Triple-A

Charlotte Knights (66-76) 7, Syracuse Mets (75-69) 15

BOX SCORE

• SS Jett Williams: 1-for-4, 2B, R, RBI (1), BB, 2 K (.900 OPS)
• LF Drew Gilbert: 0-for-3, R, RBI (22), BB, K (.650 OPS)
• DH Luke Ritter: 1-for-5, 2B, R, 3 K (.864 OPS)
• 3B Yolmer Sanchez: 2-for-3, 3 R, HR (9), 5 RBI (51), SB (8), 2 BB (.738 OPS)
• 1B JT Schwartz: 1-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI (18), BB (.663 OPS)
• CF José Azocar: 3-for-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, 3 R

Jett Williams had a double in his Triple-A debut and Yolmer Sanchez had an outstanding game with a home run, a stolen base and five RBIs.

• RHP Mike Vasil (6.16 ERA) 4 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR allowed (54 of 75 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Kyle Crick (3.00 ERA) 1 IP, 1 H, 3 K
• RHP Trey McLoughlin (2.57 ERA) 1 IP, 2 BB
• RHP Eric Orze (3.02 ERA) 1 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Ty Adcock (4.24 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 2 K

Mike Vasil ended his season with another poor start, allowing six runs on eight hits, including a home run. Vasil went from a potential rotation arm at the MLB level to risking being left off the 40-man roster for the 2025 season. The bullpen did the rest of the heavy lifting, only allowing one run over the final five innings. Trey McLoughlin has been great in the 2024 season, going from a non-prospect to a potential major league bullpen arm.

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The club’s relievers have combined for a 4.70 ERA in May, the second-worst mark in the National League, after finishing April with an NL-best 2.85 ERA. The reasons for the group’s decline, which includes seven blown saves this month, range from Edwin Díaz and Adam Ottavino’s collective ineffectiveness to the absence of Brooks Riley and everything in between.

With Díaz now on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement and Jorge López off the roster after Wednesday’s events, the Mets are in desperate need of bullpen help as they look to keep their season alive and buck any recent trends.

With that, let’s take a look at a few options that the club has at its disposal in its farm system.

Photo Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Dom Hamel, RHP (Triple-A)

While Dom Hamel’s future as a starting pitcher at the major league level is in doubt, there’s every reason to believe he could potentially make a splash out of the bullpen.

The Mets’ third-round pick in 2021 out of Dallas Baptist University, Hamel was downright excellent in both 2022 and 2023 as he worked up a reputation as one of the team’s top pitching prospects with a 3.55 ERA and 11.29 K/9 over that stretch. However, it’s all come crashing down for him with Triple-A Syracuse this season as he possesses both a 7.36 ERA and a BB/9 rate of 7.61 over his first nine starts and 36 2/3 innings at the level.

Rated as the Mets’ No. 14 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, Hamel utilizes a low to mid-90s fastball that carries up in the zone and generates whiffs thanks to the rise and spin rate of the pitch. There’s no shortage of secondaries within his arsenal as well, though his slider and curveball stand above the rest as additional high spin rate offerings that miss bats consistently.

Hamel has the stuff to excel in the big leagues, but his lack of command and inability to work deep into games at the Triple-A level may ultimately relegate him to reliever duty, where he has the potential to thrive for the Mets sooner rather than later.

Eric Orze, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Eric Orze, RHP (Triple-A)

After twice defeating cancer while at the University of New Orleans, the Mets’ selection of Eric Orze in the fifth round of the 2020 draft was a feel-good story that quickly translated to success during his first season as a professional.

Orze skyrocketed through New York’s system in 2021, reaching Syracuse at 23-years-old after cruising in High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. He finished the year with a 3.08 ERA and 12.1 K/9 as opposed to a BB/9 rate of just 2.5 over 34 games between the three levels. It appeared as though Orze was destined to reach the big leagues at an unusually quick pace, though his career would hit a roadblock after finding it hard to replicate that level of success over the coming seasons. 

Orze appeared in 32 games for Syracuse in 2022, where he saw his ERA balloon to 5.13 despite the fact that his xFIP, strikeout rate and walk rate all trended in the right direction when compared to his performance at the level a year prior. He would also go on to spend the entirety of the 2023 campaign in Triple-A, though his issues became more apparent as his BB/9 rate grew to 6.09 and his ERA to 5.31 over 39 contests.

Orze’s FIP and BB/9 rate both currently represent career-worsts at 5.45 and 6.31, respectively, during his fourth go-around with Syracuse in 2024, though his ERA has dropped back down to 4.56 and his strikeout rate has seen a slight uptick as well. His poor command is undoubtedly a concern, but Orze likely deserves a look at the major league level on the back of his splitter, which profiles as an above-average pitch, in addition to his proven ability to punch batters out at an absurd rate.

Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Trey McLoughlin, RHP (Double-A)

A 16th-round pick of the Mets out of Fairfield University in the 2021 draft, Trey McLoughlin has done nothing but produce since joining the organization.

Despite a rough first handful of games out of the gate to open his career, the 24-year-old right hander broke out during the 2022 campaign with a 3.71 ERA and 10.6 K/9 across 26 games pitched with Low-A St. Lucie and Brooklyn. McLoughlin took another leap in 2023, posting a 2.79 ERA with 11.1 K/9 across 35 contests with Brooklyn and Binghamton before finishing the year with nine scoreless appearances in the Arizona Fall League as the cherry on top.

Recently ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the Mets’ system by FanGraphs, McLoughlin is off to a roaring start with the Rumble Ponies this year, owning a 1.29 ERA and 2.81 FIP alongside 11.57 K/9 in 11 outings. He doesn’t light up the radar gun, typically sitting in the low 90s with his four-seam fastball, but his command and use of deception with the pitch make it effective. McLoughlin also sports a splitter that grades out as his best weapon and a slider that works well in tandem with the rest of his arsenal, giving him an intriguing pitch mix that should translate well to the major leagues while making him a fascinating option for the club’s bullpen somewhere down the line.

Paul Gervase, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Paul Gervase, RHP (Double-A)

Standing at 6’10” and 230 pounds, Paul Gervase is an intimidating presence on the mound with a ton of potential as a weapon out of the bullpen for the Mets moving forward. 

The LSU product was selected in the 12th round of the 2022 draft by New York and immediately began mowing down hitters, recording 16 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings in a small eight-game sample size shortly after joining the organization. During his first full season of pro ball in 2023, Gervase dominated to the tune of a 2.05 ERA and 15.2 K/9 over 38 games and 57 innings with Brooklyn and Binghamton. He’s continued to prosper thus far in 2024 as well, pitching to a 1.93 ERA across seven appearances with the Rumble Ponies while dropping his BB/9 rate from 6.6 to 3.9. 

Gervase’s arsenal features a mid-90s, a sweeping slider and a split-change, all of which are elevated by both the extension he gets in his delivery and his low-slot release that goes a long way towards deceiving hitters. The 24-year-old right-hander has appeared in just 14 games above High-A, but his prior experience and success at Double-A could earn him a promotion to Syracuse in the near future that could be further parlayed into a major league call-up later this season. 

Photo by Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Wilkin Ramos, RHP (Double-A)

In just his second year in the Mets’ system, Wilkin Ramos has emerged as a legitimate candidate for a big-league promotion after adopting a new delivery.

The former Oakland Athletic and Pittsburgh Pirate farmhand was a selection of New York’s in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in 2022 after he put up a 3.88 ERA over 37 games and 51 innings with Bradenton, Pittsburgh’s Low-A affiliate. From there, Ramos upped his production in 2023 by recording a 2.50 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 37 walks across 33 contests and 57 2/3 frames that were split between Brooklyn and Binghamton. He has yet to allow an earned run through 11 appearances and 16 innings of work with the Rumble Ponies this season while possessing K/9 and BB/9 rates of 9.00 and 1.69, respectively.

Ramos excels at inducing ground balls, evidenced by a 76.7% GB%, which is a product of his low-to-mid-90s sinker and high level of extension within his low-slot release that he learned after joining the organization. The 23-year-old, ranked as the club’s No. 34 prospect by FanGraphs, also has a sweeping breaking ball at his disposal that the platforms classifies as a slider, which has the potential to develop into a devastating offering at the next level.

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This unique situation makes constructing the 2024 roster a bit complicated. On the one hand, you want to provide your young players with every opportunity, and on the other hand, developmental trajectories are never linear, and ensuring you have ample support already on the roster is tantamount. Not only is it crucial for staying competitive through bouts of struggles or swathes of injury, but it is also important from a team-building perspective, to have a competitive roster and that “next man up” mentality.

For the first time during Steve Cohen’s tenure, the Mets may not be a playoff contender next season. With a few large decisions looming, the long-term direction of the franchise seems very clear, yet the 2024 season is likely to be one of transition. The Mets have a handful of young position players already on the roster and a few more who will be ready at some point during the season. They are probably hoping that while they might look worse on paper to start the season, by midseason or later, they will look more like the Orioles or Reds rather than the Pirates or Nationals.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The other elephant in the room is Shohei Ohtani. And the Mets’ whole offseason strategy may hinge on his decision. Whether Ohtani decides to play for the Mets may play into their decision to push harder in free agency. Yet, as things stand now, it doesn’t look like the Mets will make any large splashes in free agency this offseason. They may instead decide to go bargain shopping, looking for potential turnarounds and proven players who can provide above-replacement-level production until more of their young players are major league-ready.

I, therefore, wanted to break down what their 26-man roster looks like going into the offseason to see where they could potentially look to add in free agency, as well as into which prospects can impact their 2024 season at different points:

C: Francisco Álvarez, Omar Narváez

IF: Pete Alonso, Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty, Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Zack Short

OF: Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, DJ Stewart

SP: Kodai Senga, José Quintana, Tylor Megill, José Butto, Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson (IL)

RP: Edwin Díaz, Brooks Raley, Phil Bickford, Drew Smith, Josh Walker, Grant Hartwig, Reed Garrett, Sean Reid-Foley

As things stand immediately following the non-tender deadline, the Mets have 28 players on their 40-man roster. With the low possibility of Luisangel Acuña or Alex Ramirez breaking camp with the team, they are currently looking at a long and difficult offseason. To say the least, trimming a whole third of a roster within a single month or so is more akin to fantasy sports than professional sports. Yet, as we have seen, Steve Cohen is willing to do things a little differently.

This team is not very good, regardless of the amount of young talent. Overall, this roster should probably win somewhere between 70 and 75 games. The outfield, bullpen, and starters are all close to the bottom of the MLB, and the team could use some added versatility. With David Stearns in tow, he has been 100% empowered to strip down and build back up as only he sees fit. Luckily, David Stearns is one of the best in the business, especially when it comes to quick turnarounds and acquiring undervalued assets.

Luisangel Acuña, Photo by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

The Minors

Prospect-wise, the expectation is that Drew Gilbert and Luisangel Acuña will be playing up the middle and leading off games in Syracuse to begin the season. It is hard to know exactly when they will be Queens-bound as they are both still developing and fine-tuning their skills. It is reasonably safe to say that at some point this season, they will be in Queens, whether that happens in May or September is hard to predict.

The Syracuse rotation will feature Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel, with Vasil having an outside chance of cracking the Mets rotation in Spring Training, albeit unlikely. The question is whether Christian Scott, the Mets’ newly ranked number-one pitching prospect by BA, will be a part of the Syracuse rotation as well. Following a downright dominant season, which saw Scott cement himself as a borderline top-100 prospect, Scott may start the season in Binghamton as he’s barely amassed 100 innings above low-A ball. That being said, the 62 innings in which he did pitch in Binghamton were elite. He pitched to a 2.47/2.47/2.96 (ERA/FIP/xFIP) trip-slash line.

Christian Scott. Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

The Syracuse bullpen will also be one to watch with the likes of Bryce Montes de Oca, Eric Orze and left-hander Nate Lavender repeating the level. A slew of newcomers will join them as they start the season in Triple-A. Headlined by Paul Gervase, who took the Mets system by storm and dominated both A+ and AA to the tune of a 2.05 ERA. Gervase has nasty stuff, and my bet is we will see him in Citi Field sooner than expected. The other future bullpen arms in AAA are Trey McLoughlin, who was outstanding in AA and posted a swinging strike rate of 17%, Dylan Tebrake and Brendan Hardy.

In Binghamton, the Mets will have another handful of future bullpen pieces that can all potentially move fast and make the majors by April 2025 at the latest. Those names include Raimon Gómez, Eli Ankeney, Jeffrey Colón and Saul García. This is the largest crop of upper-level bullpen arms the Mets have compiled possibly ever, and it is an exciting and underrated part of a burgeoning farm system.

The Mets will have a few more known names on their AAA roster worth mentioning, barring losing them in the Rule 5 Draft. These include the recently acquired Jeremiah Jackson and Justin Jarvis, as well as Matt Rudick, Brandon McIlwain and Luke Ritter. These players are most likely depth major league pieces at best, and some may never even make it that far.

Their AA team will also have some noteworthy names like top prospect Jett Williams, who will continue refining his game while playing second, shortstop and center field. If he can continue his top-flight performance in all aspects of the game, he could be in the big leagues before too long. Kevin Parada, Ryan Clifford, Blade Tidwell, Tyler Stuart and Coleman Crow all litter the Mets’ top 20 prospect list and will all be integral parts of the Rumble Ponies team to start the season.

Final Thoughts

With an immense crop of young talent knocking on the doors, it is hard to imagine the Mets acquiring any of the headline players available this offseason. Guys like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Juan Soto will all be available to differing extents. Premium players command a premium, and the Mets are still in the midst of a farm restock. When the Mets are on the precipice of perennial contention and can be flexible with their roster is the time to make these moves. 

What the Mets do need to do is to fill out their roster with a blend of high-upside players who will require coaching and development yet will only need a short-term commitment. The kind of commitment that, if it doesn’t work out, will not prevent players like Acuña, Gilbert and Jett Williams from receiving at-bats at the Major League level.

Additionally, the Mets need a few reliable players. The kind of players who can play every day, who are assets in the clubhouse and make the manager’s job easier. The kind of guy who if pressed into full-time duty can be an average big leaguer yet willingly to secede their starting spot if a younger, more talented player does arrive.

In the following parts of this series, I will break down the kind of players the Mets, under Stearns, will look to add to their roster.

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JT Schwartz, Photo by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

With the final games of the Arizona Fall League behind, the Mets affiliate team, the Glendale Desert Dogs, finished the season in last place. However, some prospects faired better than others. Below is a final look at how all the Mets’ prospects performed this fall.

Hitters

Kevin Parada – In 18 games over 75 plate appearances, Parada slashed .186/.240/.371 with three home runs and nine RBI for a .611 OPS. Parada struck out 29 times, continuing his trend towards more swing-and-miss. On the defensive side, Parada allowed 36 stolen bases to five caught stealing for a 12% caught stealing rate. It’s worth noting that Parada played 120 games, almost doubling his career high. Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline had this to say about Parada:

Parada is really focused on his defense, and the Mets were pleased with the progress he’s shown to date, but he’ll be a serviceable catcher at best. If the bat develops as one hopes, he still has a good chance to be an offensive-minded starting backstop in the big leagues.

D’Andre Smith – In 15 games over 55 plate appearances, Smith slashed .235/.291/.353 with one home run and six RBI’s for a .644 OPS. Smith exclusively played second base, and while the numbers weren’t eye-popping, they could have been much worse. Smith, despite a nearly 25% strikeout rate, showed the ability to put the bat on the ball.

JT Schwartz – The strongest offensive stat line by a Mets hitter, in 20 games and 83 plate appearances, Schwartz slashed .247/.325/.411 with two home runs and 13 RBI for a .736 OPS. 33% of his hits went for extra bases, but at the cost of his plate discipline, he ran a 6/20 BB/K ratio. If Schwartz can tap into his power, he can become a viable MLB player because he has shown he can hit for average.

Rowdey Jordan – Jordan just continued to hit over his 15 games and 60 plate appearances. He had 13 hits – six of them doubles and slashed .255/.367/.373 for a .740 OPS. Jordan doesn’t offer a lot of power, but displayed his versatility yet again, playing games in left field, right field and third base. While Jordan stole 30 bases over the season, he stole one base and was caught twice in Arizona.

Pitchers

Trey McLoughlin – In nine games, McLoughlin had a 0.00 ERA over 8 2/3 innings pitched, striking out eight and walking four while allowing four hits and earning one save. McLoughlin has shown the ability to miss bats and not walk too many hitters, possibly making him a depth piece in the Mets bullpen in the future.

Nolan Clenney – In nine games, Clenney had a 1.00 ERA, running a 13 K/9. Clenney misses a lot of bats but gives up nearly a hit an inning, as he did in Arizona. At 27 years old, the leash on his continued growth will be shorter as he hasn’t shown much success in Triple-A thus far.

Tyler Thomas – In nine games, Thomas notched a 3.72 ERA with a 12 K/9. One could copy and paste the statement written about Clenney here. The older prospect, with no better track record in Syracuse than Clenney, strikes out batters but walks them and gives up hits too.

Jordan Geber – In five starts, Geber ran a 6.00 ERA. He struck out 15 batters and walked three, but allowed 22 hits, four of which were home runs over 18 innings. Geber doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts but doesn’t walk many batters.

Brendan Hardy – In seven appearances, Hardy put up a 6.35 ERA over 5 2/3 innings, striking out four, walking five, and allowing five hits. Hardy had a strong 2023 season across three levels, striking out 54 over 35 innings, so maybe his AZFL performance can be attributed to fatigue – especially since over those 35 innings in the regular season, he walked 13 batters.

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