The team began the year with a formidable group of top prospects in Brett Baty, Francisco Álvarez, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio, and ended the year with just two of MMO’s top 30 prospects (Mike Vasil, Justin Jarvis), neither of whom started the season on the Syracuse Mets’ roster. That roster transformation, along with Syracuse becoming a home for older guys unable to obtain roles on big league clubs, might explain why it was another disappointing year for the Triple-A team.

Dick Scott, Photo by James Farrance

Syracuse finished the first half of the season with a 33-41 record. The sub-.500 record was mostly a result of poor pitching, with the offense finishing the first half with an above-average 5.6 runs per game. Over the second half of the season, though, the offense worsened and the already-poor pitching did too. That led to a 28-44 second half record and a 61-85 record overall.

Pitching was undoubtedly the weak link of this Syracuse team, for a couple of reasons. First, the extremely run-friendly environment of Triple-A makes pitching in that league very tough. Second, the pitching staff was mostly comprised of fringe major leaguers and lower-level prospects.

Leading the Syracuse Mets pitching staff in innings in 2023 was Denyi Reyes with 91 2/3 innings pitched. Reyes spent some time with the big league club, appearing in nine games with them, but spent the bulk of his year in Syracuse where he appeared in 20 games (18 starts) and posted a 2-3 record with a 5.79 ERA.

Following Reyes on the innings pitched leaderboard were José Butto and Joey Lucchesi, neither of whom pitched admirably in Triple-A. While both wound up in the majors down the stretch and pitched at a high level, Butto recorded a 3-7 record with a 5.93 ERA and Lucchesi recorded a 6-5 record with a 4.74 ERA during their times in Syracuse.

The most exciting pitcher on the staff was Mike Vasil, a midseason call-up who is currently MMO’s No. 10 prospect within the organization. While his 4-4 record and 5.30 ERA in 16 starts doesn’t appear great at first glance, Vasil flashed the potential of what the Mets are hoping he can become. He did so most notably on August 8, when he carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning. He also pitched much better down the stretch for Syracuse than he did when he was first called up, with a 7.04 ERA and .973 OPS against in his first eight starts dropping to a 4.04 ERA and .575 OPS against in his final eight starts.

While Vasil wasn’t the only pitcher in Syracuse to pitch well, with excellent performances out of the bullpen from guys like Josh Walker (1.84 ERA) and Nate Lavender (3.27 ERA), it really was a season defined by poor pitching. There were a few more notable pitchers who contributed to that, such as David Peterson, Tylor Megill, and Justin Jarvis.

Peterson was demoted to Triple-A following a stretch of poor starts at the big league level. Peterson didn’t experience much more success in Syracuse, as he finished with a 1-2 record and a 4.86 ERA over seven starts with the team before becoming a fixture in the big league rotation down the stretch and pitching well.

Megill followed a similar path as Peterson: he was demoted from the big league team due to struggles, pitched poorly with Syracuse, but was recalled to the big league team and pitched well down the stretch. In Syracuse, he started six games and went 0-3 with an 8.67 ERA.

Jarvis was an interesting midseason acquisition, coming over from the Brewers in the Mark Canha trade. Jarvis had pitched well with Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate, posting a 3.33 ERA over 14 starts, but struggled in 12 total starts with two Triple-A teams. With Syracuse, he started nine games and went 0-5 with an 8.04 ERA. Jarvis currently ranks as MMO’s No. 16 Mets’ prospect.

Offensively, Syracuse received massive contributions from a number of players. Most notably was Ronny Mauricio, who led the team in nearly every statistical category. Game after game, Mauricio flashed the power and speed that made him a top prospect in the organization, finishing his time in Syracuse with 23 home runs and 24 stolen bases over 116 games. His final OPS in Triple-A of .852 was dragged down by a midseason slump that doesn’t capture the fact that he finished three months with an OPS over .900.

Mark Vientos was the next biggest contributor in Syracuse despite playing in a little over half the games that Mauricio played in. In those 61 games though, Vientos shined by posting a slash line of .306/.387/.612/.999 while recording 16 home runs and 21 doubles.

Brett Baty was another top prospect who began the year in Syracuse and recorded more time with the team after struggling mightily at the big league level. Any time he was with Syracuse, however, Baty was one of the best players on the field. He played in just 26 games with the team but posted a slash line of .298/.388/.625/1.013 with 10 home runs in just 104 at-bats.

One of the better seasons by a non-top prospect at the plate was by DJ Stewart, who became somewhat of a sensation with the big league club late in the year. While in Syracuse, he accumulated 16 home runs, which tied Vientos for second on the team behind Mauricio. He also posted a .516 slugging percentage during his 51 games in Triple-A.

Outside of those performances, Syracuse received middling contributions from a number of fringe major leaguers. Among them were Danny Mendick (.793 OPS in 373 at-bats), Tomás Nido (.728 OPS in 135 at-bats), Abraham Almonte (.776 OPS in 134 at-bats), José Peraza (.681 OPS in 134 at-bats) and Rafael Ortega (.777 OPS in 113 at-bats).

The team even received cameos from two former Yankees in Luke Voit and Gary Sánchez. Both of them impressed in short stints with the club, with Voit crushing 14 homers in 129 at-bats for a fantastic 1.058 OPS and Sánchez accumulating a 1.014 OPS in just 26 at-bats.

The overall story of the offense is that it just wasn’t good enough. The bulk of the contributions came from top prospects who wound up with the big league club. Those that were left were older veterans whose subpar performances weren’t enough to carry the team. That, coupled with one of the worst pitching staffs in the International League, led to yet another disappointing year in Syracuse.

MMO Top 30

• 10. Mike Vasil, SP
• 16. Justin Jarvis, SP

Coaching Staff

• Manager — Dick Scott
• Bench Coach — J.P. Arencibia
• Pitching Coach — Kyle Driscoll
• Hitting Coach — Collin Hetzler
• Bullpen Coach — Jordan Kraus
• Athletic Trainer — Hiroto Kawamura
• Athletic Trainer — Vanessa Weisbach
• Performance Coach — Alex Tavarez

Team Batting Leaders (Minimum 50 Plate Appearances)

• G: Carlos Cortes — 118
• AB: Ronny Mauricio —490
• R: Ronny Mauricio — 76
• H: Ronny Mauricio — 143
• 2B: Ronny Mauricio — 30
• 3B: Ronny Mauricio/Jonathan Araúz — 3
• HR: Ronny Mauricio — 23
• RBI: Ronny Mauricio — 71
• SB: Ronny Mauricio — 24
• TB: Ronny Mauricio — 248
• BB: Carlos Cortes — 65
• OBP: Luke Voit — .415
• SLG: Luke Voit — .643
• OPS: Luke Voit — 1.058

Team Pitching Leaders (Minimum 20 Innings Pitched)

• W: Joey Lucchesi — 6
• ERA: Zack Muckenhirn — 0.88
• SV: Dennis Santana — 5
• G: Eric Orze — 39
• GS: José Butto — 19
• IP: Denyi Reyes — 91.2
• K: José Butto — 82
• WHIP: Josh Walker — 1.091

The post 2023 Syracuse Season Recap: Top Prospects Shine in Disappointing Season appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets defeated the Cardinals on Friday night 7-1, giving the team three consecutive wins for the first time since July 16-19. The team is in the midst of a solid stretch, having won five of their last six, after looking completely flat following the trade deadline. With their better play of late, even with that abysmal stretch after their sell-off, the Mets enter today just seven games out of a wild card spot, the exact number of games back they were at the trade deadline.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now, onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

During the Mets’ 7-1 victory over the Cardinals, Joey Lucchesi pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start since May. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil shined offensively, each recording three hits and a home run.

Nimmo recorded his 18th home run of the season on Friday night against the Cardinals, breaking his previous single-season home run record of 17 set in 2018. The Mets’ left fielder has been dynamic for New York this season, recording a 123 OPS+ and 3.2  bWAR this season before Friday night’s matchup.

Brandon Nimmo sets a career-high with his 18th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/KZSzYIYfsc

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the star Japanese pitcher set to be posted this offseason, and Kodai Senga‘s thoughts on him. Senga said, “I have known him since he was 20 years old. He’s been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player.” On if Yamamoto were to potentially join the Mets, Senga noted, “Everybody on the team is such a great teammate… I think he would be a great fit and the whole team would welcome him.”

Darryl Strawberry was at the Syracuse Mets’ game on Friday night which was eventually canceled due to weather. Strawberry signed merchandise and souvenirs for fans while at the game.

Latest MLB News

Michael Clair of MLB.com wrote about Genevieve Beacom, an 18-year-old who is a two-way superstar from Australia. She has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani, the best two-way player in the world.

The Angels called up 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel, who was drafted by the team just last month. Schanuel, 21, was in Double-A and had posted a .955 OPS over 75 plate appearances there.

The Dodgers signed infielder Kolten Wong to a minor league contract. Although he struggled mightily this year in Seattle, he is just one season removed from having a 117 OPS+.

Per Sarah Langs, Julio Rodríguez is the second-youngest player with 12 hits in a three-game span since 1901. The only player younger than him to achieve that feat was Buddy Lewis in 1937.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Sean Kenny wrote about Luke Ritter and Carlos Cortes‘ strong performances with Triple-A Syracuse.

Michael Mayer argued that Ritter and Cortes should get a chance with the Mets.

Michael Mayer wrote about Kodai Senga‘s willingness to help recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as the Mets’ reported interest in Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Michael Famulari recapped José Quintana‘s quality start in the Mets’ victory over the Cardinals Thursday night.

Rich Sparago looked at fans’ and customers’ different perspectives on the Mets’ 2023 season.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: Tommie Agee hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Giants. Juan Marichal had given up just five hits and no runs through 13 1/3 innings up to that point, and he recorded the loss despite a fantastic performance. For the Mets, Gary Gentry and Tug McGraw combined to shut out the Giants over 14 innings with McGraw recording the win.

Birthdays: Chris Capuano (45), Jeff Tam (53), Matt Franco (54), Ron Darling (63), Mike Phillips (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Win Three Straight For First Time In August appeared first on Metsmerized.

Jun 18, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi (47) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The key to the Mets’ victory was a strong pitching performance by Joey Lucchesi, who made his first big league start since May 13. After loading the bases in the first inning, he managed to escape the inning scoreless and pitched effectively over the rest of his outing.

After a strenuous first inning, Lucchesi retired 12 in a row, generating lots of easy ground balls over that stretch. His streak of retired batters was broken on the first hit in Masyn Winn‘s MLB career.

Lucchesi exited the game with runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth inning. Phil Bickford relieved him and walked Jordan Walker to load the bases before striking out Alec Burleson to keep the Cardinals off the board. That ensured Lucchesi would end his night with a scoreless performance, which dropped his season ERA almost a full run from 4.43 to 3.54.

Offensively, the Mets put themselves ahead right away before putting the game away late. Brandon Nimmo led off the game by taking the lefty Zack Thompson deep, socking his career-high 18th home run of the year to give the Mets and Lucchesi an early lead to play with. Jeff McNeil added to the lead in the third inning by knocking an RBI single up the middle, scoring Lindor from second base to extend the lead to 2-0.

Joey Lucchesi drops the churve on Jordan Walker and gets out of bases-loaded trouble pic.twitter.com/XrPT4brwQL

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Both offenses remained quiet until the seventh inning when the Mets blew the game open. Still up by just two, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Francisco Lindor, with a questionable throw home by the young shortstop Winn, brought home a run before Francisco Álvarez hit an opposite-field RBI single to make it a 4-0 game.

Jeff McNeil then unloaded a three-run shot over the right field fence, his sixth home run of the year, to extend the lead to 7-0. That home run was McNeil’s third over his last 14 games after he had just three home runs all season before that. He has been swinging the bat much better of late, having entered this game batting .288 in the month of August.

Sam Coonrod and Dennis Santana combined to pitch the final three innings after Bickford managed to escape the sixth inning without allowing a run. Coonrod set down the Cardinals in order in the seventh inning before Santana gave up the shutout with two outs in the ninth inning on a Richie Palacios double. Still, Santana stayed on to record the final out and give the Mets a 7-1 win.

The Mets have now won five out of their six last games, improving their record to 57-66. They have now clinched at least a series tie with the Cardinals with two games still to play before heading to Atlanta to take on the Braves for the final time this season.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo gets player of the game honors in this game. Not only did he set a new career-high for home runs in a season with 18, but he also finished the game 3-for-5 while extending his hitting streak to ten games as he continues to look scorching hot at the plate.

On Deck

The Mets will look to secure a series win against the Cardinals on Saturday evening, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. Kodai Senga (9-6, 3.30 ERA) will look to continue his stellar rookie campaign as he takes the mound for the Mets, while Miles Mikolas (6-8, 4.27 ERA) gets the start for the Cardinals. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

The post Nimmo, Lucchesi Shine As Mets Defeat Cardinals 7-1 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets played their second game of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants late Friday night. Joey Lucchesi, who hadn’t pitched in a major league game since the 2021 season, got the start for the Mets in place of the injured Carlos Carrasco. Meanwhile, starting for the Giants was Anthony DeSclafani, who had been pitching excellently through his first three starts of the season.

The Mets recorded their second shutout of the season as they defeated the Giants 7-0. The Mets got the best of DeSclafani, who gave up four earned runs in five innings, while Lucchesi gave the Mets an unexpected yet fantastic performance.

Brandon Nimmo, who has been scorching hot on this road trip, opened the game with a leadoff single which brought his season batting average up to a sensational .377. The next three batters went down in order, however, and Nimmo was left stranded at first.

Lucchesi got into some trouble in the bottom of the first inning, as the familiar faces of Wilmer Flores and Darin Ruf reached base with a double and walk, respectively. Lucchesi, though, worked through it and induced a ground ball double play from another familiar face in J.D. Davis to get out of the inning.

The Mets got the scoring started in the top of the second inning with some small ball. After Daniel Vogelbach led off the inning with a single, Mark Canha reached base on a fielder’s choice. Brett Baty then singled through the right side of the infield. Both of them advanced on another fielder’s choice and Luis Guillorme capitalized with an opposite field single to drive in Canha, giving the Mets an early 1-0 lead.

After working through runners on base in each of the first three innings, Lucchesi recorded his first 1-2-3 inning of the night in the bottom of the fourth, striking out two in the process including striking out David Villar with his signature churve.

In the top of the fifth, Guillorme recorded his second hit of the night batting out of the nine hole. Nimmo then dropped down a bunt looking to steal a hit but was thrown out, although Guillorme safely advanced to second base. After Francisco Lindor struck out looking, McNeil checked a swing but made contact with the ball which rolled right in front of the plate. In what looked like an easy out to end the inning, Joey Bart threw the ball to first but hit McNeil with the throw, enabling Guillorme to come around to score.

On the very next pitch, DeSclafani hung a slider to Pete Alonso who made him pay, sending it over the center field fence to make it a 4-0 ballgame. The home run was Alonso’s 10th of the year, giving him back sole possession of the major league lead and giving him the most home runs ever by a Met before the end of April. The home run also gave him sole possession of most RBIs in the National League with 21.

Pete Alonso is in sole place of the league-lead in home runs again.

This is his 10th bomb of the season, he’s up to 21 RBIs. That RBI total is the tops in the NL.

4-0 #Mets, top 5. pic.twitter.com/DX68ntVtJH

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 22, 2023

Although the offense stalled a bit after Alonso’s homer, Lucchesi continued his dominant performance to preserve the Mets’ lead. He struck out three batters in a fantastic fifth inning, including getting Mike Yastrzemski and Brett Wisely with his churve. In the sixth, Lucchesi erased a leadoff baserunner as the Giants grounded into their third double play of the night.

When he came back out in the seventh, Lucchesi became the first Mets starter this year to throw a pitch in the seventh inning, a prospect no one could have predicted before the season. He delivered his best inning of the night by striking out the side, and that is how he would end his night with his pitch count at 97. In total, Lucchesi threw seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits and two walks and striking out nine batters in a phenomenal performance.

Just sensational stuff from Joey Lucchesi tonight.

He was dotting the strike zone all night. Nine strikeouts in seven innings, including striking out the side in the seventh.

4-0 #Mets, top 8. pic.twitter.com/7lQi3e1JE3

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 22, 2023

Brooks Raley relieved Lucchesi in the bottom of the eighth inning and posted a 1-2-3 frame of his own, striking out two batters in the process. In his 11th relief appearance of the year, this was Raley’s tenth scoreless outing. To this point, he has been a solid lefty presence out of the bullpen that the Mets dearly missed last year.

The Mets offense got it going again in the top of the ninth as they loaded the bases with singles from Nimmo and Lindor and a hit-by-pitch at the expense of Jeff McNeil. Alonso took advantage as he singled through the infield to drive in two runs, giving him four RBIs for the second straight night and bringing his season total to 23 which ties him with Yordan Àlvarez for the major league lead.

Vogelbach then recorded his second hit of the night, a single to right field that drove McNeil in to make it a 7-0 game. A Canha single to the opposite field gave the young Baty an opportunity with the bases loaded, though he popped out to end the inning.

Tommy Hunter took the mound for the bottom of the ninth, making his first appearance since going on the injured list a few weeks ago. He put the game to rest easily and secured the Mets’ shutout. With the win, the Mets brought their win streak to three and their record on the season to 14-7.

Player of the Game

Joey Lucchesi gave the Mets everything they could ask for and more in this game. With their rotation depleted, Lucchesi was called upon to make his first start since 2021 and not only did he pitch brilliantly, he provided length that other Mets starters have struggled to do early on in the season. Given these circumstances, Lucchesi’s showing was one of the best by any Mets player this year.

On Deck

The Mets play the Giants with a chance to win the series Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. ET, with the game being broadcast on FOX. David Peterson (1-2, 6.10 ERA) will be on the mound going against Logan Webb (0-4, 4.94 ERA), who recently signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with the Giants.

The post Joey Lucchesi Shines as Mets Silence Giants 7-0 appeared first on Metsmerized.

There were a plethora of positives to focus on for the New York Mets in the wake of their three-inning intra-squad game at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie on Friday. Chief among them was a solid outing from left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi.

Lucchesi missed half of the 2021 season and all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s been slowly making his way back over the first couple of weeks of spring training.

Friday represented the first opportunity for the 29-year-old to throw in an in-game situation since coming back, aside from a couple of Minor League rehab games. While it wasn’t an official spring training game, Lucchesi still looked good and it marked an important step in his comeback.

“To be honest with you, I was a little anxious, like good nerves,” Lucchesi said after the game. “Got all the boys and coaches watching and the fans, it was the first adrenaline jump I got so it was cool to get out there and get it out of the way. It was very fun though. This was a little different because I’m not on the rehab list and like it is full go. It was a lot of fun.”

Lucchesi did give up a bloop single to Brett Baty to leadoff the game, but that would be the only hit the lefty would surrender all outing. He settled in after that and was near spotless, giving up just one walk while facing seven batters in total over two innings of work.

“I thought I did well,” Lucchesi said. “I mean, I could have attacked the strike zone a little bit better. To be honest with myself, I was behind in the count, that’s why I gave up that one hit to Baty, but I’m happy with (Friday). It was the first live, my first game is Wednesday and I feel like I’m in a good spot.”

Lucchesi wasn’t the only one happy after a productive outing. Mets manager Buck Showalter – entering into his second year on the job – felt it was a big step forward for the pitcher and saw pitching in an intra-squad game as one of the final big hurdles to navigate.

“Big day for Joey to get out there and be healthy through two innings,” Showalter said. “It doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s been a long path for him. You can tell he’s got a lot of juice flying and it was a big day for him. I don’t lose sight of that. There were a lot of emotions there and I think he’ll only get better and better. I don’t care how much you throw inside, I don’t care how much you throw in sim games, I don’t care how much you throw in rehab and whatever in the offseason, there’s a different feel when games are being played. We’ll see how he feels (on Saturday) but if he gets through that and can just start thinking about getting people out as opposed to ‘is that going to hurt?’ “It’s big for him. He’s crossed a lot of paths to get here but this is the final hurdle.”

The next step for Lucchesi will be getting through an actual spring training game unscathed. The 29-year-old, who was acquired from the Padres by the Mets in January 2021, felt he could have played a role out of the bullpen in the NL Wild Card series against his former team last year. The Mets declined that option but Lucchesi will have an opportunity to now prove he can play a role in 2023, be it as a depth starter or out of the bullpen. Whatever happens, he’s just focused on making the most of what is a fresh start.

“To be honest with you, I felt I could have contributed,” Lucchesi said of not being called-up late in 2022. “It’s not up to me but I definitely wanted to get the call up and help the team out, especially against my former team. “It was out of my control so I was a little sad, but it’s a new year so just look ahead.”

The post Joey Lucchesi In Good Spot After First Outing appeared first on Metsmerized.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you thought this week in Mets Land couldn’t get any odder, the Mets and Yankees have made a trade.

The two teams have exchanged relievers, with Miguel Castro heading from Flushing to the Bronx, and lefty Joely Rodriguez coming back to the Mets in the deal.

The Mets originally acquired Castro from the Baltimore Orioles during the 2020 season, and he seemed to be able to get his pitch location under control in 2021. He produced a 3.45 ERA (4.36 FIP) over 70 2/3 innings for the Mets. He’ll now slot into the middle of the Yankees bullpen.

As for the return the Mets got, Rodriguez is now the lone left-hander in the Mets’ bullpen (pending Chasen Shreve making the team). The 30-year-old has a 4.61 ERA (3.87 FIP) over 95 2/3 innings in his career. He’s had solid stretches in his career, too, with a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings with the Yankees in 2021 after coming over from the Texas Rangers in the Joey Gallo trade.

Rodriguez is a sinker-ball pitcher who generates a ton of ground balls. He’ll make $2 million as a base salary, and Joel Sherman reports the left has a $500,000 reassignment bonus, which the Mets will pay, in his contract. Overall, he’ll make around $120,000 less than Castro. (Every penny counts when you’re bumping against higher luxury tax thresholds.)

Castro is in his final year of arbitration before free agency, and there are conflicting reports on Rodriguez’s level of team control after this season, though he has just over two years of MLB service time. (Update: Joel Sherman says Rodriguez will be a free agent after this year due to a clause in his contract despite his lack of six years of service time.)

Rodriguez will join a Mets righty-heavy bullpen that features Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Adam Ottavino and others.

This is the first time the Mets and Yankees exchanged current major-league players since 2004, when the Mets shipped Mike Stanton (the pitcher) to the Yankees for Félix Heredia.

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