Continue reading for the latest stats and news in this week’s Minors Weekly Report.

Nick Morabito. Photo Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets defeated the Norfolk Tides in four of six games in their series. With the series win, the Mets climbed back to over .500 at 38-37, and they are in fifth place in the International League East division.

Nick Morabito had a rare power stroke this week, going 7-for-21 with three home runs and four RBIs. Morabito also walked five times and stole four bases without getting caught. Morabito’s Triple-A OPS is up to .779.

Ben Rortvedt also enjoyed a multi-homer week, going 3-for-12 with two home runs and a double. Rortvedt drove in four runs and walked three times. He owns a .769 OPS with Syracuse.

Yonny Hernández also stood out at the plate, going 5-for-14 with three doubles, three walks and a stolen base. Hernández has his OPS up to .716.

Kevin Parada continued his hot play in Syracuse with a .357/.438/.500/.938 slash for the week, with two walks and two doubles.

Francisco Lindor also played a rehab game for Syracuse last week.

Xzavion Curry made two starts and looked generally solid, combining to allow five runs in 12 innings. He struck out eight across his two starts and now has a 4.54 ERA with Syracuse.

Joey Gerber looked excellent in two bullpen appearances, allowing one hit in four scoreless innings. He also walked two and struck out seven. Gerber has mostly struggled this year, though, owning a 6.86 ERA in Triple-A.

Jonathan Santucci. Photo by Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies split their six-game series with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Binghamton dropped the first two games before ripping off three straight wins and losing the series finale. The Rumble Ponies are now 27-42 and still in last place in the Eastern League Northeast division.

Jose Ramos led Binghamton’s offense with two homers in a 7-for-21 series. Ramos added a double and a walk, raising his OPS to .697.

Nick Lorusso went 6-for-17 with two doubles and a home run, driving in four runs. Lorusso walked twice and stole a base, improving his OPS to .752.

Chris Suero went just 4-for-16, but he added a double and a home run, and also showed great plate discipline with six walks. Suero also stole a base and now has a .778 OPS.

Jonathan Santucci was stellar in his start, tossing six scoreless innings. Santucci allowed six hits and two walks while striking out seven, lowering his ERA to 3.73.

R.J. Gordon began to turn his season around with two great starts this week, combining to allow three runs in 9 1/3 innings. Gordon allowed 11 baserunners and struck out just five, but he lowered his ERA from 9.19 to 6.84.

Max Green allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts. Green has a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances with Binghamton.

Daiverson Gutierrez, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones had a brutal week against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, getting swept in six games. The Cyclones’ horrid season continues as they sit at 25-40 and in last place in the South Atlantic League North division.

Daiverson Gutierrez was far and away the Cyclones’ best hitter in a series where there weren’t many bright spots. Gutierrez went 5-for-18 with three doubles and a home run, driving in three runs. Gutierrez has not had a good season, owning a .579 OPS.

Corey Collins also had a pretty good week, going 5-for-17 with a double and four walks. Collins continues to display impressive plate discipline and has a .792 OPS.

Dakota Hawkins made two starts and didn’t allow a run, doing so in 7 2/3 innings. He allowed five baserunners and struck out seven. He’s been fantastic in High-A, owning a 2.08 ERA in 14 appearances (four starts).

Ryan Dollar impressed out of the bullpen, allowing no runs in 3 2/3 innings across two appearances. Dollar allowed three hits and three walks with four strikeouts and owns a 3.09 ERA in nine appearances.

Elian Pena. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets only played five games due to rain, but they looked good with a 4-1 record against the Daytona Tortugas. St. Lucie is now 33-33 and tied for second place in the Florida State League East division.

Elian Peña looked strong at the plate, going 5-for-13 with a double, six walks and two stolen bases. Peña now owns a .768 OPS for the year.

Antonio Jimenez also impressed, going 5-for-20 with a home run, two doubles and eight RBIs. Jimenez also recorded three walks and a stolen base. His OPS now sits at .680.

Joel Lara had a fantastic start, allowing no hits in four innings. He gave up just one walk and struck out seven, lowering his ERA to 5.40.

Emilio Obispo continued his strong season, allowing one run in five innings with six strikeouts. Obispo’s ERA in nine appearances (six starts) with St. Lucie is now 1.67.

Jonathan Jimenez allowed three runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits and three walks while striking out seven. Jimenez owns a 5.14 ERA in five starts with St. Lucie.

FCL Mets

The FCL Mets had a solid week, going 3-1 and improving to 15-19. They sit in third place in the Florida Complex League East division.

Wyatt Vincent had a scorching week at the plate, going 5-for-15 with three homers and six RBIs. Vincent has been great in the FCL, owning an .892 OPS.

Jose Lopez had a strong outing, tossing four scoreless innings in one bullpen appearance. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four. Lopez owns a 4.57 ERA in seven appearances this year.

DSL Mets

The DSL Mets Blue went 1-3 this past week to drop to 6-10 on the year. The DSL Mets Orange, on the other hand, went 2-3 and are now 10-6 on the year.

Frank Moreno raked for the DSL Mets Blue, going 10-f0r-19 with two home runs and nine RBIs. Moreno owns a .940 OPS this season. Jhoangel Marquez tossed three scoreless innings with five strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 5.23.

Anthony Delgado had a good week for DSL Mets Orange, going 5-for-10 with a double and four walks. Delgado has an even 1.000 OPS through 11 games. Olmedo Barria looked great out of the bullpen, tossing four hitless innings with four strikeouts. He owns a 3.00 ERA through four appearances.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

• AVG – A.J. Ewing (BNG/SYR) – .339
• OPS – A.J. Ewing (BNG/SYR) – .961
• HR – Ryan Clifford (SYR) – 14
• SB – Mitch Voit (BRK)/Sam Robertson (STL) – 24

Pitching (min. 10 innings)

• ERA – Channing Austin (BRK) – 1.17
• SO – Jonathan Santucci (BNG) – 65
• WHIP – Daviel Hurtado (STL/BRK) – 0.798

Players of the Week

Offense – Nick Morabito, OF Syracuse

Nick Morabito remains one of the Mets’ top prospects. While his calling cards are his speed and defense, he showed this past week that he can hit for power. Morabito has more home runs already this season than he’s had in any other professional season of his career, and he’s hoping he can get back to the big leagues before long.

Pitching – Jonathan Santucci, P Binghamton

Jonathan Santucci also remains one of the Mets’ top prospects. He hasn’t had the season he hoped he would, but he’s been better lately and had one of his best outings of the season this past week. The lefty at his best can be dominant, and he could see himself in Syracuse soon with more dominant outings.

Upcoming Schedule – June 23-28

• Triple-A Syracuse: @ Lehigh Valley
• Double-A Binghamton: @ Erie
• High-A Brooklyn: vs. Jersey Shore
• Low-A St. Lucie: @ Fort Myers

The post Minors Weekly Report: Nick Morabito Displays Rare Power appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Carson Benge, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets split their series with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, each team winning three games. The split puts Syracuse at 25-31 in the second half of the season and 71-59 overall.

• Luisangel Acuña paced the team with 10 hits in the six games, including a triple and a home run. He drove in six runs and stole four bases. Acuña didn’t get tabbed for a September call-up this year as the Mets want him to play every day, and he had a fantastic week to increase his Triple-A OPS to .671.
• Carlos Cortes also looked really good, recording seven hits including three doubles and a home run. The 27-year-old outfielder owns a .797 OPS in Syracuse this season.
• Yolmer Sánchez was on base a ton, going 8-for-19 with three doubles, a triple, a home run, and four walks. Sánchez owns a .701 OPS for the Mets this year.

Brandon Sproat made two starts this week. Though his first start (4.2 IP, 4 ER) was nothing to write home about, Sproat looked more like himself in his second start of the week when he went 5.1 scoreless innings and struck out six. Between the two starts, he allowed four runs in 10 innings and struck out 11. He owns a measly 6.75 ERA in five starts with Syracuse, but the Top 100 prospect may finally be settling in at Triple-A.

Mike Vasil also continued his upward trajectory for the Mets, allowing two earned runs in six innings in his latest showing. Vasil owns just a 5.54 ERA on the year, but he’s gone at least six innings in five of his last six starts and he owns a better, but not great, 4.48 ERA in his last 13 games.

Out of the bullpen, several relievers had fantastic weeks. Max Kranick, who has a 3.27 ERA, struck out five in 3 2/3 perfect innings, while Justin Jarvis and Shintaro Fujinami each went three scoreless. Jarvis owns a 5.71 ERA in Syracuse and a 4.20 ERA overall, while Fujinami owns a 6.29 ERA in Triple-A but has a 1.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts in his last eight outings.

Additionally, Eric Orze, who owns a 3.23 ERA in Syracuse, struck out four in two perfect innings, while Alex Young struck out two in two perfect innings, and Matt Gage also threw two scoreless innings. Young owns a 4.91 ERA in Syracuse but has been much better in the majors this year, while Gage owns a 4.85 ERA in Syracuse.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies struggled in their series against the Hartford Yard Goats, dropping five out of six games. Binghamton won a one-run game in the series opener but dropped the final five games. The Rumble Ponies are now 28-28 in the second half of the season and 63-60 overall.

Only three Binghamton offensive players really showed up this week. Among them was top prospect Ryan Clifford, who led the team with eight hits including two doubles and a home run. With his performance, Clifford raised his Double-A OPS back up to .815.

Matt Rudick also stood out in this series, going 7-for-19 with two home runs and three walks. Rudick has been solid all year for the Rumble Ponies, owning a .733 OPS.

Wyatt Young was the final standout offensive performer, going 6-for-17 with a double, four walks, and a stolen base. The 24-year-old increased his season OPS to .756 and earned a promotion to Triple-A where he spent part of the 2023 season.

Jordan Geber made two solid starts for the Rumble Ponies, allowing two runs in each start. In total, he allowed four runs across 11 innings and struck out six. Geber has impressed across three levels this year, earning a 3.32 ERA on the year including a 3.42 ERA in 15 appearances with Binghamton.

Jonathan Pintaro continued his impressive season (which started in independent ball), allowing one earned run and striking out five across 5 2/3 innings in his latest start. Pintaro has truly come out of nowhere for the Mets this year, as he owns a 2.69 ERA in 14 appearances in the Mets organization, including a 2.96 ERA in five starts in Binghamton.

Joshua Cornielly, Cam Robinson, and Junior Santos were Binghamton’s standout relievers, with each tossing at least three scoreless innings. Cornielly has an impressive 0.87 ERA in six appearances with Binghamton, while Robinson owns a 3.57 ERA and Santos owns a 5.06 ERA in Double-A.

Matt Rudick, Photo by Rick Nelson

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones won their series against the Winston-Salem Dash, winning four games to Winston-Salem’s two. Brooklyn’s series win puts them at 28-32 in the second half of the season and 61-65 overall.

Jefrey De Los Santos had a fantastic week, leading the team in both batting and slugging. De Los Santos went 6-for-18 with a double, a triple, and a home run in addition to two walks. The 21-year-old has struggled this year, though, owning a .601 OPS as the season comes to a close.

D’Andre Smith also had a really good week, leading the team with eight hits. Smith recorded two doubles, two walks, and three stolen bases. He raised his season OPS in 33 games to .671, though he has an .843 OPS in his last 22 games.

Nick Morabito continued to demonstrate his impressive bat and speed with seven hits including a home run and four steals this week. Morabito owns a .730 OPS with Brooklyn this year and continues to lead the Mets minor leagues in batting and in stolen bases.

Omar De Los Santos also showed off his bat and his speed this week, going 6-for-19 with a double and a triple in addition to two steals. The speedster owns a .626 OPS on the year, though he’s been on fire for a while with a .252/.336/.504/.840 slash in his last 36 games. He also trails just Nick Morabito for the Mets organization stolen base lead with 41 on the year.

Felipe De La Cruz made two starts this week and looked really good in both. In total, he allowed just one run in eight innings while striking out six. De La Cruz is just 3-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 24 games for the Cyclones this year, though he has a 3.48 ERA in his last seven starts.

Zach Thornton and Jack Wenninger also had good starts, with Thornton striking out four in five scoreless innings and Wenninger striking out five and allowing one earned run in 4 1/3 innings. Thornton had a rough start to the year in St. Lucie, but he owns a 3.72 ERA in five games in Brooklyn, and it’s a similar story for Wenninger who has a 3.38 ERA in nine appearances in Brooklyn.

Out of the bullpen, Luis Moreno tossed four scoreless innings, striking out five in the process. Moreno owns a 3.91 ERA in 10 appearances with Brooklyn. Layonel Ovalles also looked phenomenal, striking out four in three perfect innings for his first two appearances in High-A. He also struggled mightily with St. Lucie this year but has had a great start for Brooklyn.

Ryan Ammons also continued his fantastic year, striking out six and allowing a run in 3 1/3 innings. Like Thornton, Wenninger, and Ovalles, Ammons had trouble in St. Lucie to begin the year, but he has a 1.47 ERA in 13 appearances with the Cyclones.

D’Andre Smith. Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets split their final home series of the season, taking three games against the Jupiter Hammerheads. It was a good offensive series for the Mets, who scored 31 runs in six games, though the team allowed 29 runs too. The Mets are now 21-37 in the second half of the season and 43-81 overall.

It was the week of the 2024 draft class, as several of the newest Mets had fantastic weeks offensively.

• First-round pick Carson Benge led the group in hits, home runs, and RBIs, going 8-for-22 with a double, his first two pro home runs, and seven RBIs. In his first 11 pro games, Benge owns an .894 OPS.
• Fourth-round pick Eli Serrano III had the second-most hits with seven, going 7-for-19 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. The NC State product also walked three times and stole a base. Serrano owns a .737 OPS in his first 14 pro games.
• Eleventh-round pick Nick Roselli out of Binghamton University had an extremely impressive week, going 6-for-17 with his first pro home run, five walks opposed to just two strikeouts, and two steals. Roselli has played solely second base to start his career, and he owns a .931 OPS in his first 14 pro games.
• Sixth-round pick Corey Collins only played in three games going 3-for-10, but like Benge and Roselli, he also hit his first pro home run after launching 20 in his final year at the University of Georgia. The power-hitting first baseman has played in just five games with St. Lucie thus far, but he owns a .912 OPS.

It’s also worth mentioning that Marco Vargas, who has not been on the map much this year due to poor play and injury, went 3-for-8 with a double in four games. The most notable part of his week, however, was that he walked nine times, stole three bases, and scored six runs in just the four games he played in. The 19-year-old owns just a .632 OPS this year, but he’s walked at least once in seven straight games and at least twice in five straight. He’s also scored at least one run in six of his last seven games.

Edgar Moreta pitched extremely well in two appearances, one of which was a start and one which came in relief. Moreta allowed two earned runs and struck out seven in six innings for his start and then struck out four over three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. In total, he struck out 11 and allowed two runs in nine innings. The soon-to-be 21-year-old owns a 5.25 ERA in 12 appearances with St. Lucie.

Joel Díaz also had a quality start, striking out four and allowing two earned runs in six innings pitched. Díaz owns a 4.95 ERA in 16 Low-A appearances but he has a 3.80 ERA in his last five appearances.

Kyle Crick made two rehab appearances for the Mets and struck out three over three scoreless innings. Crick has been on the mend all season after initially being a major league bullpen option, and he’s allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings in four rehab appearances with Low-A St. Lucie. Crick owns a career major league ERA of 3.56 across parts of six seasons with three teams.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

(Among Qualified Players)

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – .310

OPS – Luke Ritter (SYR) – .869

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 25

SB – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – 59

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG/SYR) – 3.02

SO – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK) – 146

WHIP – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG/SYR) – 1.03

Players of the Week

Offense – Carson Benge, OF St. Lucie

There were great offensive performances across the board this week, including from top prospects Ryan Clifford and Luisangel Acuña, as well as from Benge’s fellow 2024 draftees. Benge entered the series against Jupiter with just a .675 OPS in his first 28 plate appearances of the year, but he broke out in a big way with three multi-hit games and his first home runs as a Met, both of which went to the opposite field.

The Mets have high hopes for the first rounder, who is currently MMO’s No. 6 ranked prospect, and he’s definitely shown promise in his first foray into pro ball.

Pitching – Edgar Moreta, P St. Lucie

Brandon Sproat, Mike Vasil, Zach Thornton, Felipe De La Cruz and several relievers pitched outstandingly this past week, and any could be deserving of this recognition. However, Edgar Moreta, who is not a highly touted prospect by any means, earns the pitcher of the week honors after striking out 11 and allowing just two runs in nine innings. Moreta pitched well in rookie ball to start the year but has struggled in Low-A. His latest two outings, however, were two of his best of the year.

Upcoming Schedule – September 2-8

• Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
• Double-A Binghamton: vs. Somerset
• High-A Brooklyn: vs. Wilmington (last series of the regular season)
• Low-A St. Lucie: @ Clearwater (last series of the regular season)

The post Mets Minors Weekly Report: 2024 Draftees Take Over St. Lucie appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

There are players we refer to as Mets legends legitimately. There are players we jokingly call “Mets legends.” With all the respect given to Adrian González‘s career, one that is very respectable and includes five All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves, and two Silver Sluggers, he is a “Mets legend.”

After a 2017 season that was plagued by a back injury, the 35-year-old made an attempt to extend his career by joining the Mets on the last year of his existing contract.

Starting at first base on Opening Day, he went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and an RBI in a victory over the Cardinals. On April 8, he hit a grand slam in Washington. On April 29 against his former team, he went 3-for-6 and drove in five at Petco Park. González served the role of “veteran presence” and a placeholder for incoming youngsters on a club not yet ready for contention. On a personal note, he was able to reach the 2,000-hit milestone.

June 10 was the last time he played as a Met and, as it turned out, the last time he played in the major leagues. A day later, he was released.

Back in 2006, González was a San Deigo Padre and slashed .304/.362/.500 with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs in 156 games. Over the next four years, he would have three seasons of at least 30 homers, 100 RBIs, and an OPS+ above 126. The only season when that didn’t happen was 2009…when he had 99 RBIs.

He followed that stretch with arguably his best year. In 2011, his first season with the Boston Red Sox, González slashed .338/.410/.548 with 27 home runs and a league-leading 213 hits, driving in 117. It was one of seven times in which he hit at least 25 home runs. He also won his third Gold Glove and finished seventh in the MVP voting. His best result in the balloting was fourth the year before.

When at his best, González was a consistent and dependable first baseman. In 14-plus seasons, his slash line was .288/.358/.488 with 311 homers, 2,010 hits, 432 doubles, and 1,176 RBIs.

The Case For

There was a seven-year stretch (from 2008-14) when he was among the best at his position—able to hit for power, average, get on base, and field solidly.

It was during this span that he averaged 29 homers, 108 RBIs, and had an OPS+ of 138. He also made three of his All-Star appearances, collected all his Gold Gloves, and won both his Silver Slugger Awards.

One way to figure out if a player has a path to the Hall is to find a comparable player who’s already been enshrined. In González’s case, it might be Tony Perez.

Through their age-36 season (when Gonzalez retired), the numbers for Adrian come out favorable. Perez had a slash line of .284/.346/.477 with four fewer hits and 14 fewer home runs. Gonzalez also has the edge in walks (767 to 676), doubles (432 to 345), and total bases (3,399 to 3,301).

The Case Against

The comparison with Perez ends when you take into account that the former Cincinnati Red played an additional eight seasons. Longevity is one reason, among many, that significantly hurts González’s chances.

Other comparable careers include Derek Lee, who was off the Hall of Fame ballot after one try, and Tino Martinez, who got six votes in his lone turn.

González’s 317 homers rank 41st among first basemen. his 43.5 career WAR is 43rd-highest. Another metric to consider is JAWS, which measures a player’s Hall of Fame worthiness by averaging the player’s offensive or pitching WAR over a seven-year peak. The average JAWS metric of first basemen elected to the Hall of Fame is 53.4. Gonzalez is at 39.1.

Postseason performance is an opportunity to enhance a resume. Unfortunately, the numbers for González aren’t impressive: a slash line of .266/.329/.453 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs over 189 plate appearances.

Final Thoughts

Adrián González is a classic “Hall of Very Good” player. For about eight years, his level of play was worthy of All-Star recognition. But for him to be elevated to Cooperstown-level status, he needed to either sustain his best level longer or have more production in those eight years. He should remain on the ballot, but he is not a Hall of Fame player.

As of publishing, he doesn’t have a single vote for the Hall among publicly available ballots.

The post Hall of Fame Case: Adrián González appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Pete Alonso has been clobbering the baseball in the first month of the season. Alonso has amassed 10 home runs, and is second in the majors behind Max Muncy. He is well on pace to surpass 50 homers again for the first time since his rookie season in 2019.

However, the Mets are relying far too much on Alonso to score via the long ball. The rest of the team has combined for just 16 home runs in 24 games, with only Francisco Lindor (4) hitting more than two home runs thus far this season. The Braves, meanwhile, have seven players who have hit three home runs or more. The Tampa Bay Rays, who lead the majors with 48 long balls, have 10 such players.

Despite their lack of power, the Mets have still managed to score at a decent rate (13th in the majors in runs per-game). And, if you’re looking for another reason for optimism, the Mets hit at least one home run in 9 of the 10 games on their recent West Coast road trip. Still, the team’s lack of power has made games like Tuesday night, in which they fell behind early against the Nationals, more difficult to win.

In particular, the Mets were hoping to get more pop out of this point from the likes of Starling Marte (1 home run), Daniel Vogelbach (1), and the third base spot (2 combined between Eduardo Escobar and Brett Baty, both by Escobar). Jeff McNeil has largely abandoned his power game in favor of going after base hits, while Brandon Nimmo has been in All-Star form getting on base at a .456 clip and has hit two homers of his own, but has never exceeded 17 homers in a full season.

The Mets have gotten mostly what they could have expected power wise out of the rest of the outfield (two each from Mark Canha and Tommy Pham), and, while Francisco Álvarez may one day provide a consistent home-run threat at catcher, it’s unreasonable to expect too much out of him this early in his career (Álvarez did break through with his first dinger of the year Sunday in San Francisco).

So, it largely falls to Lindor, Marte, Vogelbach, and the third baseman to try to provide more pop outside of Alonso in the cleanup spot.

Marte hasn’t quite looked right thus far this season and has been dealing with some lingering health issues, which is likely effecting his ability to drive the ball.  Vogelbach has been getting on base at a much higher rate the last few weeks, but his power just has not been there. Baty has rightfully been getting the majority of third base reps since he was called up, and while he hit 5 homers in 35 at bats in Triple-A, he managed only one XBH thus far in his 24 big-league at-bats.

Unless they’re going to make an unlikely trade this early in the season, the only other options for generating more power to the lineup are calling up either Mark Vientos or Ronny Mauricio, who have combined for 12 home runs in Syracuse thus far. However, as we’ve seen with Baty and Álvarez, it’s not exactly reasonable to expect prospects to come up and rake right away at the big-league level.

The Mets can likely get by just fine for now with Alonso providing the majority of the team’s power, but long-term, it was an issue that hurt them down the stretch a season ago that they failed to really address in the offseason. For now, they’ll need to hope some of their everyday players find their power stroke as the weather continues to heat up.

The post Mets’ Lineup Continues to Lack Power Outside of Pete Alonso appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Ronny Mauricio. Photo via Ed Delany, MMO

Even though the New York Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida, on Monday, their minor leaguers ended up providing power in the top of the ninth inning against Cardinals right-hander Tommy Parsons.

It began when William Lugo hit a deep solo home run to center for his first homer of the spring. It was a tape measure shot that ended up going 437 feet and had an exit velocity of 102.5 miles per hour.

One of my Mets prospects to watch this season is William Lugo.

The 21-year-old just hit a 437 foot home run in big league camp.

Can play all over the infield and had 115 wRC+ in 2022.

Video via @Jacob_Resnick pic.twitter.com/HXRxuP1BZQ

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) February 27, 2023

Lugo may not be a star prospect in the Mets system, but the 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic is coming off of a solid 2022 season. In 112 games with Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, Lugo had a slash line of .263/.347/.432 with 25 doubles, 14 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a .779 OPS. It ended up leading to him being named a Florida State League All-Star by MILB.com.

Last year, Lugo earned a promotion to Brooklyn on August 8 and hit four home runs in 28 games. His highlight game came on August 26 against Jersey Shore when he went 4-for-6 with a home run and he drove in four runs in an 18-1 blowout win.

In the early stages of his career, Lugo has shown the ability to play at the corner infield positions in addition to shortstop. Defensive versatility always helps a young player in his progression.

After Baty hit a single to left in the following at-bat, Ronny Mauricio hit his second home run in as many days with a two-run home run to right-center on a changeup. It was another laser that had an exit velocity of 108.6 miles per hour and went an estimated 413 feet.

Ronny Mauricio has homered again.

pic.twitter.com/fbWaNmiZJL

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) February 27, 2023

Yes, it is only five at-bats this spring, but Mauricio is continuing his momentum from the winter when he was named the MVP of the Dominican Winter League. Power has become a key tool for Mauricio, as evidence by the 46 combined home runs he has hit over the last two years.

For now, manager Buck Showalter told the media after Monday’s game that he has been more impressed with the improvements Mauricio has shown with the glove:

“It’s about defense with young players for me. He did well over there. He’s a better defender now than he was last year when he was here. His work habits, the pace to his game. There is a certain fluidity that he is gaining. He’s got a chance to be a good one.”

Mauricio after the game also told the New York Post he wants “to be on the big leagues on this team.”

Through four spring training games, the Mets have five home runs and four of them have come from players in their farm system. That is never a bad problem to have especially when you look at three of the four Mets’ major affiliates a year ago finished ninth or worst in their respective leagues in home runs (St. Lucie led the FSL with 132).

All in all, even in a spring training loss, Mauricio and Lugo gave Mets fans something to watch in the present and have made themselves maybe players to watch at the higher levels of the system in 2023.

The post Ronny Mauricio, William Lugo Provide Power in Jupiter appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Ronny Mauricio. Photo via Ed Delany, MMO

A spring for the youth, many of the Mets young stars are attempting to make their names known in hopes of cracking the major league roster or making a strong enough impression that they’ll be considered the next man up when the time comes calling. Brett Baty, one of the young stars the team boasts, started off strong by powering a home run to dead center field in his first spring game.

This time, the young buck that made his mark known is Ronny Mauricio. Facing Nationals pitcher Anthony Castro in the bottom of the 8th inning, Mauricio mashed a 1-1 pitch going 94mph out of sight to deep right field at Clover Park. The distance of his mammoth home run is measured at 450 feet with an exit velocity of 110 mph off the bat. The Mets would defeat the Nationals 6-3 and legend has it Mauricio’s ball is still in orbit.

Ronny Mauricio went 450 feet and 110 mph!

pic.twitter.com/qW6uKmII6l

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) February 26, 2023

After the game, Mauricio, through translator Alan Suriel, expressed interest in playing other positions for the Mets in order to give him an opportunity to play, and prefers to play third base if given the chance to do so. Luckily for the Mets, he’s no stranger to playing other positions, as he played second and third base during the winter ball season. Along with playing different positions, he showed off the power he’s most known for by slashing .285/.335/.468 with five home runs and 31 RBI in 46 games, winning the LIDOM MVP in the process. He’s even expressed interest in playing the outfield if needed. “I can play any position,” Mauricio said to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “That’s not hard to play outfield, I think. It’s harder to play shortstop.”

Having Baty and fellow infield prospect Mark Vientos in the fold, as well as Francisco Lindor manning the helm for the Mets at short, Mauricio will need to find another spot on the diamond to make his mark. Through all the uncertainty of his position and his trade value, his power is what is setting him apart from the rest. He hit 26 home runs for Double-A Binghamton last season along with 26 doubles.

In our prospect profile highlighting Mauricio, he has quick wrists and tremendous power, while throwing in 20 stolen bases, Mauricio has the potential to be a 20 home run-20 stolen base player in the majors one day. Possessing solid contact skill on both sides of the plate, he has a tendency to strike out but can surprise you with the bat by hitting moonshots, which was evident and on display Sunday afternoon.

Mauricio will more than likely start the season in Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets hope that he can continue to develop his bat and increase his plate discipline but one thing is for sure, is that Mauricio has found his identity at the plate. Whether it’s in the infield or outfield, his recent display in power, from winter ball to spring training, has caught the attention of the Mets and has put him back into the fold for potentially being a contributor to the big club sooner rather than later.

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J.D. Martinez has long been linked with the New York Mets and he is exactly the type of player that could help solve their very real power problem in 2023.

It has been a significant offseason for the Mets who have made a very real statement with their spending. Owner Steve Cohen has flexed his financial might by committing over $300 million on payroll for the 2023 season. That has allowed the front office to re-sign star closer Edwin Diaz and outfielder Brandon Nimmo, as well as add the likes of Justin Verlander, David Robertson, Kodai Senga, José Quintana and Omar Narváez.

However, the Mets don’t appear to be done yet and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently reported that Cohen believes his team need to add more offense to their lineup for the 2023 season. Rosenthal mentioned Martinez and former Met Michael Conforto as two names the Mets are currently interested in.

We profiled Martinez as a free agent target earlier this offseason, which you can read here, and we’ve also covered in-depth why the Mets really do need to add more power to their lineup if they are to be serious contenders for the World Series in 2023. Martinez ticks a lot of boxes and could help address what was a fatal flaw in 2022.

The Mets tied for 15th in home runs last year with just 171 and they also finished with the fifth-worst hard-hit rate in MLB at 28.6%, per Fangraphs. Furthermore, this team got basically zero production from their designated hitters in 2022. As a collective group, the DH hit just .218/.314/.371 with 18 home runs and 183 strikeouts. Perhaps more importantly, though, the bats went cold at key points during both the regular season and in the postseason.

You can’t win without the long ball and Martinez has built a career based on taking the cover off the baseball. The slugger has blasted 282 home runs in a 12-year career and he’s excelled as a DH. The veteran also absolutely mashes against lefties with a career .306/.377/.579/.957 slash line against LHP, to go along with 87 home runs, 95 doubles and 270 RBI. The Mets could either look to use Martinez as part of a platoon at DH with Daniel Vogelbach, who hits well against righties, or look to trade Vogelbach for outfield help and use Martinez as an everyday designated hitter.

Martinez was an All-Star every year he was with the Boston Red Sox, except for 2020 when there was no Midsummer Classic. He made the All-Star Game in 2022 after hitting .302/.368/.481/.849 with 30 doubles, nine homers and 38 RBI during the first-half of the season. Now, granted, the righty did regress slightly in the second-half of the season with a .233/.301/.400/.701 slash line and seven home runs and 24 RBI.

However, despite his sudden decrease in power in 2022 with just 16 home runs in total, Martinez still finished as one of the best designated hitters in baseball in 2022 having ranked 10th in wRC+ (119) among DH’s with a minimum of 400 PA in 2022. Plus, he also hit 28 homers as recently as 2021 so that suggests that the power didn’t just disappear overnight. Instead, Martinez could just benefit from a change of scenery and his game may be revitalized by having the chance to compete for a World Series with a legit contender.

When looking at Martinez’s potential fit with the Mets, it is also important to point out that the slugger can contribute in other ways too. Rather than just being a one-trick pony, Martinez boasts a career .352 on-base percentage and can also put the ball in play and get on base at a high-rate. He had an on-base percentage of .341 in 2022, including a .368 OBP during the first-half of the season, and he sneakily ripped a career-high 43 doubles last year. That is a player who can impact the game in a multitude of different ways.

According to Spotrac.com. Martinez is projected to land a two-year deal with an average annual salary of $15.1 million. It may be that the Mets could get the veteran to sign a one-year deal with a slightly lower average annual salary and an option for 2024 in return for the opportunity to compete for a championship next year. But, be it a one or two-year contract, it would be a low-risk, high-reward kind of deal for both parties.

It can’t be stressed enough that the Mets need to address their lack of power this offseason or risk falling short in 2023, which would represent a major failure given their spending spree this winter. While Martinez is just one player, he can hit for power, he’ll add a big bat to the middle of the lineup and there’s no reason why he can’t hit between 25-30 home runs. Plus, he can also get on base at a high-rate, he’ll hit doubles for fun and he can either be the everyday DH or be part of a platoon with Vogelbach. No matter which way you look at it, Martinez would address a very real need for this team while also being able to bring other skillsets to the table.

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Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Updated Post – Dec. 15, 16:30 

Super agent Scott Boras accompanied client Brandon Nimmo at Citi Field on Thursday for the presser to announce that Nimmo will be a Met for life following an eight-year, $162 million deal signed by the outfielder.

During that time at Citi Field, Boras was asked about another client and former Met, Michael Conforto. The 29-year-old missed the entire 2022 season because of injury, but is healthy and is receiving interest from multiple teams that reportedly includes the Mets. “Michael is in Arizona, he’s doing great, he’s throwing normally again, back to full health, hitting great and we’re talking to a number of teams about him right now,” Boras said.

The Cubs, Astros, and Mariners are the other known teams to be competing for the services of the former Mets outfielder. Boras on what Conforto is looking for this offseason, “short-term, probably a couple of years with an opt-out.”

Original Post – Dec. 14, 08:10

What has been a blockbuster offseason looks set to continue for the New York Mets as they look to add more offense with a reported interest in free agents Michael Conforto and J.D. Martinez, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Reports emerged from Rosenthal and our very own Michael Mayer on Tuesday night that the Mets had been in contact with agent Scott Boras over star free agent shortstop Carlos Correa. However, that was one superstar the front office missed out on with Correa going on to sign a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. It’s the fourth-largest guarantee in MLB history, and also the largest deal for a shortstop. It surpassed the $341 million contract Francisco Lindor signed with the Mets.

However, owner Steve Cohen seems unperturbed by missing out on Correa and has instead turned his attention to other targets. Rosenthal noted in his story that, from people familiar with his thinking, Cohen believes that the Mets still need more offense and another bat despite an already incredible offseason. The Mets will already have a payroll that blows well past the $300 million mark in 2023, but it appears that the front office may add one more piece. We explored here why adding more power to the lineup is crucial.

And, per Rosenthal, Conforto and Martinez appear to be two players that are very clearly on the front office’s radar. It isn’t the first time this offseason that the Mets have been linked with a reunion with Conforto. The free agent outfielder missed the entire 2022 offseason with a shoulder injury. In his final season with the Mets in 2021, Conforto slashed .232/.344/.388 with 20 doubles and 14 home runs in 125 games.

With a 124 wRC+ and 132 homers over a seven-year career, coupled with the fact that he’s still only 29-years-old, Conforto could be an intriguing option for the Mets. He would provide some much-needed outfield depth and, if he can rediscover some of his power from earlier on in his career and remain healthy, he would inject some pop into a lineup that needs another big bat.

Another intriguing option for the Mets and the other player mentioned by Rosenthal is Martinez. The free-agent slugger was linked with a trade to Queens at last year’s trade deadline and he ticks a lot of boxes. The veteran has built a career on taking the cover off the baseball and, with a career on-base percentage of .352, Martinez would not only mash at Citi Field but he could put the ball in play and get on base at a high-rate.

Martinez is coming off a tough year in 2022 having hit just .233/.301/.400 after the All-Star break. He also hit just 16 home runs last year, but his solid .341 on-base percentage proves that he was still able to make things happen offensively. Plus, the 35-year-old still finished as one of the best designated hitters in baseball in 2022 having ranked 10th in wRC+ (119) among DH’s with a minimum of 400 PA in 2022. He also hit 28 homers as recently as 2021 so the lethal power is still very much there.

The five-time All-Star could benefit from a change of scenery in 2023 and he would greatly improve the Mets’ options at the designated hitter position. After all, they got little to no production from the DH spot in 2023, with the position collectively hitting just .218/.314/.371 with 18 home runs and 183 strikeouts. Furthermore, the Mets tied for 15th in home runs with just 171 last year and finished with the fifth-worst hard-hit rate in MLB at 28.6%, per Fangraphs.

As a result, the need for another big bat in the lineup is clear and both Conforto and Martinez would help address what is still a glaring need. Per Spotrac.com, Conforto is projected to sign a one-year, $20.7 million deal while Martinez could get a two-year contract with an average annual salary of $15.1 million on the open market.

There are internal options for the Mets, of course. Highly-rated prospects Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos could all be in line for bigger roles in 2023, while Daniel Vogelbach remains on the roster. However, for a team that should be competing for the World Series next year, adding a legitimate and proven power bat would be the correct way to address a fatal flaw that really hurt this team in big spots both down the stretch and during the postseason in 2022.

And, for a team that has already added Justin Verlander, José Quintana, Kodai Senga and David Robertson this winter, and re-signed Edwin Díaz and Brandon Nimmo, going out and signing a player like Conforto or Martinez and adding yet another big-time weapon to this lineup would be another clear sign that Cohen will do whatever is within his power to help the Mets win in 2023 and beyond.

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Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Note, this is part one in a short two part series. Article two will be released later today.

The New York Mets have been incredibly active so far this off-season, but they still need to add some real power to the middle of their lineup.

There was no doubt that the Mets had a few big needs to address heading into this off-season, including pitching, and they made a good start by signing elite closer Edwin Díaz to a record five-year, $102 million deal. Then, after losing Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers, the front office moved quickly to replace him with another elite top of the rotation arm in Justin Verlander. The nine-time All-Star signed a two-year, $86-million contract. Veteran starter José Quintana also came on board after agreeing to a two-year, $26-million deal.

General manager Billy Eppler made it clear on Monday that the Mets are far from done, and this turned out to be very true as late Saturday night the Mets added Japanese star Kodai Senga to a five-year, $75-million deal. Among other moves this off-season, the front office also re-signed outfielder Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year, $162-million deal, as well as handed out a one-year, $10-million contract to veteran reliever David Robertson.

However, one other need that can’t be forgotten is addressing the lack of power that hurt this team both down the stretch and in the postseason last year. While the offense as a whole tied for fifth in the majors in runs scored, they tied for 15th in home runs with just 171. That lowly total also placed them with the fourth-least among teams who made the postseason. The Mets also ranked 16th in isolated power percentage, which measures raw power, with a mark of .153.

Furthermore, per Fangraphs, the lineup finished with the fifth-worst hard-hit rate in MLB at 28.6%. That further underlines the fact that you need a lineup at least partially built with power in mind in order to succeed in the postseason. If you take a closer look at the playoffs in 2022, the Guardians were just one example of a team that mashed their way to success in the Wild Card before forcing a Game 5 with the New York Yankees in the ALDS.

While the Mets did find some success with their contact-first approach and old school style of baseball under the vastly experienced Buck Showalter, today’s MLB is built on power and the longball. Adding further credence to their struggles due to a lack of power, New York ranked just outside of the bottom ten in average exit velocity and barrel percentage.

Furthermore, the team got little to no production from the designated-hitter (DH) spot, which didn’t help matters at all. The DH is meant to provide pop and a big bat from the middle of the lineup but, instead, the Mets saw their designated hitters combine for a total of 183 strikeouts. They also hit just 18 home runs and finished with 83 RBI. Collectively, the DH slashed .218/.314/.371 in 2022 which just isn’t going to get the job done.

Looking ahead to 2023, Pete Alonso will be relied upon to provide raw power once again while the hope will be that Daniel Vogelbach can hit more consistently as a DH. Darin Ruf, who was an unmitigated disaster after being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline, could be traded and he surely will not be the answer to the Mets’ power struggles in any case. There is the possibility that highly-rated prospects Francisco Álvarez, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty could also provide some pop in full-time roles in 2023, but it would be unfair to rely just on their bats so early on in their major league careers.

Instead, there are plenty of options out there for the Mets when it comes to picking up a big bat. As we’ve explored here at MMO in depth, the free agent market is still awash with big-time mashers including the likes of J.D. Martinez, who would solve a lot of problems at the DH spot. Other cheaper alternatives include veteran slugger Nelson Cruz, as well as Matt Carpenter who enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence with the Yankees in 2022. Other names still available are Trey Mancini, Michael Brantley, and Adam Duvall.

Any of the aforementioned names wouldn’t cause the already bloated 2023 payroll to skyrocket too much. Even if it did, owner Steve Cohen would be willing to pay the price if it gave his team a better chance of winning next year. Note, specific options the Mets can potential target will be in a follow-up piece later today.

While the additions of Verlander and Senga has made the rotation better and the re-signings of Díaz and Nimmo helped keep this team intact, the Mets will likely live or die by their ability to hit for power in 2023. Therefore, the front office can’t afford to just roll last year’s team back out or rely on prospects who aren’t yet tested at the major-league level. It has been proven time and time again that power wins the day in modern-day baseball. As such, the New York Mets would be harming their chances of winning a World Series in 2023 if they don’t address their very real need for power in the coming weeks and months.

Part two of this short two article series will be dropped later today. It will specifically analyze certain power options the Mets should target.

The post Why The Mets Should Add Power To Their Lineup appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany

Seven Met prospects would see game time for the Peoria Javelinas in a game that ended in a 5-5 tie after ten innings. Two of the Peoria runs came off the bat of Stanley Consuegra and Luke Ritter, who each hit solo shots. Kevin Kendall continues to do well in the desert with a two-hit performance in this one.

On the mound, Christian Scott would turn in the best start of his AFL season thus far. Scott lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed two runs. Franklin Sanchez and Grant Hartwig each made relief appearances later in the game. Hartwig had a solid outing, tossing a shutout inning, but Sanchez would get tagged for three runs in 1 1/3 innings of work. Box Score

• 2B Kevin Kendall: 2-for-3, .839 OPS
• CF Brandon McIlwain: 1-for-5, .567 OPS
• RF Stanley Consuegra: 2-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, .954 OPS
• 1B Luke Ritter: 1-for-3, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, BB, .367 OPS

#Mets OF prospect Stanley Consuegra has hit a pair of no-doubt homers in limited AFL action this month including this one today.

22-year-old is Rule 5 eligible again this winter. pic.twitter.com/21os8NvLHD

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) October 26, 2022

It was a productive day at the plate for all four Met starters. Kevin Kendall, who remains the only Met getting regular starting time with Peoria, collected two more base hits, raising his average to .292. Stanley Consuegra would launch his second home run of the AFL season, a solo shot to get Peoria on the board in the third. Met prospects weren’t done displaying their power just yet, as, in the seventh, Luke Ritter hit his first AFL home run to pull Peoria to within one of Glendale. The game would end in a tie with four Met prospects combining for six of Peoria’s 11 hits.

• RHP Christian Scott: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, SO, 10.38 ERA
• RHP Franklin Sanchez: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 0 SO, 14.54 ERA
• RHP Grant Hartwig: 1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, SO, 4.32 ERA

Just like they did at the plate, Met prospects made an impact on the mound for Peoria. Christian Scott would get the fourth start of his AFL season. Scott worked in and out of trouble through 3 2/3 innings. Despite giving up six hits, he would only allow two runs and had his command working as he allowed no walks. Franklin Sanchez would come in after Scott but would get roughed up in the fifth inning for three runs giving Glendale a 5-3 lead. In the seventh, Grant Hartwig came out of the bullpen in a tie game. Hartwig struck out the first batter he faced, then gave up a double and a walk before inducing an inning-ending double play.

Meanwhile, in the Dominican, Ronny Mauricio had a rare quiet evening, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout as Licey lost in ten innings 3-2. Box Score

• SS Ronny Mauricio: 0-for-4, 1.069 OPS

Despite his hitless performance, Mauricio continues to be one of the best hitters in the Tigres lineup. Through his first nine games in the Dominican Winter League, Mauricio is batting .381 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He’s also kept his strikeout numbers low, with six in 43 at-bats.

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