Jack Wenninger. Photo by Herm Card

TRIPLE-A: SYRACUSE METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: RYAN CLIFFORD

Statistics: 27 G, .233/.308/.534/.842, 8 HR, 5 2B, 1 3B, 18 RBI, 12 BB, 34 SO

Ryan Clifford is doing Ryan Clifford things. After a slow start to 2026, May was a return to what we expect from him. He’s hitting for prodigious power. He’s striking out a ton. It’s what Clifford does. While the strikeout rate is improved from the 39.6% it was through April, it was still 29.1% in May. That’s still high. However, is it good enough to survive in the big leagues? That’s up for debate.

There are 19 qualified hitters striking out at least 29% of the time in the big leagues this year. Some are good, like Elly De La Cruz, Munetaka Murakami, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Kurtz. Others are struggling, like Ramón Laureano, Jorge Soler, Nolan Gorman and Austin Riley. Where does Clifford land on that scale? At this point, the only thing that will answer that question is a promotion.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JACK WENNINGER

Statistics: 5 G (4 GS), 22.2 IP, 19 H, 13 R (10 ER), 20 SO, 13 BB, 3.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP

It wasn’t quite as dominant a May for Jack Wenninger as it was an April, but he was still good enough to take the crown here. The last thing Wenninger needs to do before his MLB debut is limit walks. His walk rate in May was 13.1%, about the same as his mark through April. It’s not at the point where it’s a huge, glaring concern, but it needs to improve. If Wenninger is in the zone just a little bit more, he’ll be in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Even then, he still should the next man up for a promotion. Christian Scott and Jonah Tong, who both started the year in Syracuse with Wenninger, are in the big leagues. Zach Thornton made his big league debut earlier this season, but that was likely matchup-driven versus a lefty-heavy Nationals lineup. Wenninger is better. If a rotation spot opens up, he should be the one to get the call.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

DOUBLE-A: BINGHAMTON RUMBLE PONIES

HITTER OF THE MONTH: JOSÉ RAMOS

Statistics: 24 G, .262/.392/.476/.868, 5 HR, 3 2B, 18 RBI, 16 BB, 26 SO

José Ramos is not a household name, which makes sense as a 25-year-old who was signed as a minor league free agent this offseason. (He was previously in the Dodgers organization for six years.) After a tough April, Ramos was undoubtedly Binghamton’s best hitter in May. He had 20 extra-base hits in 44 games at Triple-A for the Dodgers last season before electing free agency too, so there might be some real pop in his bat. He is old for the level, though, so the big test will be whether he can repeat his success at Triple-A whenever he is promoted.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JONATHAN SANTUCCI

Statistics: 6 G (6 GS), 28.2 IP, 25 H, 13 R (11 ER), 32 SO, 11 BB, 3.45 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

Jonathan Santucci is known, but might still be the most under-the-radar pitching prospect in the Mets system. He is a lefty with a fastball that has good velocity and ride, a wicked, elite slider, and a curveball and changeup that are showing promise. His only “issue” is that as a former position player, he hasn’t been pitching very long, so he’s still pretty raw. The control comes and goes, but even then, his 11.4% walk rate isn’t that big of a deal. It’s high, but it’s manageable, and should improve as he gets more experience. His ceiling is up there with the best pitching prospects in the system.

Ronald Hernandez. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

HIGH-A: BROOKLYN CYCLONES

HITTER OF THE MONTH: RONALD HERNÁNDEZ

Statistics: 22 G, .263/.371/.461/.832, 4 HR, 1 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI, 11 BB, 27 SO

Acquired for David Robertson back in 2023, Ronald Hernández is now in his third season in Brooklyn. He’s shown flashes along the way, and this month is one of them. The 22-year-old switch-hitting catcher has some pop in his bat but can be streaky at times, and this is a good streak. Behind the plate, Hernández isn’t great. He might not be a catcher long term. But he’s athletic enough to handle first, and while it hasn’t happened yet, maybe a corner outfield spot. His bat is interesting enough to try to find him a defensive home.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: CHANNING AUSTIN

Statistics: 4 G (4 GS), 21.2 IP, 10 H, 2 R (2 ER), 30 SO, 9 BB, 0.83 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

Brooklyn native Channing Austin is the best pitcher no one knows about in the Mets’ system. Ok, obviously some people know about him, but many probably don’t. He dominated in Brooklyn in May, so much so he earned himself a promotion for the final week. His fastball is great, and his curveball, slider and changeup are all effective. A former college reliever who threw under 60 innings combined in four years, the Mets see him as a starter. So far, they’re right.

SINGLE-A: ST. LUCIE METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: AJ SALGADO

Statistics: 24 G, .241/.355/.481/.836, 3 HR, 4 2B, 3 3B, 13 RBI, 11 BB, 22 SO

Signed as a free agent in July 2025, AJ Salgado had a solid 23-game showing to end the season and has been good to start 2025. The extra-base hits are coming in droves, and he’s showing a solid approach to come with it. The 24-year-old is playing first base and both corner outfield spots for St. Lucie, and, given his age and production, could be ticketed for Brooklyn any day now.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: NICOLAS CARRENO

Statistics: 5 G (2 GS), 21.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R (2 ER), 31 SO, 13 BB, 0.83 ERA, 1.06 WHIP

There’s a group of younger pitching prospects in the lower levels of the Mets’ system right now that are really, really interesting, and Nicolas Carreno might highlight that bunch. A 19-year-old lefty, Carreno sits 95 mph on his fastball. Those guys don’t grow on trees. And, incredibly, that’s not his best pitch. The 86 mph slider is the star, and batters can’t touch it. The one knock on his profile is he only throws three pitches, and two are fastballs (four-seam and sinker). If he doesn’t develop another pitch, the bullpen might be in his future. But even if that’s the case, he has the stuff to be a weapon out of the pen.

FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE: FCL METS

HITTER OF THE MONTH: YOVANNY RODRIGUEZ

Statistics: 16 G, .268/.339/.589/.928, 5 HR, 1 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 5 BB, 18 SO

The Mets’ most expensive signing in the 2024 IFA class, Yovanny Rodriguez had an okay debut season in the Dominican Summer League and a much better repeat year in 2025, prompting his move stateside this year. So far, he’s been up to the challenge. Despite the large signing bonus, he’s not one of the organization’s premier prospects. Repeating the DSL will cause that. With that said, the catcher is still just 19, so it’s very encouraging to see him start his 2026 in this manner. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been good.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JOSE GUEVARA

Statistics: 4 G (3 GS), 18.1 IP, 12 H, 9 R (8 ER), 25 SO, 9 BB, 3.93 ERA, 1.15 WHIP

Jose Guevara is missing bats, limiting free passes, and overall just doing most of the things pitchers need to do to be successful. At 21 years old, he’s a bit old for the level, so the next test for him will be Single-A. After a couple of recent promotions from St. Lucie to Brooklyn, Guevara could be next in line to fill the vacated spots. He had a few games in both spots last year but didn’t have much success, so it will be interesting to see if round two goes any better.

The post Minor League Players of the Month: May 2026 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A 

Game 1: Syracuse Mets (45-48) 16, Norfolk Tides (36-53) 7

Box Score

• C Francisco Alvarez: 2-for-5, 2 HRs (9, 10), 4 RBIs, 3 R, BB (1.085 OPS)
• DH Omar De Los Santos: 1-for-2, HR, 4 RBIs (.875 OPS)
• RF Gilberto Celestino: 3-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 BB (.773 OPS)

In the resumption of July 18th’s unfinished game, the Syracuse Mets exploded for 16 runs and 18 hits. Leading the way was Francisco Alvarez, once again, as he hit his ninth and 10th Triple-A home runs. Omar De Los Santos came off the bench to contribute a grand slam in the ninth inning. Seven of the 10 batters in the lineup had multiple hits.

• RHP José Buttó: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 SO (0.00 ERA)
• RHP Nolan McLean: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 6 SO (3.08 ERA)

Both José Buttó and Nolan McLean appeared in the game on July 18, before its suspension. Buttó continued his rehab, as he started the game in an opener role and posted a scoreless inning, working around two hits. McLean had the roughest outing of his Triple-A career, allowing four hits and six runs over 3 2/3 innings. Between Double-A and Triple-A, the five earned runs McLean allowed was the highest in any appearance this season.

Brandon Sproat. (Photo Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Game 2: Norfolk Tides (37-53) 6, Syracuse Mets (45-49) 

Box Score

• LF Luke Ritter: 2-for-4, RBI (.716 OPS)
• DH Francisco Alvarez: 1-for-2, 2 BB (1.098 OPS)

Despite the continuation of the previous day’s game only being a couple innings earlier in the day, Francisco Alvarez started in the designated-hitter role in Game 2 of the “doubleheader” Saturday. Alvarez walked twice and also singled, increasing his Triple-A OPS to 1.098. Luke Ritter was the lone Met with multiple hits in the loss.

• RHP Brandon Sproat: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 9 SO (4.34 ERA)
• RHP Julian Merryweather: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO (5.40 ERA)
• RHP Austin Warren: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 SO (4.31 ERA)

Brandon Sproat struggled for a large majority of the season, however, one of the top pitching prospects in the Mets’ system has been lights out his last four appearances. Thanks to five hitless innings on Saturday, Sproat has extended his stretch of not allowing an earned run to 24 innings. He struck out nine and induced 14 swing-and-misses while topping out at 100.4 mph; the hardest pitch throwing in Triple-A Saturday.

Carson Benge. (Photo via Brooklyn Cyclones)

Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (36-53) 11, Binghamton Rumbe Ponies (58-29) 6

Box Score

•  CF Carson Benge: 2-for-4, BB (.979 OPS)
• LF D’Andre Smith: 2-for-4 (.735 OPS)
• SS Jett Williams: 1-for-4, BB, 2 R, SB (.894 OPS)

In a losing effort, the Rumble Ponies’ offense struck for nine hits and six runs. Carson Benge continues to lead the way as one of the top prospects within the Mets’ system, and the league as a whole, reached base three more times Saturday. His Double-A OPS is at .979 across his first 51 at-bats. Meanwhile, Jett Williams reached base twice, and also stole his 28th base of the season.

• LHP Jonathan Santucci: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 SO (3.52 ERA)
• RHP R.J. Gordon: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO (5.56 ERA)

It was a turbulent outing for the 22-year-old Jonathan Santucci as he walked three and allowed two hits over only 1 2/3 innings. Despite allowing four runs, only one was earned. He has now walked seven batters over his last 13 2/3 innings.

Former Oregon Duck, R.J. Gordon, had by far his worst start of the season in only his second appearance since being called up to Double-A. His first outing for the Rumble Ponies saw him strike out eight over seven innings of one-run ball. However, on Saturday, he gave up a season-high six runs across only 4 1/3 innings.

Will Watson. (Photo by Katharine Lotze)

High-A

Hub City Spartanburgers (46-42) 2, Brooklyn Cyclones (57-32) 1 (10 innings)

Box Score

• CF A.J. Ewing: 2-for-4, 2B, 3B (.800 OPS)
• SS Colin Houck: 0-for-4, 2 SO (.478 OPS)

The Cyclones only mustered five hits and one run on Saturday as A.J. Ewing led the way, accounting for two of those hits, each of the extra-base variety. Colin Houck has struggled mightily since being called up, as he is now 10-for-61 (.164) with a .478 OPS with High-A Brooklyn.

• RHP Will Watson: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO (2.29 ERA)
• RHP Joel Díaz: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO (3.59 ERA)

Former seventh-round pick (2024), Will Watson, turned in another stellar outing as he posted 4 2/3 scoreless innings. His 2.29 ERA across 35 1/3 innings with High-A Brooklyn is an improvement over his 3.66 ERA across 39 2/3 innings with Single-A St. Lucie earlier this season. 21-year-old Joel Díaz threw three innings in relief, building on his best professional thus far and lowering his season ERA to 3.59.

Trace Willhoite. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Single-A

St. Lucie Mets (49-38) 11, Palm Beach Cardinals (41-45) 1

Box Score

• 1B Trace Willhoite: 2-for-3, HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BB (.850 OPS)
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-for-4, BB (.678 OPS)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-for-5 (.574 OPS)

One of the more underrated performers in the Mets’ system this year has been former Lipscomb Bison Trace Willhoite. Willhoite reached base four times and clubbed his 11th home run of the season in the game’s first inning. 19-year-old catcher Daiverson Gutierrez also reached base three times.

• RHP Wellington Aracena: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 SO (2.38 ERA)
• RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 SO (2.67 ERA)

Wellington Aracena continued his under-the-radar season, posting 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. He struck out seven and now has 84 punch outs over 64 1/3 innings in Single-A. His .166 batting average against is an elite figure.

Florida Complex League

FCL-Mets (24-27) 4, FCL-Nationals (28-24) 0

Box Score

• 1B Randy Guzman: 3-for-4, 2 RBIs (.854 OPS)
• CF Edward Lantigua: 1-for-2, BB (.780 OPS)

Randy Guzman led the FCL-Mets by driving in two runs. The 20-year-old international free agent is breaking out this season with an .854 OPS after posting figures below .695 his first two professional seasons.

• RHP Jose Guevara: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO (5.50 ERA)
• RHP Christian Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 SO (3.26 ERA)

Jose Guevara started the game and posted three perfect innings. After struggling to begin the season, Guevara has now posted three-straight hitless outings (9.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 16 SO).

The post Mets Minors Recap: Sproat Extends Earned Runless Streak To 24 Innings appeared first on Metsmerized.

Nick Morabito. Photo by Steven Wojtowicz of Metsmerized

Outfielder Nick Morabito was named the organization’s Player of the Year. The 21-year-old slashed .312/.403/.398 across 119 games with Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn this season. Among full-season minor leaguers, he recorded the seventh-most stolen bases (59) and the 13th-best average among qualified players. Morabito was named the Florida State Player of the Year with St. Lucie in April and was a South Atlantic League Post-Season All-Star in Brooklyn. New York selected him No. 75 overall out of Gonzaga College High School in 2022.

Right-hander Brandon Sproat was named the Mets’ Pitcher of the Year. During his first professional season after being selected No. 56 overall out of the University of Florida in 2023, he posted a 3.40 ERA and 131 strikeouts over 24 games (23 starts) and 116 1/3 innings with Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. A near-consensus top-100 prospect, Sproat earned a trip to the All-Star Futures Game as the Mets’ lone representative this summer.

Outfielder Edward Lantigua was honored as the team’s DSL Player of the Year. He signed as an international free agent in January and hit .263/.397/.395 with one home run, 22 RBIs and nine stolen bases across 45 games. Lantigua also appeared in the DSL All-Star game.

On the other end, right-hander Jose Guevara was named the DSL Pitcher of the Year. He began his professional career with the Mets this season and finished with a 1.64 ERA and 52 punch-outs over 10 starts (44 innings). He was a member of the midseason DSL All-Star team.

Ches Goodman was named the organization’s Minor League Staff Member of the Year. He has spent seven years with the Mets, beginning as a clubhouse assistant in St. Lucie before becoming the Coordinator of Minor League Operations in January 2024.

Anthony Sambois was recognized as the DSL Staff Member of the Year. He is the Manager of Latin America Baseball Systems for New York and has helped introduce advanced analytics, data and player development tactics into the organization’s Dominican Academy and international scouting practices.

The post Mets Announce Player Development Award Winners appeared first on Metsmerized.