Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Pitchers and catchers officially reported to Port St. Lucie for the beginning of Mets spring training, officially kicking off the countdown to the 2023 season.

Among those spotted in uniform were Max Scherzer, who is looking to pitch 200 innings for New York this season after producing a career-best 2.29 ERA in his first season in Queens.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Co-ace Justin Verlander also put on Mets gear for the first time outside of his introductory press conference. The two will bring a combined six Cy Youngs to the front of the Mets rotation.

Kevin Parada, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Outside of Verlander and Scherzer, one of the most intriguing names at camp Wednesday was Kevin Parada, one of the Mets 2022 first-round draft picks and one of the organization’s top prospects. Parada will gain valuable experience this spring catching the likes of Verlander and Scherzer while also seeing big-league pitching up close and personal.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Kodai Senga also made his first spring training appearance after being signed in the offseason to a five-year, $75 million contract. Senga is one of the most intriguing players on the Mets this season, and how quickly he can acclimate to MLB will go a long way in determining how good the team’s pitching staff can be.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

While Verlander, Scherzer, Senga, José Quintana, and Carlos Carrasco are likely to open the season as the team’s starting rotation, Tylor Megill figures to be another important piece of the team’s pitching staff. Megill and David Peterson will be the first names up when the Mets need an additional starter, and Megill will be looking to bounce back after a 2022 season that was marred by injuries.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

In addition to pitchers and catchers, Mets manager Buck Showalter was also in town as he begins his second season with the team. Showalter was named the National League Manager of the Year a season ago after leading the Mets to 101 wins and a postseason birth.

The Mets position players will join the rest of the club next Monday, and the Mets will begin their spring training schedule with games against the Astros and Marlins on February 25.

The post Photos from Port St. Lucie: Pitchers and Catchers Arrive at Camp appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Francisco Álvarez is up and ready to go for Mets camp. The organization’s No. 1 prospect is already in Port St. Lucie, Florida as we await the rest of pitchers and catcher to report to spring training.

Omar Narváez is already in Port St. Lucie to work with Francisco Álvarez 🙌 pic.twitter.com/n7TODRDyrc

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 6, 2023

Álvarez made his 2022 goal come true by making it to the major leagues. Álvarez would like to make it to the big leagues out of camp this year but the Mets appear to have other plans with the addition of Omar Narvaez this winter, along with the return of Tomas Nido and Michael Perez.

BP for Francisco Álvarez 💪 pic.twitter.com/4OLnJ6TFKC

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 6, 2023

The good news for the top prospect is Narváez is he’s expected to mentor Álvarez and is excited at the idea of doing so.

But Álvarez isn’t the only news story to come out of Port St. Lucie. There’s been a large showing of familiar faces at the team facilities. The official report date isn’t until Feb. 15 for pitchers and Feb. 20 for players.

Prospects Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are down in Florida along with Brandon Nimmo and Eduardo Escobar.

“We had a nice group come out today, so I’m really excited. This is what I’ve been waiting for since signing,” Nimmo told SNY. “There’s a lot of expectations on this team, and that comes from without and within. We know we have a good team, so we’re wanting to get this thing started and get the team chemistry going and start to learn the new guys so that we can all be pulling the same end of the rope. That’s all a part of spring training, so we’re excited to get started.”

Mets players involved in the World Baseball Classic will report to facilities earlier. Pitchers like Adam Ottavino will report to camp by Feb. 13 and position players including Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Francisco Lindor will report by Feb. 16.

Baseball is almost here and the Mets seem ready to start their 2023 season.

The post Watch: Francisco Álvarez Get To Work in Port St. Lucie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets are off to Port St. Lucie.

Next stop: Port St. Lucie! ⚾️🌴 pic.twitter.com/5FqniyZ7SL

— New York Mets (@Mets) January 30, 2023

With the help of Mr. and Mrs. Met, the team's equipment truck pulled out of the Citi Field parking lot today for the long trip to Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Some players are already in PSL. The first pitcher/catcher workout is 16 days away.

(📸 courtesy of the Mets.) pic.twitter.com/VVXigOGyqp

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) January 30, 2023

The post Mets Take Off For Port St. Lucie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

The St. Lucie Mets had one of the best seasons in the club’s history and posted the best first-half and overall record in the Florida State League along their way to earning the title of Florida State League Champions in 2022.

The Mets finished the first half with a 40-25 record, which earned them their first playoff appearance since 2016. They finished five and a half games ahead of the Jupiter Hammerheads to claim the first-half Eastern Division title for the second straight year in a row. Impressively, St. Lucie won 23 of their first 29 home games.

St. Lucie finished the second half of the season with a 33-31 record, coming in second at four games behind the Palm Beach Cardinals. Though they came up in second in the second half, they were the only club to finish with a winning record in both the first and second halves of the season and finished with an overall 73-56 record, the best in the league, and five and a half games up on the Palm Beach Cardinals for the overall record.

After a successful regular season, the Mets went on to sweep the playoffs, going 4-0 en route to the title. They first swept the Palm Beach Cardinals in the FSL Eastern Divisional Series and then swept the Dunedin Blue Jays at Clover Park in the Championship series to claim the title of Florida State League Champions for the first time since 2006 and the sixth time in the club’s history.

The Mets’ roster was star-studded on both the mound and at the They were led by outfielders Alex Ramirez (promoted to Brooklyn in July), Omar De Los Santos, Carlos Dominguez, Stanley Consuegra, infielders William Lugo and Junior Tilien, and utility player Raul Beracierta. 

Ramirez, just 19 years of age, finished the 2021 season in St. Lucie and began the 2022 season with the club as well. He batted .284/.359/.443, with a .802 OPS (fifth place in the FSL in the first half) with the Mets. He hit 13 doubles, six triples, six home runs, had 37 RBIs, and was walked 28 times. His speed also claimed him 17 stolen bases in 2022 with St. Lucie. His success at the Low-A level earned him a promotion to the Brooklyn Cyclones in July.

Omar De Los Santos, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

De Los Santos, 21, finished the 2021 season and St. Lucie and spent the full 2022 season with the club as well. He batted .271/.339/.459, with a .798 OPS during the 2022 season. He had 23 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs (third in the league), 62 RBIs, and 75 runs scored. He led the league with 70 stolen bases and that was tied for third among all minor leaguers.

Dominguez, 23, also finished 2021 and spent 2022 in St. Lucie. He batted .233/.324/.426, with a .750 OPS. He had 54 runs scored and 65 RBIs, hit 15 doubles, a league-leading 20 home runs, walked 37 times, and stole 22 bases. Dominguez ranked in the top ten in the league in many areas offensively, he had the fourth-most doubles in the league, and the second-most runs scored.

Both De Los Santos and Dominguez struggled with strikeouts though with 151 and 173 respectively. That ranked them first and third in the FSL for strikeouts.

Consuegra 22, was another player who spent the first half of the season in St. Lucie before getting his promotion to High-A Brooklyn in July. During the first half of the season with St. Lucie, Consuegra was a big contributor, hitting .251/.324/.431, with a .755 OPS. He had 38 runs scored, 14 doubles four triples, eight home runs, and 32 RBIs. He walked 26 times.

Lugo, 20, was another big bat for the Mets. He hit .261/.347/.427, with a .774 OPS. He had 47 runs scored, 18 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs (tenth in the league), and drove in 45 RBIs. At the end of the 2022 season, Lugo ranked sixth in the league in OPS, fourth in SLG, seventh in OBP, and had the eighth-best average in the league as well.

Tilien, 20, showed off impressive power with the Mets as he blasted 12 home runs in just 84 games including a three-homer game. The athletic youngster played a majority of his games at third, but also got starts at second and third base.

Beracierta, 23, slashed .300/.352/.467 with 13 home runs in 93 games while playing first base, catcher, and both corner outfield spots.

St. Lucie’s pitching also contributed heavily to the team’s 2022 success. In the first half of the season, their pitching ranked third in the league in ERA and second in strikeouts. Opponents had a .221 batting average against the Mets, which also ranked second for the Mets.

Carson Seymour was 4-0, with a 1.19 ERA before being traded to San Francisco as part of the Darin Ruf trade. Dominic Hamel (5-2, 3.84 ERA) and Keyshawn Askew (4-0, 1.93 ERA) were both huge for the Mets in the first half before being promoted to Brooklyn during the second half of the season.

Calvin Ziegler, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Calvin Ziegler’s overall numbers won’t show you how well the 19-year-old started the season. He was 0-6 with a 4.44 ERA over the course of 16 games appeared in, but over the course of 46 2/3 innings pitched he struck out 70 and only allowed 26 hits. The Mets’ 2021 second-round pick had a 3.57 ERA and was holding opponents to a .480 OPS before he went on the injured list for almost two months.

Fellow 2021 draft picks Mike Vasil (2.19 ERA),  Christian Scott (12.5 K/9), Nathan Lavender (0.48 ERA) all impressed to start the season in St. Lucie before receiving promotions to Brooklyn.

The Mets’ second half was led on the mound by 2022 second-round draft pick Blade Tidwell out of the University of Tennessee. Tidwell acclimated to Minor League Baseball very well. Tidwell had a 1.93 and struck out 11 over the course of 9 1/3 innings pitched and gave up just two runs on four hits in the regular season First-year manager Robbie Robinson called Tidwell’s repertoire of pitches and effectiveness on the mound “super elite.”

In the final game of the FSL Championship, Tidwell struck out seven over five scoreless innings and he finished the playoffs with 9 2/3 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts.

Another starting pitching prospect to note due to a playoff performance is 18-year-old Joel Diaz. The overall 5.86 ERA in 16 regular season appearances looks ugly, however, he didn’t allow more than two more in any of his last seven starts. The big moment for the youngster came in the win that sent the Mets to FSL Championship when he threw six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts.

Young lefty Javier Atencio had a 2.27 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances for St. Lucie. The 20-year-old struck out 48 in 39 2/3 innings for the Mets.

The St. Lucie relief core was led by 100 mph arm Raimon Gomez (3.78 ERA), lefty Daniel Juarez (1.85 ERA), and versatile Jeffrey Colon (3.23 ERA).

Tidwell wasn’t the only 2022 draft pick to be a key factor in the Mets’ 2022 Florida State League Title. First-round draft pick Kevin Parada out of Georgia Tech was also a big factor in the Mets’ late-regular season playoff push, as well as the 2022 MiLB Florida State League postseason. Parada played in just 10 games with St. Lucie in 2022 (six regular season matchups, as well as four postseason games). He batted .275/.463/.414, with a .877 OPS. He hit one double, one home run, drove in five RBIs, five runs scored, and walked 10 times.

Coaching Staff

Manager – Robbie Robinson
Bench Coach – Gilbert Gomez
Hitting Coach – Victor Burgos
Pitching Coach – Victor Ramos
Development Coach – Bryce Wheary
Performance Coach: Kory Wan
Athletic Trainer – Kiyoshi Tada

MMN Top 30 Prospects

3 – Kevin Parada, C
4 – Alex Ramirez, CF
8 – Calvin Ziegler, RHP
9 – Blade Tidwell, RHP
11 – Joel Diaz, RHP
13 – Mike Vasil, RHP
14 – Dominic Hamel, RHP
16 – Javier Atencio, LHP
17 – Stanley Consuegra, OF
22 – William Lugo, INF
23 – Christian Scott, RHP
28 – Vincent Perozo, C
29 – Raimon Gomez, RHP
30 – Omar De Los Santos, OF

Team Batting Leaders (league ranking in parentheses)

G: Omar De Los Santos 111 (T 4^th)
AB: Omar De Los Santos 431 (2^nd)
R: Omar De Los Santos 75 (2^nd)
H: Omar De Los Santos 117 (1^st)
2B: Omar De Los Santos 23 (4^th)
3B: Alex Ramirez 6 (T 2^nd)
HR: Carlos Dominguez 20 (1^st)
RBI: Carlos Dominguez 65 (2^nd)
SB: Omar De Los Santos 70 (1^st)
TB: Omar De Los Santos 198 (1^st)
BB: Justin Guerra 41 (T 15^th)
OBP: William Lugo .347 (7^th)
SLG: .Omar De Los Santos .459 (2^nd)
OPS: Omar De Los Santos .798 (4^th)

Team Pitching Leaders

W: Dominic Hamel 5 (T 25^th)
ERA: Nathan Lavender 0.48 (1^st)
SV: Trey McLoughlin 4 (17^th)
G: Joshua Cornielly 31 (16^th)
GS: Dominic Hamel 13 (22^nd)
IP: Dominic Hamel 63.1 (26^th)
K: Dominic Hamel 71 (25^th)
WHIP: Keyshawn Askew 1.007 (8^th)

The 2022 St. Lucie Mets had a season to remember. Even with a total of 24 players being promoted throughout the season to high-A Brooklyn. And the fact that St. Lucie won the first half with those players and then Brooklyn came back to win their second half to make the New York-Penn League playoffs tells you just how talented that class of players is.

With those 24 players being promoted, the Mets still came in second place in the second half and ultimately went on to be crowned Florida State League Champions. The talented group featured half of the Mets’ top 30 prospects during the season and a large majority have them performed well.

The post St. Lucie Mets Season Recap: Young Team Wins FSL Title appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The St. Lucie Mets won their first championship since 2006 on Tuesday night when they beat Dunedin 6-3. The big night was led by two of the Mets’ top draft picks this year in Kevin Parada (three hits, two RBI) and Blade Tidwell (five scoreless innings).

The Syracuse Mets are the only other Mets affiliate still playing and the highlights from that game are all Francisco Álvarez. The 20-year-old had three hits in the game including his 27th home run of the season.

AAA: Worcester (72-69) 3, Syracuse (59-83) 2, F/6 Box Score

• C Francisco Álvarez 3-for-3, HR (27th), 2B, 2 RBI, R, .217/.357/.449 (AAA stats)
• 1B Dominic Smith 1-for-3, 283/.364/.475
• DH Daniel Palka 1-for-1, 2 BB, .264/.345/.508

Álvarez is now hitting .370/.433/.741 with three home runs and nine RBIs in seven games since returning from his ankle injury. His 27th home run breaks a tie with Daniel Palka and Ronny Mauricio for the most in the Mets minor leagues this season.

Dom has a .907 OPS in September with five home runs and 14 RBIs.

• RHP Jordan Yamamoto (8.27 ERA) 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• LHP Alex Claudio (4.20 ERA) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
• RHP Bryce Montes de Oca (3.77 ERA) 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Kevin Parada, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Low-A: St. Lucie Mets (2-0) 6, Dunedin (0-2) 3 Box Score

• C Kevin Parada 3-for-4, 2 RBI, R, .400/.471/.467 (playoff stats)
• DH Oscar Campos 2-for-4, RBI, 2B, R
• 1B Brad Malm 1-for-4, HR (1st pro), 1.375 playoff OPS
• SS Kevin Villavicencio 1-for-3, SB, R

Parada, the Mets first pick in the 2022 draft, was a force for St. Lucie in their perfect 4-0 playoffs. The 21-year-old had six hits, two walks, and five runs batted in the four playoff games.

Malm, an undrafted free agent from Stony Brook, picked a pretty good time for his first pro home run.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

• RHP Blade Tidwell 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, Win
• LHP Javier Atencio 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Paul Gervase 3,1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, Save

Tidwell, Mets 2022 second rounder, pitched in two of the Mets four playoff wins and didn’t allow a single run. Going back to the regular season, the 21-year-old has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings. Tidwell was up to 98 mph with his fastball on Tuesday and got 7 whiffs on 13 swings vs his slider.

Gervase, the Mets 12th rounder this year, finished out the game with 3 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the save. Gervase had his fastball up to 96 mph and he got 8 whiffs on 17 swings against the pitch.

Manager Robbie Robinson was in his first season with the St. Lucie Mets and just his second in the Mets organization. In his first season, he led the FCL Mets to a first place record.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Álvarez Homers Again, St. Lucie Mets Win FSL Title appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It’s playoff season in the minors, and several Mets affiliates are involved. Let’s get into it.

Triple-A Syracuse

Syracuse split a six-game set with the Buffalo Bisons. The Triple-A Mets are now 59-82.

Jake Mangum led Syracuse with 11 hits, including two doubles and a home run in 21 at-bats. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .382/.426/.564 with two home runs and five stolen bases through 55 at-bats in September.

Did we mention Mangum can also mash?

He had three hits for the @SyracuseMets yesterday, including this go-ahead homer. pic.twitter.com/4AH1Q8CDgQ

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 19, 2022

Dominic Smith had a big series as well going 10-for-23 with two doubles and three home runs. Smith now has five home runs in his last 31 at-bats. His OPS is up to .842 through 195 at-bats in Triple-A.

Francisco Álvarez also had seven hits with a pair of home runs in 20 at-bats in his first full series since an ankle injury sidelined him in late August.

Francisco Álvarez got ALL of this one 😱 pic.twitter.com/5IkSGXtdOz

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 18, 2022

Jose Butto delivered another solid performance on the mound, allowing just a run on three hits and three walks while striking out three in five innings. Butto lowered his ERA to 2.93 with a WHIP of 1.12 through six starts in Syracuse.

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies dropped four of six to the Hartford Yard Goats to finish the second half of their season with a 25-42 record.

Ronny Mauricio capped his season on a high note going 9-for-24 with a double, triple, home run, and two stolen bases. The 21-year-old shortstop finishes his first full season in Double-A with a .259/.296/.472 line, 20 stolen bases (in 31 attempts), and 26 home runs in 509 at-bats.

5️⃣-RBI night!

Ronny Mauricio slugged a three-run homer as part of a five RBI night. pic.twitter.com/DeuCQtLpn4

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 17, 2022

Carlos Cortes and Hayden Senger would each homer in the series as well.

On the pitching front, Tony Dibrell turned in his best start of the season, earning a win with six shutout innings. Dibrell allowed just one hit, walked four, and struck out six. The 26-year-old righthander went 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA in 29.2 innings with Binghamton this season.

Jose Chacin allowed two runs on three hits and four walks through four innings, though he did record seven strikeouts. Chacin struggled with Binghamton after he was dominant to start the year in Brooklyn, but he finished the season on a positive note allowing two or fewer runs while striking out seven in four of his last seven starts.

High-A Brooklyn

The Cyclones’ season came to an end as they fell to Aberdeen IronBirds in the South Atlantic League semi-finals.

Brooklyn took the opener of the series 8-1 with home runs from Jose Peroza, Joe Suozzi, and Matt Rudick. Luis Moreno earned the win, allowing a run on five hits while striking out seven in six innings.

Peroza power on full display 💪

Jose tallied three hits last night, including a two-run homer. pic.twitter.com/xQwxyDaqe4

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 14, 2022

However, the offense would struggle in Game 2 as the Cyclones scored just one run on a William Lugo home run. Dominic Hamel struggled, allowing five runs in four innings, in a 6-1 loss.

In the rubber game, Brooklyn overcame an early deficit with home runs from Peroza and Stanley Consuegra, but Aberdeen was able to hang on for a 5-4 series-clinching win.

Low-A St. Lucie

St. Lucie swept a two-game series from the Palm Beach Cardinals to reach the FSL Championship for the first time since 2006.

The Mets took Game 1 6-1 on the back of 4 2/3 shutout innings from Blade Tidwell. Tidwell allowed just two hits while striking out six. Kevin Kendall drove in a run with a triple in the fifth inning before scoring on a D’Andre Smith single.

Calvin Ziegler started Game 2, allowing two runs (one earned) in just 1 1/3 innings. However, Joel Diaz came on to deliver his most impressive performance of the year, striking out 11 in six shutout innings to earn the series-deciding win. An RBI single from Kevin Parada would prove to be the difference in a 3-2 victory.

Díaz dealt. 🔥

Joel Díaz struck out 11 in six scoreless innings for the @StLucieMets last night. pic.twitter.com/UZzkB3jLPi

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 16, 2022

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Brett Baty (SYR) – .315

OPS – Brett Baty – .943

HR – Daniel Palka (SYR)/Ronny Mauricio (BNG)/Francisco Alvarez (SYR) – 26

SB – Omar De Los Santos (SLU) – 70

Pitching (min. 20 innings)

ERA – Daniel Juarez (SYR) – 1.66

SO – Dominic Hamel (BRK) – 145

WHIP – Jeffrey Colon (BRK) – 0.99

Players of the Week

Offensive – Jake Mangum, OF Syracuse

Mangum would have likely been in the conversation for a late-season call-up had he not missed nearly three months with a back injury. Since returning from the IL, the 26-year-old outfielder has slashed .325/.367/.482 with six stolen bases and three home runs in 83 at-bats.

Mangum likely profiles best as a fourth outfielder in the major leagues. While his power is limited, Mangum has shown a knack for putting the ball in play while limiting strikeouts. His above-average speed and excellent outfield defense could earn Mangum a role with the Mets in 2023.

Pitching – Joel Diaz, RHP St. Lucie

Joel Diaz was dominant to lock down St. Lucie’s spot in the FSL Championship, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out eleven in six shutout innings.

It seems like we’ve been waiting all year for this type of performance from Diaz. After pitching to a 0.55 ERA in 49 1/3 innings in the DSL in 2021, the 18-year-old right-hander struggled to a 5.86 in his first full season stateside. However, he’s shown flashes of his potential thanks to a mid-90s fastball and a strong changeup and curveball. If Diaz can build on his impressive finish to the 2022 season, he could make for a very intriguing prospect in 2023.

Upcoming Schedule

Triple-A Syracuse – @ Worcester

Low-A St. Lucie – vs. Dunedin (FSL Championship)

The post Mets Minors Weekly Recap: St. Lucie Advances to Championship; Brooklyn Falls in Semis appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Carlos Dominguez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

The St. Lucie Mets entered the ninth inning of the first game of their Championship Series down 5-4. After a Kevin Parada walk and two outs, the Mets found themselves down to their last out. That kind of pressure did not both Carlos Dominguez, however, as he blasted a two-run homer over the center field fence to give the Mets a lead that they would not relinquish.

AAA: Syracuse Mets (59-82) 9, Buffalo Bisons (72-67) 8  Box Score

• Francisco Álvarez C: 2-for-4, R, HR, 5 RBI, K, .200/.345/.407
• Jake Mangum LF: 3-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, K, .352/.388/.491
• Carlos Rincon RF: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, .215/.264/.339

Three home runs powered Syracuse to a shootout victory against the Bisons on Sunday. Álvarez got the Mets started right away with his three-run home run with nobody out in the first inning. The home run was his 26th of the season and his second in six games since returning from the injured list. Mangum continued his hot streak with a three-hit game and even flashed a rare bit of power with his fourth home run of the season. He has recorded a hit in nine straight games and is hitting .382/.426/.564 so far in September.

Francisco Álvarez got ALL of this one 😱 pic.twitter.com/5IkSGXtdOz

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) September 18, 2022

• RHP Connor Grey (5-6, 6.26 ERA) 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Eric Orze (4-3, 5.36 ERA) 1.1 IP, H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Yoan López (W, 2-2, 5.17 ERA) 1.0 IP, BB

Grey was hit very hard by the Bisons’ hitters, giving up three home runs in less than three innings of work. Orze had similar issues in his appearance, as he gave up a two-run shot of his own that resulted in Buffalo taking an 8-4 lead in the fourth inning. Orze has had home run issues all season and has now given up eleven home runs in 45 1/3 innings of work (by comparison, he has given up just 14 walks all year).

AA: Hartford Yard Goats (77-60) 8, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (53-83) 4  Box Score

• Ronny Mauricio SS: 2-for-4, R, K, .259/.296/.472
• Brandon McIlwain CF: 2-for-4, R, .219/.307/.323
• Nic Gaddis 3B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, .181/.297/.255

Binghamton had tons of offense early in Sunday’s game, as doubles by Gaddis and Luke Ritter brought home four runs in the first two innings. The lineup, however, would be held to just two hits for the remainder of the game. With two more hits, extending his hitting streak to five games, Mauricio has brought his on-base percentage closer to .300 than it has been at any point since May 22.

• RHP David Griffin (1-7, 5.46 ERA) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• RHP Jordan Geber (L, 0-1, 13.50 ERA) 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Antonio Santos (3-3, 4.70 ERA) 2.0 IP, H, 3 K

Griffin struggled in Sunday’s start and has now given up three or more runs in four of his last five starts. Geber gave up three runs himself in a rocky Double-A debut. Santos was the best pitcher of the afternoon for Binghamton, punching out three batters and throwing just 27 pitches in two scoreless innings of work.

A: St. Lucie Mets (1-0) 6, Dunedin Blue Jays (0-1) 5  Box Score

• Raul Beracierta LF: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, .300/.352/.467
• Carlos Dominguez RF: 1-for-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, .233/.324/.426
• Kevin Parada C: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K, .276/.463/.414

The Mets began the Florida State League Championship Series with a dramatic comeback victory against the Blue Jays. After falling behind by two runs early in the game, St. Lucie entered the ninth inning down 5-4. Down to their final out, with Parada at first after a walk, St. Lucie was given the lead when Dominguez crushed a ball 404 feet and over the center field fence. Including this championship game, Parada has walked as much as he has struck out (14 times apiece) so far in his professional career.

I traveled a long way to watch the Blue Jays lose a competitive game & NYM OF prospect Carlos Dominguez waited 26 outs to send me home happy. First impression of the @stluciemets is that they’re very great at celebrating. Good luck the rest of the way #clutch #postseason pic.twitter.com/e6ZGxJ8VWu

— Eric_Birdland (@Eric_Birdland) September 19, 2022

• RHP Layonel Ovalles (0-1, 6.23 ERA) 2.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• LHP Felipe De La Cruz (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 3.1 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 4 K
• RHP Raimon Gomez (W, 4-5, 3.78 ERA) 3.2 IP, 2 K

Ovalles relied heavily on his 94 MPH fastball (he threw it 69% of the time) in his championship game start, but that strategy did not work well for him. The four runs he allowed were tied for the most he had allowed in a start all season. De La Cruz mixed speeds a bit better, with his slider being his most used pitch. However, it was his changeup that was his most dominant pitch, generating whiffs on five of the nine swings against it. Gomez was perfect in closing out the final 3 2/3 frames of the game. It didn’t hurt that his blazing fastball was turned up a notch or two in this game: he averaged 98 MPH and threw a 100.2 MPH fastball in the game, his hardest pitch of the season.

The post Mets Minors Recap: St. Lucie Wins First Championship Game In Comeback Fashion appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The Brooklyn Cyclones and the St. Lucie Mets both entered play on Thursday with a chance to sweep their respective playoff series. While Brooklyn fell short, St. Lucie got the job done with an outstanding relief appearance from Joel Díaz and a game-winning hit for Kevin Parada. The Rumble Ponies had their own dramatic victory, as Luke Ritter came through with a clutch walk-off double in extras.

The St. Lucie Mets won the FSL East Division and will begin the FSL Championship Series on Sunday.

AAA: Buffalo Bisons (72-64) 12, Syracuse Mets (56-82) 7 Box Score

• 1B Dominic Smith: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R, SO, .274/.362/.446
• 3B JT Riddle: 3-for-4, 2 HR (11), SO, .277/.298/.485
• RF Daniel Palka: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 SO, .262/.340/.501

The Mets dropped their fourth straight game, letting a 5-1 lead slip away in the sixth inning and failing to make much noise in their comeback efforts. JT Riddle had a two-homer game, while Dominic Smith had a pair of doubles and drove in two runs. The offense combined to strike out 14 times and hit just 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

Francisco Álvarez had the night off.

• RHP José Butto: 5.0 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2.93 ERA
• RHP Stephen Nogosek: 0.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2.33 ERA
• RHP Trey Cobb: (L, 6-5), 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 5.47 ERA

José Butto had a solid start, tossing five innings of one-run ball and departing the game with his team in the lead. Butto has a 1.02 ERA over his last three starts. He was replaced on the mound by Stephen Nogosek, who failed to record an out in the sixth inning and was charged with four runs. Trey Cobb ultimately received the loss after a blowup appearance of his own, allowing five runs in just 2/3 of an inning to put the game out of reach for the Mets.

AA: Hartford Yard Goats (75-59) 9, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (52-81) 10, F/11 Box Score

• SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-for-6, RBI, R, SB, 2 SO, .254/.291/.461
• LF Carlos Cortes: 1-for-5, HR (11), 3 RBI, BB, SO, .239/.315/.410
• 3B Luke Ritter: 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 SO, .219/.327/.392

It took a Herculean effort, but the Rumble Ponies snapped their seven-game winning streak in epic fashion, allowing three runs in the top of the 11th before scoring four runs in the bottom of the 11th for the victory. Ronny Mauricio hit an RBI single with the bases loaded, followed up by Luke Ritter who drove in the winning runs on a bases-clearing double. Carlos Cortes hit a three-run homer earlier in the game to kickstart his team’s comeback from a 5-0 deficit.

• RHP Jesús Vargas: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 6.61 ERA
• RHP Grant Hartwig: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 1.14 ERA
• RHP Dedniel Nunez 2.2 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 3.49 ERA
• RHP Michael Krauza: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2.70 ERA

Jesús Vargas got roughed up in the second inning and made it through just 1 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on three hits. The bullpen was sensational behind him, highlighted by the dynamic duo of Dedniel Núñez and Grant Hartwig, who allowed just one hit and struck out 11 batters across their combined five innings of work. Michael Krauza allowed three runs in the top of the 11^th but ended up being credited with the win after the offense’s walk-off in the bottom half of the inning.

A+: Brooklyn Cyclones (1-1) 1, Aberdeen IronBirds (1-1) 6 Box Score

• 3B William Lugo: 1-for-3, HR (1)
• 1B JT Schwartz: 1-for-4, 2 SO
• CF Alex Ramirez: 0-for-3, BB

The Cyclones had a chance to clinch the North Division Championship Series with a win on Thursday. Instead, the offense was completely shut down. William Lugo hit a solo homer to provide the only run on a night where the team mustered just four hits.

• RHP Dominic Hamel: (L, 0-1), 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
• RHP Dylan Hall: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K
• LHP Nathan Lavender: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, 3 K

Dominic Hamel gave up a two-run homer in the first inning and was off-balance throughout his entire start, giving up five runs in four innings for the loss. The bullpen did a stellar job of keeping the Cyclones in the game, but the offense failed to break through. The series goes to a winner-takes-all Game 3 away at Aberdeen on Friday.

Joel Díaz, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

A: Palm Beach Cardinals (0-2) 2, St. Lucie Mets (2-0) 3 Box Score

• C Kevin Parada: 1-for-3, RBI
• 2B D’Andre Smith: 1-for-3, R, BB, SO
• 1B Brad Malm: 0-for-2, R, BB, SO

The Mets became FSL East Division Champs, sweeping the Cardinals in a best-of-three series and clinching a spot in the Florida State League Championship Series. The offense was stymied through the first five innings but found a breakthrough with three runs in the sixth inning which proved to be just enough. The winning run was manufactured by the 2022 draft class, as Kevin Parada singled to drive in D’Andre Smith and help the Mets claim victory.

• RHP Calvin Ziegler: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 3 K
• RHP Paul Gervase: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K
• RHP Joel Díaz: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, BB, 11 K

Incredible outing by Mets 18-year-old prospect Joel Díaz last night to clinch a spot in the Championship Series for the @stluciemets:

6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K, 19 swinging strikes

Fastball up to 95, typical solid curve, but changeup was his best pitch (10 whiffs) pic.twitter.com/0Wvm7AHtkK

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) September 16, 2022

Calvin Ziegler got the start but only recorded four outs, allowing two runs in his brief outing. The Mets turned it over to 18-year-old Joel Díaz to open the fourth inning and he never relinquished the ball, finishing out the game with six superb scoreless innings to get the win. Díaz has not been very sharp this season, but he showed out in the biggest moment of his young career, allowing only three hits and striking out 11 batters.

The Championship Series begins on Sunday, where the Mets will face the winner of the series between the Dunedin Blue Jays and Fort Meyers Mighty Mussels.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Díaz Pitches St. Lucie to Finals appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Alex Ramirez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Columbus Clippers (6-3) 15, Syracuse Mets (1-7) 12  Box Score

• Mark Vientos 3B: 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K, .250/.364/.464
• Travis Blankenhorn 2B: 3-for-5, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K, .286/.318/.571
• Daniel Palka DH: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, .353/.421/.882

Syracuse’s offense had a huge night as pushed across 12 runs on 14 hits, including five extra base hits. Palka recorded two of the big hits in the first third of the game, and his two-run home run to right field gave Syracuse what felt like a commanding 6-0 lead. Palka’s bat has been huge for the Mets during the first week of the season: five of his six hits have gone for extra bases and he has driven in seven runs in five games. The early lead would quickly fade away, but Blankenhorn would give the Mets a three-run lead in the eighth with his three-run blast to center field, a lead which would immediately be blown again by the bullpen. Vientos had another nice game and back-to-back two-hit games have pushed his OPS above .800 after a slow first week to the season.

• RHP Connor Grey (0-0, 7.36 ERA) 3.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, K
• RHP Antonio Santos (0-0, 7.20 ERA) 2.1 IP, 2 K
• RHP Yennsy Diaz (L, 0-1, 54.00 ERA) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB

Strong as the Mets’ offense looked in Friday’s game, it was outweighed by how bad the Syracuse pitching staff was. Grey, a 2021 free agent signing from Indy ball who had a nice season in the organization last year, struggled with his control in his second start of the year. Despite only striking out one batter, he could not keep his pitch count low and was up to 77 pitches when he was pulled in the fourth inning. Santos had his first scoreless appearance of the season and was the only Met pitcher not to allow a run. Diaz’s first appearance of the season did not go as planned as just about half of his pitches (10 of 21) were outside the strike zone and he gave up twice as many runs as the number of outs he recorded.

Bowie Baysox (4-3) 6, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (2-5) 2  Box Score

• Francisco Álvarez C: 0-for-3, BB, K, .368/.435/.947
• Johneshwy Fargas CF: 2-for-4, E, .300/.364/.600
• Manny Rodriguez SS: 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 K, .091/.167/.182

With Álvarez as the only of the trio of top Binghamton prospects in the lineup on Friday, it is little surprise that Binghamton’s offense struggled in this game. Although the lineup lacked much of its usual thump and only recorded nine hits, they did have more opportunities to score than a cursory glance at the box score would indicate: Binghamton was just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Álvarez has been hitless in his last two games after homering in his first three of the season.

• RHP Marcel Renteria (L, 0-2, 19.06 ERA) 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
• RHP Justin Lasko (0-0, 8.59 ERA) 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Joe Zanghi (0-0, 2.08 ERA) 2.0 IP, 3 K

Renteria had his second straight miserable start to open up the season. A week after allowing eight runs in less than three innings, he was only marginally better on Friday, throwing 75 laborious pitches and allowing nine batters to reach base before escaping the third inning. Used solely as a reliever since 2019, Renteria was an unexpected member of the Binghamton rotation to start the season and, if these results continue, it may not be long before he returns to a relief role. Lasko struggled in his first appearance of the season, but worked around trouble to limit the damage against him during his four innings on Friday. This is now Zanghi’s fourth season pitching in Binghamton, and he has gotten off to his best start there yet. He has allowed just three baserunners and has struck out eight batters over four and one-third innings pitched.

Brooklyn Cyclones (3-3) 4, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (1-5) 1  Box Score

• Brandon McIlwain RF: 2-for-3, K, HBP, SB, .417/.462/.583
• Nic Gaddis 3B: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, .077/.143/.154
• Warren Saunders 2B: 1-for-3, R, BB, .333/.500/.333

The Cyclones only had six hits in Friday’s game, but they were able to score four runs with some help from the opposing defense. Two BlueClaw errors in the eighth inning brought home two runs for the Cyclones. Beyond those two errors, the Cyclones struggled mightily with runners in scoring position as they went just 2-for-13 in those situations. The other two runs scored on Gaddis’ double in the fifth inning; it was certainly an opportune time for his first hit of the season.

• RHP Junior Santos (0-1, 6.75 ERA) 3.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Jesus Vargas (W, 1-0, 3.00 ERA) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K
• RHP Justin Courtney (S, 0-0, 2.25 ERA) 2.0 IP, 3 K

Santos, the top pitching prospect on the Cyclones, returned to form after a rough first start with the Cyclones. He still struggled a bit with control, throwing just 36 of his 61 pitches for strikes, but left the game in the fourth without a run having crossed the plate (the next batter would bring home an inherited runner from third on a single with two outs). Vargas and Courtney were both excellent in relief, locking down the game with little drama.

Clearwater Threshers (1-5) 6, St. Lucie Mets (5-2) 5  Box Score

• Alex Ramirez CF: 2-for-4, R, 3B, .560/.607/.840
• Shervyen Newton SS: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, K, .421/.478/.632
• Omar De Los Santos RF: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI, 2 K, .130/.200/.304

The Mets offense had a solid night at the plate, scoring five runs on ten hits, and several of the top prospects on the team continued their hot starts to the season. Ramirez remains scorching hot as he racked up two more hits, including his second triple of the season. It has only been one week, but Ramirez leads the league in average and ranks fourth in OPS. A quick promotion should be coming if he keeps this up over the next couple of weeks. Newton has gotten off to a similarly hot start, and his was much needed given his struggles and injuries in recent years. Perhaps most impressive, while keeping in mind the small sample, is that Newton has only stuck out twice in his first 23 plate appearances of the season (he has walked three teams). Maintaining a sub-10% strikeout rate, even if only for a week, is a welcome sight from a player who has struck out more than 30% of the time in every season since 2017.

• RHP Mike Vasil (0-0, 2.25 ERA) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• RHP Joshua Cornielly (0-0, 4.91 ERA) 2.1 IP, H, 5 K
• RHP Levi David (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 2.0 IP, BB, 4 K

Vasil wasn’t quite as sharp in the second start of the season as he was in his first, but still limited Clearwater to just two runs over four innings and pushed his pitch count up to 70 in the young season. He topped out at 96 MPH for the night. Cornielly, on the other hand, was much improved in comparison to his first appearance back from shoulder surgery. He struck out five of the eight batters he faced, and has struck out eight of the fifteen batters that he has faced so far this season. David, one of the many intriguing arms picked up in the 2021 draft, tossed his third straight scoreless appearance. His fastball was up to 97 MPH and his slider had a spin rate of nearly 3000 RPM. Both pitches can be seen in the video below:

Check out this sequence from St. Lucie Mets reliever Levi David, the Mets 9th rounder last year:

97 mph fastball
86 mph slider
86 mph slider, 2909 rpms
86 mph slider, 2960 rpms pic.twitter.com/rA3E9U4PTN

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) April 16, 2022

The post Mets Minors Recap: Ramirez, Newton Continue Strong Starts With St. Lucie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Calvin Ziegler, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

The St. Lucie Mets have announced their 2022 Opening Day roster as they are set to begin their season on the road against the Daytona Tortugas. This is a roster featuring much of the talent from the Mets 2021 draft:

Pitchers

Miguel Alfonseca
Keyshawn Askew
Joshua Cornielly
Levi David
Dylan Hall
Dominic Hamel
Brendan Hardy
Grant Hartwig
Nathan Jones
Daniel Juarez
Nathan Lavender
Luis Moreno
Franklin Sanchez
Carson Seymour
Calvin Ziegler
Nick Zwack

As previously noted, Asked will get the Opening Day start with Zwack piggybacking it. Askew and Zwack are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the pitching talent we will see from the 2021 draft on the St. Lucie roster.

The headliners here are second rounder Ziegler and third rounder Hamel. Both right-handed pitchers have fastballs which can reach the upper-90s, and they both have strong spin rates on their fastball and breaking pitches. For Ziegler, this will be his professional debut after being shut down after the draft due to a heavy workload during his senior season.

Catcher

Raul Beracierta
Drake Osborn
Jose Rivera

Beracierta will be making his professional debut as a catcher after predominantly playing the outfield with the Mets organization since his professional debut in 2016. This should be an interesting experiment as Beracierta has been lauded for his athleticism, strong arm, and good baseball IQ.

Infielders

Cesar Berbesi
Justin Guerrera
William Lugo
Shervyen Newton
Albert Suarez
Jack-Thomas Wold

Newton repeating this level after another injury riddled season was disappointing but expected. The good news for him is he appeared to be healthy in spring training, and he was hitting the ball with authority again.

Wold was a 12th round pick in the 2021 draft. He put up monster numbers his senior season at UNLV, and he flashed some power in his 25 games with St. Lucie last season.

Outfielders

Stanley Consuegra
Omar De Los Santos
Carlos Dominguez
Alex Ramirez

Ramirez is the big name on the St. Lucie roster. Last season with St. Lucie he showed plus defense in center while holding his own at the plate despite it being his first professional season and his being 3.4 years younger than league average. It was enough for Keith Law of The Athletic to name him the 100th best prospect in the game.

Like Newton, Consuegra is looking to overcome injuries and regain his footing as a Mets top prospect. Also like Newton, he looked healthy this spring and was hitting the ball with authority.

St. Lucie begins their season on Friday night and their Hope Opener is on April 12.

Double-A Binghamton Roster

The post 2021 Draft Arms Headline St. Lucie Mets Opening Day Roster appeared first on Metsmerized Online.