 1-for-5, 1 RBI (5), 1 K (.607 OPS)
• SS Jesus Baez – 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (2), 3 RBI (7), SB (3), 2 K (.554)
• C Chris Suero – 1-for-3, R, SB (8), 2 K (.985 OPS)

After a 15-run outburst on Wednesday, the Cyclones came out hitting again on Thursday, putting across two runs in the first inning. All but two players reached base on the day, with the catching tandem of Suero/Hernandez going 3-for-7 with two stolen bases. This Brooklyn team definitely applies pressure on the base paths, with almost all of its lineup being willing and able stolen base threats. Eli Serrano III received the day off. The Cyclones managed to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Hernandez RBI single and a Jefrey De Los Santos sacrifice fly.

• RHP Brendan Girton (4.50 ERA) 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R (2 ER), 5 K (45 of 64 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Dylan Ross (2.00 ERA) 1 IP, 2 H, 1 unearned run, 1 K

Brooklyn’s pitching was victimized by three errors and a passed ball, allowing three unearned runs to score on the day. Girton has allowed less than four hits and three earned runs in all four of his starts. 2023 draftee Ben Simon struggled, allowing two runs on three hits, including a homer, in two innings of work. Alfred Vega was saddled with the loss, pitching the ninth inning of the tie game and allowing a run to score on a passed ball.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (14-10) 5, Palm Beach Cardinals (14-10) 2

BOX SCORE

• 2B Ronny Mauricio – 0-for-3, (.222 OPS)
• 3B Trey Snyder – 1-for-3, 2 R, SB (8), 1 BB, 1 K (.620 OPS)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez – 1-for-4, RBI (8) (.673 OPS)
• RF Simon Juan – 2-for-4, 1 R, HR (1), 4 RBI (6), 2 K (.501 OPS)

Mauricio played five innings in the field at second base, going 0-for-3 while helping turn a double play. He has struggled during his rehab assignment, but that should be expected considering he hasn’t played baseball in over a year. Snyder stole yet another base while also hitting a double, raising his OPS to .620. Juan had another good day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the eighth inning to put St. Lucie ahead for good, but he committed yet another error in the field. Nick Roselli has not faired well so far this season, owning a .167/.234/.462 slash line.

• RHP Edgar Moreta (3.57 ERA) 5 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K (40 of 58 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Raimon Gomez (0.93 ERA) 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K
• RHP Hunter Hodges (2.38 ERA) 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Gomez only topped out his fastball at 103.6 mph yesterday, but he was still credited with the win despite two runs (one earned) coming across in his two innings while striking out three batters. Moreta started the game and pitched five stellar innings, allowing five hits and walking one while striking out five to lower his season ERA to 3.57. Hodges has struck out 18 batters over 11 1/3 innings on the year thus far.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Joander Suarez Struggles for Syracuse appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets have decided to not add any eligible players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the MLB Rule 5 draft on December 11. The team’s 40-man roster remains at 34 players.

However, this means that Dom Hamel, Mike Vasil, Luke Ritters, and other players listed below are now exposed to being taken in the draft. If they are, they must remain on the active 26-man roster all season in order for the player to remain with the team that drafted him. If the team cuts said player, the original team can purchase his contract back for $50,000.

Vasil and Hamel could both be acquired and used in another team’s bullpen.

Dedniel Núñez was a recent player acquired from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft, but he got injured with the Giants and he returned to the Mets at the end of the year.

Original Post, November 18, 4:00 p.m.

Each offseason, every MLB team has to make some tough decisions. It doesn’t get easier for teams when deciding which players they should add to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. The Mets have an extensive list of players this offseason who are Rule 5 eligible.

The 2024 Mets season proved some of their youth at the Major League level had promise, but the 2025 roster will look much different due to so many free agents expected to leave. Entering Monday, the Mets have 33 players on the 40-man roster. There is a priority for the 2025 offseason for starting pitching and bullpen help, so the Mets may be more inclined to use their available 40-man roster spots on pitchers. This list is just speculation, but it is worth getting to know some of the Rule-5 eligible players who may be protected by the Mets or be targets for other teams.

The Mets must decide whether or not to protect the following players by 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Mike Vasil. Photo by Rick Nelson

Mike Vasil, RHP (Triple-A)

Mike Vasil came into the 2024 season knocking on the door to get his shot with the big club – but nothing seemed to go according to plan for him. Vasil was hit hard in Syracuse, running a 6.04 ERA while striking out 109 batters and walking 52 in 134 innings.

While Vasil shows a decent four-pitch mix, the results weren’t there, and his control seemed to abandon him more often than not. Despite this, the Mets are looking to rebuild most of their rotation, and having Vasil as near MLB-ready depth is worth mentioning.

Prediction: Added

Dom Hamel, RHP (Triple-A)

Like Vasil, Dom Hamel had a rough 2024 season in Syracuse, with a 6.79 ERA while walking 77 batters and striking out 124 over 124 2/3 innings. Hamel also has a four-pitch mix, but his ultimate home may be in the bullpen unless he can improve his control. Yet again, with so many vacancies in Flushing, it would be hard to see the Mets not protecting a Triple-A starter who does have upside and is only a year removed from a much better 2023 season that saw him pitch to a 3.85 ERA and strike out 160 batters in 124 innings in Double-A.

Prediction: Added

Luke Ritter, UTIL (Triple-A)

“Ritter The Hitter” had a good season in Triple-A, slashing .257/.369/.480 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs while walking 73 times and striking out 174 times. Ritter saw playing time at every infield position except shortstop and played left field. While he is not spectacular in the field, he has shown power and the ability to draw walks but strikes out too much for the profile to be sustainable. Another factor working against Ritter is his age, as he will start the 2025 season as a 27-year-old.

Prediction: Not Added

JT Schwartz, 1B (Triple-A)

JT Schwartz, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft, has always hit for a solid average but has never developed any power, hitting 20 home runs over four minor league seasons. The Mets organization tried to get him some positional versatility this year, with seven starts at third base in Double-A, but a non-power-hitting first baseman isn’t something many teams are interested in.

Prediction: Not Added

Hayden Senger, C (Triple-A)

Hayden Senger was a Mets 24th-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and has climbed the ladder gradually every year, spending most of his injury-shortened 2024 season in Syracuse. Senger is a solid defender without much power to offer, but is a solid organizational catcher. He traveled with the Mets’ during their 2024 postseason run as an emergency backup catcher.

Prediction: Not Added

Nate Lavender, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Nate Lavender, LHP (Triple-A)

Lavender is the most curious case because he will likely miss the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. Lavender struck out 86 batters across two levels over 54 innings, only allowing 39 hits. A high-upside southpaw could be enticing to another team but the unknown recovery table could make the reliever less attractive.

Prediction: Not Added

Rowdey Jordan, 2B/3B (Double-A)

Rowdey Jordan repeated the 2024 season at Double-A and performed worse than he did in 2023. Jordan offers some speed, having stolen 55 bases over the last two seasons but not much in the way of power, and saw his walk rate go down and his strikeout rate go up. Jordan’s best position is second base, and the Mets seem to be set at second base both at the major league level and with some of the higher-level prospects.

Prediction: Not Added

Joander Suarez, RHP (Triple-A)

Suarez was dominant for a stretch in 2024 with Binghamton – however, that same success did not carry over to Syracuse. While Suarez doesn’t have the greatest stuff, he knows how to use it and limits walks. Suarez allowed five home runs in nine Triple-A innings, so maybe the wear and tear of a long season got the best of him. Adding him could be a bit on the fringe, but starters with a 2.1 BB/9 can be useful in any organization.

Prediction: Not Added

Jawilme Ramirez, RHP (High-A)

Ramirez is the sole person on this list who went to play in the Arizona Fall League and had an average performance. The 2024 season saw Ramirez pitch only 73 innings and strike out 61 batters against 37 walks. Ramirez will play the 2025 season as a 23-year-old, and while there is still an upside, he is far from a finished product.

Prediction: Not Added

Matt Allan, RHP

Matt Allan’s career has been derailed by injuries, and he hasn’t thrown a pitch in a professional game since 2019. Allan was a 2019 third-round pick who they signed away from a college commitment for $2.5 million. I would love nothing more than to see Allan pitch in the 2025 season at any level, but there is no need to protect him as a 23-year-old with 10 1/3 professional innings under his belt.

Prediction: Not Added

Other Rule 5 Decisions:

• Matt O’Neill, C
• Drake Osborn, C
• Vincent Perozo, C/1B
• William Lugo, INF
• Junior Tilien, INF
• Jefrey De Los Santos, INF
• Wyatt Young, INF
• Matt Rudick, OF
• Omar De Los Santos, OF
• TJ Shook, P
• Luis Moreno, P
• Felipe De La Cruz, SP
• Landon Marceaux, SP
• Douglas Orellana, SP
• Luis R. Rodriguez, SP
• Trey McLoughlin, RP
• Josh Hejka, RP
• Nolan Clenney, RP
• Joshua Cornielly, RP
• Raimon Gomez, RP
• Layonel Ovalles, RP
• Jeremy Peguero, RP

The Rule 5 Draft will take place on Dec. 11 at the Winter Meeting in Dallas. There is a major league portion and minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. If selected in the major league portion, a player must remain on his new team’s major league roster for the entire upcoming season, or else he’s offered back to his original team. Players picked in the minor league phase aren’t forced to remain on a specific roster and can’t be offered back to their original organization.

The post Mets Don’t Protect Any Players From Rule 5 Draft appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jett Williams, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (61-65) 5, Syracuse Mets (70-58) 1

BOX SCORE

• RF Carlos Cortes: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 K(.770 OPS)
• 1B JT Schwartz: 1-for-3 (.569 OPS)
• SS Luisangel Acuña: 0-for-4, K (.668 OPS)

Syracuse fell to Leigh Valley 5-1 on Friday after collecting only three hits. The Mets went 0-for-4 with RISP and picked up one extra-base hit as a team.

• RHP Joander Suarez (9.00 ERA) 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR allowed (42 of 77 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Justin Jarvis (5.71 ERA) 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K

Suarez was rightfully promoted this week to Triple-A after a consistent season in Binghamton. While he posted a solid first start with the Central New York Mets, two of his seven allowed hits were homers, which is troubling after he posted a solid 0.91 HR/9 in Double-A.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (63-58) 0, Hartford Yard Goats (68-54) 3

BOX SCORE

• LF Ryan Clifford 1-for-4, 2B, K (.799 OPS)
• SS Jett Williams 1-for-5, 4 K (.640 OPS)
• CF Jaylen Palmer 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K (.734 OPS)
• 2B Wyatt Young 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (.758 OPS)

The Binghamton offense was sluggish for the second consecutive game and could not string together hits, falling 3-0 against the Hartford Yard Goats. Despite not recording a hit in the contest, Wyatt Young reached base yet again via a walk–he has a ridiculous .511 on-base percentage in August.

• RHP Cameron Foster (3.56 ERA) 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (38 of 48 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Nolan Clenney (5.85 ERA) 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Jordany Ventura (0.00 ERA) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Ventura was one of the many players promoted this week. Having dealt with an injury that kept him out a month and a half, Ventura posted solid numbers when he was on the mound for Brooklyn–3.89 ERA and a lively fastball that plays up. Ventura made a successful Double-A debut on Friday, throwing two innings and striking out a pair of Yard Goats.

Jett Williams is first-pitch swinging and has a base hit in his return for Binghamton! pic.twitter.com/zgiPkF09GG

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 30, 2024

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (60-64) 9, Winston-Salem Dash (56-68) 2

BOX SCORE

• RF Nick Morabito: 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 SB (47) (.710 OPS)
• SS William Lugo 3-for-5, 4 R, HR (8), 2B, 2 RBI (.662 OPS)
• LF Omar De Los Santos 3-for-4, 3B, BB, K (.625 OPS)
• C Ronald Hernandez 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K (.321 OPS)

Brooklyn ran away with the win against Winston-Salem Friday evening, scoring 9 runs. Led by Ronald Hernandez, the Cyclones dropped five quick runs against the Dash’s pitcher, Seth Keener.

Morabito snagged two more bases Friday, bringing his High-A total to 47 and overall season tally to 56.

• RHP Austin Troesser (4.00 ERA) 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR allowed (31 of 51 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Luis Moreno (3.91 ERA) 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
• RHP Layonel Ovalles (0.00 ERA) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0K

Moreno, who signed with the organization in mid-June, has been a great addition to the Brooklyn bullpen. Boasting a 3.91 ERA and .240 average against, Moreno has posted back-to-back scoreless long-relief outings.

Low-A

Jupiter Hammerheads (62-60) 1, St. Lucie Mets (43-79) 2

BOX SCORE

• RF Eli Serrano III: 1-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, 2 K (.617 OPS)
• SS Marco Vargas: 1-for-2, R, 2B, 2 BB, K, SB (10) (.612 OPS)
• 2B Nick Roselli: 1-for-4, RBI, K (.754 OPS)

Serrano launched his second professional homer with a moonshot to left field–the Mets 2024 4th round selection has now been on base four straight games.

• RHP Kyle Crick (2.08 ERA) 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (14 of 20 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Wellington Aracena (8.49 ERA) 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R3 K

Aracena, known to be extremely wild, made an imposing three-inning appearance on Friday. The 19-year-old touched 98 MPH on his fastball en route to striking out his Low-A season-high six batters while walking none. It is now back-to-back outings with no walks or runs allowed for Arcena.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Jett Williams Returns To Binghamton Lineup appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings (61-52) 8, Syracuse Mets (64-49) 1

BOX SCORE

• 2B Luisangel Acuña: 2-for-5 (.690 OPS)
• LF Luke Ritter: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (.905 OPS)
• 3B Brett Baty: 0-for-4, 2 K (.839 OPS)
• CF Drew Gilbert: 1-for-4 (.602 OPS)
• RF Starling Marte: 1-for-4 (.500 OPS)
• C Austin Allen: 2-for-4, R, HR (6), RBI (18), K (.845 OPS)

Syracuse managed one run on Tuesday, thanks to a solo home run from Austin Allen. Starling Marte made yet another rehab appearance and has looked pretty good on both sides of the ball, going 1-for-4 and getting an outfield assist throwing out Joey Meneses at home.

• RHP Dom Hamel (6.66 ERA)  4 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 HR allowed (52 of 91 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Sean Reid-Foley (4.15 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR allowed
• RHP Max Kranick (3.26 ERA) 1 IP
• RHP Tyler Zuber (2.81 ERA) 1 IP, 2 K

Dom Hamel had a poor outing, especially getting victimized by the home run, as he allowed three on the day. Sean Reid-Foley, in yet another rehab appearance, struggled, allowing two runs on two hits, including a home run. Reid-Foley only walked one in his outing, which is a positive development. Tyler Zuber continues his strong season, striking out two in his inning of work.

Double-A

GAME 1: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (56-49) 2, Portland Sea Dogs (63-45) 4

BOX SCORE

• 1B Ryan Clifford 1-for-2, R, 1 BB (.798 OPS)
• CF Alex Ramirez 0-for-2, 1 BB, 1 K (.616 OPS)
• DH Kevin Parada 1-for-3, R, 1 K (.680 OPS)
• LF Stanley Consuegra 2-for-3, RBI (14), K (.644 OPS)

In a continuation of the June 29th game, Binghamton scored two runs in the seventh inning, but that was not enough to overcome the Sea Dogs.

• RHP Junior Santos (5.27 ERA) 1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB
• RHP Josh Hejka (4.61 ERA) 2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Nolan Clenney (5.14 ERA) 2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Jeffrey Colon (2.45 ERA) 2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 K

The first game on Tuesday was a bullpen day, and every pitcher who went out allowed a run and walked at least one hitter.

GAME 2

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (56-49) 2, Portland Sea Dogs (63-45) 5

BOX SCORE

• DH Ryan Clifford 0-for-4, 1 K (.794 OPS)
• CF Alex Ramirez 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K (.617 OPS)
• C Kevin Parada 0-for-4, 1 K (.680 OPS)
• 3B Jeremiah Jackson 2-for-4, R (.628 OPS)

Game 2 saw the Rumble Ponies struggle yet again, with only five hits with one going for extra bases.

• RHP Joander Suarez (3.99 ERA) 5 1/3 IP, 1 unearned run, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K (51  of 72 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Grant Hartwig (12.00 ERA) 1 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 K, 1 HR allowed
• RHP TJ Shook (1.80 ERA) 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 2 H, 1 K

Joander Suarez pitched a solid five innings, if not as dominant as his last few outings. The bullpen failed to hold the lead as Grant Hartwig blew the save and TJ Shook took the loss.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (52-57) 2, Wilmington Blue Rocks(50-58) 0

BOX SCORE

• CF Nick Morabito: 2-for-4, R, CS (8) (.714 OPS)
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 1-for-4, R (.687 OPS)
• C Christopher Suero: 0-for-2, BB (.645 OPS)

The Cyclones offense was quiet on the day only scoring two runs, but they would prove to be enough behind some quality pitching.

• RHP Jack Wenninger (2.84 ERA) 5 IP, 2 H, 8 K (48-of-79 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Ryan Ammons (1.42 ERA) 2 2/3 IP, 1 BB, 4 K
• RHP Eduardo Herrera (3.48 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 4 K

Jack Wenninger had his best outing for Brooklyn thus far, stifling Wilmington for two total baserunners in his five innings. Wenninger is second in the Mets minor league system with 119 strikeouts this year.

Ryan Ammons and Eduardo Herrera continued their dominance, striking out eight combined in their four innings, allowing no hits.

Low-A

Daytona Tortugas (53-53) 2, St. Lucie Mets (36-71) 3

BOX SCORE

• 3B Boston Baro 1-for-4, 2B, BB, K (.773 OPS)
• DH Colin Houck 0-for-4, 4 K (.615 OPS)
• CF A.J. Ewing 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K (.604 OPS)
• C Ronald Hernandez 0-for-4, K (.731 OPS)
• SS Marco Vargas 1-for-3 (.645 OPS)
• LF Jacoby Long 2-for-3, 3B, R, RBI (1), BB (2.083 OPS)

St. Lucie had three 2024 draft picks make their full-season debuts on Tuesday in Eli Serrano III (4th round), Nick Roselli 11th round) and Jacoby Long (17th round), with all three of them getting hits. Marco Vargas went 1-for-3 at the plate, a positive development in a season marred by injuries.

• RHP Saul Garcia (5.22 ERA) 5 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR allowed (53 of 91 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Jeremy Peguero (2.37 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K
• RHP Anthony Nunez (5.40 ERA)  2/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K
• RHP Juan Arnaud (4.50 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 1 K

St. Lucie had a solid day, keeping runners off the bases and limiting the free passes.

Dominican Summer League

Mets Blue:

• LF Vladi Guerrero 1-for-5, K (.548 OPS)
• RF Justin Ramirez 1-for-5, 2 R, HR (3), RBI (13), 1 K, E (2)(.683 OPS)
• SS Yensi Rivas 0-for-4, RBI (20), SB (16), 2 E (20) (.658 OPS)

Mets Orange

• CF Vladi Gomez 1-for-3, R, RBI (16), SB (22) (.688 OPS)
• SS Bohan Adderley 0-for-3, R, 2 SB (23), 1 BB, 2 K (.689 OPS)
• DH/C Yovanny Rodriguez 0-for-3, RBI (20) (.650 OPS)
• RHP Jonathan Jimenez (3.99 ERA) 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K

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