League Rankings

Baseball America: 14
MLB Pipeline: 10
FanGraphs: 14
The Athletic: 11

Baseball has updated its farm system rankings since the last article on the Phillies, bumping the Phillies from 14 to 20 and moving the Nationals into the No. 14 spot. The Nationals  have a clear top-half farm system, but also clearly not one of the premier systems in the game. Part of that is due to the graduation of James Wood, a blue-chip prospect who played enough last year to no longer be considered one. Wood will be the primary left fielder for Washington this year, and in the other corner will be the organization’s current top prospect.

James Wood. (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)

Crews and Wood

Dylan Crews is the No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline, the No. 6 prospect on Baseball America, and the No. 7 prospect on The Athletic. He’s one of the best prospects in baseball, and he’ll be the Opening Day right fielder opposite Wood in left. Together, the Nationals could have a pair of young corner outfielders hitting back-to-back in the heart of their order for the next six years at a minimum.

Crews is the higher draft pick than Wood, taken No. 2 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft directly after Paul Skenes went to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he is the only one of the two actually drafted by the Nationals. Wood, the No. 62 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres, was acquired by the Nationals in the trade that sent future Met Juan Soto out west. He’s also about seven months younger than Crews despite being drafted two years earlier because he was drafted out of high school, while Crews spent three years at LSU.

Wood, who torched the minors and impressed in his first taste of MLB action in 2024, is probably the better hitter. Aside from a five-game stint in rookie ball in 2022, Wood never posted an OPS that started with anything lower than an eight at any step along the way. It was often even better than that, culminating in a 1.053 OPS in 53 games in Triple-A before his big league promotion in 2024. He played 79 games for the Nationals last season, hitting .264/.354/.427 (.781 OPS), good for a 120 wRC+. As a 21-year-old rookie, that’s impressive. Wood has his faults, he strikes out at a clip higher than the league average and he is not a good fielder, but his bat is very, very real. The Nationals can hide him in left field and get away with it while likely hitting him third, right behind Crews.

Crews is still a great prospect in his own right, even if his bat wasn’t quite as good in the minors as Woods. There’s a reason he’s a consensus top-10 prospect across the league. He was pushed aggressively through the minors, making it all the way to Double-A just months after being drafted. He played 20 games there in 2023, and while he tore up rookie ball and Single-A (he skipped High-A), he finally struggled once he got to Double-A.

He returned to Double-A to begin 2024 and was much better, but not outstanding. In 51 games, he hit .274/.343/.446 (.789 OPS) with five home runs and 15 stolen bases. He was promoted to Triple-A and turned in a very similar line, slashing .265/.340/.455 (.795 OPS) with eight home runs and 10 stolen bases in 49 games. There were 30 22-year-olds to have at least 200 plate appearances at Triple-A last season. Crews’ OPS ranked 16th and his wRC+ of 106 ranked 15th. Wood, who also fit that criteria, ranked first in both statistics.

Nevertheless, the Nationals promoted Crews to the big leagues in late August. He played in 31 games for the Nationals to close out the year and narrowly preserved his rookie status for 2025. He didn’t do great, hitting .218/.288/.353 (.641 OPS) with three home runs and 12 stolen bases in 132 plate appearances. However, it’s a small sample size, his peripherals for the most part looked at least league average, and his track record provides enough confidence that he’ll be better in 2025.

Both Baseball America and Pipeline have Crews with a 60-grade hit and power tool and have him as a 70-grade runner. Unlike Wood, he’s a plus-glove and can play center field, although he’ll likely end up in right. Crews won a lot of awards for his bat in college and has still hit the ball hard in pro ball. Baseball America touted his well-roundedness as a hitter and Keith Law of The Athletic wrote that Crews, “still shows the underlying characteristics of an above-average hitter in the big leagues.” Ultimately, results are the most important thing, but he has plenty of time to turn his pedigree and batted-ball data into tangible results.

Dylan Crews. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Other Top Players To Know

Behind Crews in Washington’s farm system are a couple of first-round pick bats and then a trio of arms with really exciting tools.

Brady House, the No. 11 overall pick in 2021, was a much hotter prospect name a year ago and was even ranking in the middle-third of the various top 100 prospect lists, but he has since fallen off them. A third baseman, House took off in 2023, going from Single-A to High-A to Double-A all in one season and having success at each stop. In 88 games between the three levels, House hit .312/.365/.497 (.862 OPS) with 12 home runs and 36 extra-base hits. He did this while striking out at a 23.8% clip and not walking much, which ended up rearing its ugly head in 2024.

House’s flaws were only worsened in 2024. His strikeout rate went up to 26.4% which was the 10th-highest of the 48 players aged 21 or younger to have at least 500 minor-league plate appearances in 2024; only a little better than Mets prospect Ryan Clifford. What Clifford did though that House didn’t was take the free pass, with House only walking at a 5.7% clip. That was the third-worst of the same 48 players, and House ultimately ended up with the worst BB/K ratio of the entire group. If House is going to be a major-league player, he needs to fix that. He was a high school draftee and will turn just 22 years old in June, so he has time.

Seaver King, the No. 10 overall pick in 2024, is worth keeping an eye on as he begins his professional career. An athletic player who can play the infield or outfield, King has a high-swing, high-contact profile with probably below-average power. He played well in a small taste of pro ball last season, hitting .295/.367/.385 (.754 OPS) in 20 games at Single-A. A college bat who started his NCAA career in Division II before transferring to Wake Forest and playing himself into a top-10 pick, King is an interesting prospect with a nice story.

Now, onto the arms. Travis Sykora was one of the breakout pitching prospects from the 2024 season. A third-round pick in 2023 who signed for well, well over-slot value, he spent his entire 2024 season in Single-A and excelled. In 20 starts, Sykora had a 2.33 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 129 strikeouts to just 27 walks in 85 innings. He led all Single-A pitchers in strikeouts despite throwing dozens of fewer innings than anyone near him.

His fastball sits in the mid-90s with a 60-grade from MLB Pipeline and 65-grade from Baseball America. He pairs that with a slider and splitter that both received plus grades from both outlets. His control is the biggest question mark, but both outlets have it at average and he clearly didn’t struggle with it in 2024. With a strong 2025, Sykora will skyrocket up boards and become one of the highest-ranked pitching prospects in baseball.

On Thursday, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo informed reporters that Sykora underwent surgery on his hip over the winter, which will likely keep him out until May. It shouldn’t be a major setback and it’s not an arm injury, so as long as he comes back fully healthy the injury shouldn’t impact his prospect status too much.

Jarlin Susana, who accompanied Wood from San Diego in the Soto deal, is one of the most exciting pitching prospects in baseball. He might not be one of the best, still top 100, but definitely one of the most exciting. Susana’s calling card is his velocity. He regularly throws in the triple digits and has hit 103. He struggled in 2023, posting an ERA above five while displaying the control issues that plague many hard throwers, but took a big step in the right direction in 2024. His results still weren’t amazing, as his ERAs at both Single-A and High-A were in the low fours, but it was an improvement.

The most encouraging thing? Susana walked just 48 in 103 and 2/3 innings after walking 40 in 63 innings the year before. He also struck out 157 batters and had a top 10 K% among minor-league pitchers who threw at least 80 innings. Sykora was No. 1. Susana’s fastball has a 70-grade on Baseball America and a 75-grade on Pipeline, along with a plus slider and about average changeup. There’s a ton of relief risk here, but there’s no doubt Susana has one of the most electric arms in the minor leagues.

Staying on the trend of great fastballs is Alex Clemmey, a second-round pick in 2023 by the Cleveland Guardians who was sent to Washington for Lane Thomas at the 2024 trade deadline. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can reach the high-90s, and he has a couple of solid breaking balls and offspeed pitches. His results weren’t outstanding in 2024 but they weren’t awful putting up a 4.58 ERA in 92.1 Single-A innings with a lot of strikeouts and a lot of walks. He’s still just 19 years old so he is far, far out from the big leagues, but Clemmey is definitely a name to monitor.

Tyler Stuart. Photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

2025 Impacts?

The Nationals farm system is full of players who could play in the big leagues in 2024, which is perfect for where they are as a team. Obviously, Crews will be the Opening Day right fielder, but there are plenty of others who could make impacts during the long season. One is House, who is already at Triple-A. If he can right the ship he could end up as the team’s third baseman, where the current starter is projected to be José Tena.

Outfielder Robert Hassell III, another piece of the Soto deal, is also up to Triple-A. Once a very high-rated prospect and a the No. 8 overall pick in 2020, Hassell has really struggled since arriving to the Nationals. He appeared at Double-A in three-straight seasons following the trade and finally turned in a good showing in 2024, and even then his OPS was still just .728. He then got to finish out the year in Triple-A and slumped hard, hitting .125 with a .344 OPS in 17 games. Hassell has the draft pedigree where he’ll keep getting chances, and if he turns it around in 2025 he could be a big-league option.

Yohandy Morales is another bat who could enter the mix for 2025. The No. 40 overall pick in 2023, Morales was great in the months immediately following the draft and a little less great but still solid in 2024. He spent the majority of his season in Double-A, posting an OPS in the mid-70s. If he can at least keep that up and ideally improve in Triple-A in 2025, he could be very in the mix for one of the corner infield spots at some point.

The Nationals also have a ton of pitching options, headlined by 2020 No. 22 overall pick Cade Cavalli. The flamethrower got roughed up in his one and only MLB appearance back in 2022, and then missed all of 2023 and most of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s only had success in his minor league career, so as long as he’s healthy, he should at least have a chance to crack the Opening Day rotation that is rather thin after MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin. If not, he’ll certainly get a chance at some point.

Other players who fit that bill are Andry Lara and Brad Lord. Lara had a lot of success at Double-A last season and should make the move to Triple-A to begin 2024, and Lord made that move himself last year and pitched well. Former Mets prospect Tyler Stuart is also an option. Stuart, sent to the Nationals in the Jesse Winker trade, was one of the best pitchers in the Mets’ system in 2023 and pitched well again in 2024 before the trade. He had a stellar four starts in Double-A for Washington before struggling in four Triple-A starts, but he is definitely an option to at least make a spot start for the Nationals at some point in the season.

The post NL East Farm System Analysis: Washington Nationals appeared first on Metsmerized.

Position: DH/OF B/T: L/L
Age: 31 (08/17/1993)

2024 Traditional Stats: 508 PA, .253/.360/.405/.764, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 14 SB
2024 Advanced Stats: 118 wRC+, .304 BABIP, .338 wOBA, 20.9 K%, 12.4 BB%, 2.0 bWAR, 2.3 fWAR

Rundown

So little time, so many highlights. Jesse Winker came over from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline and a few weeks later hit a walk-off home run and dropped an awesome quote, instantly becoming a fan-favorite. In the playoffs, he followed that up with spiking his helmet at home after scoring in Game 3 of the wild card series.

“He plays the game of baseball like a middle linebacker,” Pete Alonso told the New York Post in October. “He’s just full intensity, full bore all the time. He’s always super high energy, and you love that.”

Despite all that, Winker did slash a disappointing .243/.318/.365 in 129 plate appearances with the Mets, though, he did perform well in the postseason (7-for-22 with a home run, two triples, and seven walks). One has to wonder, if a back issue, resulted in some of the struggles to end the regular season.

Many Mets fans remember a time when they were on the other side o Winker’s antics. He got into it with Mets fans during a game in 2019 while playing left field for the Reds, then taunted the crowd when he made a game-ending sliding catch for the last laugh. Three years later, while playing for the Seattle Mariners, he admired a home run at Citi Field and got a rise out of the crowd again, waving as he crossed home plate.

Winker debuted with the Reds in 2017 and played five years in Cincinnati, putting together his best season in 2021 when he hit 24 homers, drove in 71 runs, and slashed .305/.394/.556. The Reds traded him to Seattle, and after a rough 2022, the Mariners traded him to Milwaukee.

He had a dismal 2023, hitting one home run with a .199 batting average for the Brewers in 197 plate appearances. He was signed by the Nationals as a free agent last winter and bounced back in the first half (11 home runs, .793 OPS) before being dealt to the Mets for minor league pitcher Tyler Stuart. For those curious, Stuart posted a 2.08 ERA in Double-A after the trade, but struggled in Triple-A, posting a 7.56 ERA across 16 2/3 innings.

At his best, the left-handed hitting Winker is extremely patience in the box, taking a number of walks and not chasing (96th percentile chase and walk rates in 2024). In doing so, swinging at good pitches and providing some power.

Contract

Winker played 2024 on a one-year, $2 million deal in 2024. He was signed to a “prove-it” deal by the Nationals in the offseason and rewarded them well, netting them a pitching prospect at the deadline.

For his next deal, the Athletic a projecting a two-year contract worth $17 million overall. This would bring a $8.5 million average annual value for the platoon designated hitter.

Recommendation

If the Mets chose to bring back Winker, he would once again serve as the left-handed side of a platoon at designated hitter. Given his subpar range in the outfield (first percentile outs above average in 2024), a role exclusively as a designated hitter is best.

Winker, with health, should be able to thrive solely focusing on hitting against right-handed pitching. He owns an .841 career OPS against righties. Of course, with his struggles against left-handed pitching (.661 OPS), he would solely play against right-handed pitching.

At the cheap rate proposed by the Athletic above, he would partner well with Starling Marte, who had an .844 OPS versus left-handed pitching last season, in a platoon designated hitter situation.

The post Free Agent Profile: Jesse Winker, DH appeared first on Metsmerized.

David Stearns approached the deadline as expected trying to add pieces to help make a playoff push without giving up the future of the organization. Let’s take a look at how his acquisitions have performed thus far.

Phil Maton

Maton was acquired on July 9 from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations and has been one of the more reliable arms in the bullpen lately. He has only given up two earned runs in nine innings, with 11 strikeouts in that span. Maton has only walked one and allowed just four hits.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Ryne Stanek

He was acquired on July 26 from the Seattle Mariners for outfield prospect Rhylan Thomas and rejoined his former Houston Astros teammate Phil Maton to help strengthen the bullpen. Stanek only has three appearances to show for it, but he had a rough go-around against the Atlanta Braves, where he surrendered two home runs. He had a quick bounce back in his next two appearances, giving up no runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched.

Jesse Winker

With Starling Marte‘s return uncertain and DJ Stewart‘s unproductive at-bats, the Mets acquired Winker from the Washington Nationals on July 28 for right-handed pitching prospect Tyler Stuart. Winker has had a tough stretch to the start of his Mets tenure, failing to record an RBI in his first six games with the team. He has only three hits in 15 at-bats (.450 OPS) to show for, but he will continue to be in the lineup against right-handed pitching.

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Blackburn 

Blackburn was acquired from the Oakland A’s on July 30 for right-handed pitching prospect Kade Morris and recorded a win for the Mets against the Los Angeles Angels in his first start. He recorded six strikeouts in six innings pitched while only giving up one earned run.

Tyler Zuber

Zuber was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 30 for right-handed pitching prospect Paul Gervase and was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse the next day. He only has two appearances with the Syracuse Mets and has given up two earned runs in two innings.

Huascar Brazobán

Brazobán was acquired from the Miami Marlins on July 30 for utility prospect Wilfredo Lara and has appeared out of the ‘pen three times for the Mets. He had one of his worst outings of the season against the Angels that featured a go-ahead three-run home run that led to a Mets loss, but he was able to bounce back against the Rockies, throwing a scoreless two innings.

The post Mets Trade Deadline Acquisitions Tested Early appeared first on Metsmerized.

With a struggling bullpen and an influx of moves on the horizon, the Mets DFA’d both RHP Adrian Houser and RHP Shintaro Fujinami on July 26. While Fujinami cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Houser was released by the club on Wednesday, per Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Mets also released RHP Ty Adcock. 

Houser, who was acquired along with Tyrone Taylor from the Brewers in the offseason, had his ups and downs throughout his short Mets tenure. The veteran started in the Mets’ rotation, where he struggled severely, having his ERA balloon up to 8.37 at its highest. The Mets then moved him to the bullpen, where he thrived for a short period, but he came back down to Earth recently, and his subpar performance made him expendable. Houser posted a 5.84 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 1-5 record in his 69 1/3 innings and 23 games with the Mets.

At Citi Field on Wednesday, the Mets finished their homestand and series against the Minnesota Twins in disappointing fashion. While a Mark Vientos home run gave the Mets an early 2-1 lead in the second inning, it would all go downhill from there. Luis Severino had one of his worst outings in Queens, only lasting three innings while giving up six runs on six hits, leading to an 8-3 Mets loss. However, the Mets leave Citi Field with the series win and a 4-3 record during their homestand. Click here for a full game recap. 

The Mets are now going on a West Coast trip. Their first stop will be in Anaheim, where they will take on the Los Angeles Angels for three games. They will have Thursday off and be back in action on Friday night when Paul Blackburn will make his Mets debut on the mound. 

Photo by David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Baseball America ranked all 89 prospects dealt at the trade deadline. Here is where the pieces the Mets parted with landed: RHP Tyler Stuart (35), RHP Kade Morris (41), RHP Paul Gervase (75), OF Rhylan Thomas (82) and INF Wilfredo Lara (86).

The Mets optioned newly acquired right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Zuber to Triple-A Syracuse prior to Wednesday’s game. They also optioned LHP Matt Gage to Syracuse and activated former Marlin RHP Huascar Brazobán.

Two new promotions were added to the Mets’ schedule for their mid-August homestand. On Saturday, August 17, against the Marlins, the first 15,000 fans will receive an “OMG” T-shirt, and fans can get an “OMG” foam finger through a special ticket offer for the game on Tuesday, August 20th, against the Orioles.

The Mets’ newest starter, Paul Blackburn, will make his first start for the Amazin’s on Friday against the Angels. Tylor Megill, slated to start that game, has been put in the bullpen. He went two innings while giving up one run on three hits during his first appearance out of the ‘pen on Wednesday against the Twins. Click here to learn about Blackburn.

Reed Garrett looked “really good” in his live session on Wednesday, per Joe Pantorno of amNewYork. Garrett, who hit 97 mph in his live session, will be making a rehab appearance on Saturday for the Syracuse Mets. 

Sean Reid-Foley was on point during his rehab appearance for Double-A Binghamton, getting all three batters he faced to strike out swinging. 

Brandon Nimmo left Wednesday’s loss to the Minnesota Twins after fouling a ball off his foot in the sixth inning. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game that X-rays were negative and Nimmo should be good to go for Friday. Click here for more on Nimmo’s injury.

The Mets signed 18 of their 20 draft picks in the 2024 MLB Draft. The only players the Mets did not sign were ninth-rounder RHP Jaxon Jelkin and 20th-rounder SS Adam Haight.

Latest MLB News

The Houston Astros DFA’d former Mets pitcher Rafael Montero, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The flame-throwing right-hander was in year two of his three-year, $34.5 million deal.

St. Louis Cardinals veteran RHP Lance Lynn was placed on the 15-day IL with right knee inflammation. Lynn has a 4.06 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 106 1/3 innings of work this season.

Jackson Holliday‘s first career home run was a grand slam, which he rocketed deep into right field, onto Eutaw Street.

JACKSON HOLLIDAY!

His first big league homer is a grand slam! pic.twitter.com/UhYSrT2MiQ

— MLB (@MLB) July 31, 2024

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg fractured his hand after getting hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game, per Steve Melewski of MASN Sports. The club hopes he can return by the end of the season.

Former Mets catcher James McCann played in Wednesday’s Orioles game with multiple nasal fractures after taking a 95 mph fastball to the face on Monday. McCann sported a new mask to do so.

Latest on MMO

See what MMO writers graded the Mets’ trade deadline.

The Mets activated their newest reliever, Huascar Brazobán.

More on the news of Nimmo fighting off an injury scare.

The Mets signed 18 of their 20 draft picks.

On This Date in Mets History

2015: Lucas Duda drives in all three Mets runs as his two home runs and eighth-inning go-ahead RBI double power the Mets past the Nationals. This win puts the Mets one game back of the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East. 

2010: 1986 World Series champions Darryl Strawberry, Dwight “Doc” Gooden, Davey Johnson, and Frank Cashen are inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.

1999: Pitcher Pat Mahomes gives the Mets a 13th-inning lead with a two-out base hit and gets the save in the bottom of the frame to beat the Cubs in Wrigley. 

1989: Kevin McReynolds finishes off the fifth cycle in Mets history with his ninth-inning triple.

Birthdays: Brian Bohanon (56), Gregg Jefferies (57)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Release Adrian Houser appeared first on Metsmerized.

Winker, a left-handed bat, brings a much-needed offensive upgrade to the Mets’ outfield. He will also bring a boost to the lineup against right-handed pitchers. The Mets own the fourth-highest team OPS against left-handed pitching, against righties, that number drops to 10th.

Winker, an eight-year major leaguer, signed a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals in the offseason coming off a career-worst 2023 season. In 2023, Winker posted a lowly .567 OPS after regressing in 2022 (.688 OPS) despite an All-Star 2021 season. The low-risk, one-year deal worth only $2 million proved to be a wise investment for Washington, as he has rebounded in a big way thus far in 2024.

Jesse Winker. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Across 315 at-bats in 2024, Winker has posted a .257/.374/.419 slash line good for a .793 OPS. He has produced 11 home runs and 45 RBIs to go along with 14 stolen bases (caught stealing four times). Specifically, and why the Mets targeted him, the left-handed bat has teed off on right-handed pitching, slashing .266/.390/.450 which is good for a staggering .840 OPS. He has hit 10 of his 11 home runs off righties and has walked 42 times.

Speaking of walks, one of the reasons Winker has been so effective this season is because of a very strong eye at the plate. Winker’s minuscule chase rate has him in the league’s 96th percentile, combined with a whiff rate in the 69th percentile, and the 30-year-old 14.0% walk rate is one of the best in the majors (97th percentile).

In the field, Winker’s range as an outfielder is a bit limited. His outs above average (OAA) of negative-8 in 2024 ranks in the league’s second percentile. However, he does have an extremely strong arm (96th percentile arm value) which has likely led to a defensive runs saved that is actually plus-1 this season.

Speaking of the field, Winker has almost exclusively played left field throughout his career. Nearly 80% of the innings he has spent in the outfield has come in left field, 17% has come in right, and only 3% in center field. So, it would appear New York will be asking Winker to play a spot in the outfield he is not exactly used to playing, at least some of the time.

However, there is the chance, which would make sense, but would compromise the outfield defense surely, where the Mets play Jeff McNeil in right field, Brandon Nimmo in center field, and Winker in his more familiar left. This would relegate the terrific defense of Harrison Bader to the bench. Regardless, manager Carlos Mendoza will certainly have options.

Tyler Stuart. Photo by Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Return

The return is right-handed pitcher Tyler Stuart. Stuart, now 24 years old, was having a nice season at the Double-A level. Through 17 starts and 84 innings, Stuart owns a 3.96 ERA and has 90 strikeouts. The underlying metrics are even kinder to Stuart, as evident by his 3.28 FIP and 3.24 xFIP. He also excels at not walking batters (2.14 BB/9) and not allowing the long ball (0.86 HR/9),

This all comes just one year after really emerging as a potentially underrated arm within the Mets’ system. In 2023, split between High-A and Double-A, Stuart posted a 2.20 ERA across 110 2/3 innings to go along with 112 strikeouts.

Overall, despite the stronger numbers, it was a bit unflattering to see Stuart still at the Double-A level at age 24. There are also some concerns that he can remain a starter in the longterm. He is likely due for a promotion and it will be very interesting to see if he can keep up the strong performances as the competition gets tougher.

Stuart would have been ranked 19th in MMO’s updated top-35 Mets prospect list and Baseball America has him ranked 23rd. So, not a devastating price to pay for Winker by any means which is nice work by David Stearns. Though, Washington should be happy with the return, as Stuart is an intriguing prospect based off his performances the last two seasons.

Final Thoughts

It is clear that president of baseball operations David Stearns is buying ahead of his first deadline with the Mets. New York has propelled themselves into the thick of the wild card race, as a result, Stearns has already made three deals which will instantly betters his ball club. Winker joins relief pitchers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek as the three external adds Stearns has made thus far.

Winker, specifically, will be an automatic upgrade offensively in the outfield over the likes of Harrison Bader, Tyrone Taylor, and DJ Stewart. It also gives a nice replacement to Starling Marte who is continuing to rehab from a knee injury. Specifically, Winker will help propel a Mets offense that would benefit from a boost against right-handed pitching. Granted, as mentioned above, it may compromise the team’s outfield defense a bit, but the offense will no doubt get a boost.

Next up, Stearns would be wise to address the rotation and potentially another additional bullpen arm. Especially with the injury to Kodai Senga. With the July 30 deadline just a couple days away, the excitement around the team is certainly at a season-high.

The post A Deep Dive Into Newest Mets Outfielder Jesse Winker appeared first on Metsmerized.

Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons (45-52) 6, Syracuse Mets (60-37) 2

BOX SCORE

• CF Rhylan Thomas: 2-for-4 (.660 OPS)
• LF Luke Ritter: 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 K (.845 OPS)
• SS Luisangel Acuña: 1-for-4, K (.669 OPS)
• 3B Pablo Reyes: 0-for-3, RBI (33) (.897 OPS)
• DH Mike Brosseau: 1-for-4, RBI (31) (.816 OPS)

The Mets offense only had one extra-base hit, which was the double by Ritter. They were shut out until the top of the ninth when Reyes had a sacrifice fly and Brosseau had an RBI single. In total, the lineup struck out 11 times against four Buffalo pitchers.

• RHP Mike Vasil (4-6, 5.76 ERA): 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K (44 of 82 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Shintaro Fujinami (10.95): 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 0 H, 4 BB, K (12 of 30 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Josh Walker (2.83): 1 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, K (8 of 15 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Bryce Montes de Oca (7.71): 1 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, 3 BB, K (12 of 33 pitches for strikes)

It was not the best day for Syracuse pitchers in terms of command. The four pitchers on the mound combined for 11 walks compared to just five strikeouts. Vasil gave up all three of his runs in the first inning with Buffalo driving those runs in via a two-run double and a hit-by-pitch. Walker continued his strong season as he has held opposing hitters to a .157 batting average.

Kevin Parada, Photos by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (48-41) 9, Richmond Flying Squirrels (43-49) 4

BOX SCORE

• SS Jeremiah Jackson: 2-for-5, R, HR (13), 3 RBIs (38), K (.650 OPS)
• DH Kevin Parada: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 K (.707 OPS)
• C Drake Osborn: 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR (2), 2 RBIs (17), BB, K (.634 OPS)
• 2B Rowdey Jordan: 1-for-5, R, HR (8), 3 RBIs (40), 3 K (.647 OPS)
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 0-for-3, R, RBI (36), 2 BB, SB, K (.899 OPS)

The Rumble Ponies and Flying Squirrels were tied at one heading into the seventh. Then, the Rumble Ponies were able to break the game open. Osborn hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to put Binghamton ahead, 3-1. One inning later, Jordan hit a three-run home run to put the game away ultimately.

Jackson ended up having his third multi-hit game in the last five days, which included a two-run home run in the ninth. Meanwhile, Parada had a multi-hit day and has done that in five of his last eight games. Parada is hitting .309/.397/.527 with a 161 wRC+ in July.

• RHP Tyler Stuart (3-7, 3.96): 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K (50 of 81 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Cam Robinson (3.04): 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, K (14 of 21 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Paul Gervase (3.38): 1 IP, 3 R, K (17 of 23 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Cameron Foster (3.91): 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, K (11 of 17 pitches for strikes)

After a rough start to the season, Stuart has allowed two runs or fewer in six consecutive starts. The only run scored against him on Wednesday came on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. This month, he has a 1.96 ERA over the course of four starts. Gervase did allow three runs in the eighth, but all of them scored due to two Binghamton errors in the inning.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (43-49) 2, Rome Emperors (44-46) 1 In 10 Innings

BOX SCORE

• SS Wilfredo Lara: 2-for-4, RBI (27), BB, 2 K (.694 OPS)
• LF Karell Paz: 1-for-3, 2B, K (.666 OPS)
• CF Nick Morabito: 1-for-3, 2 BB (.714 OPS)

It was a pitcher’s duel throughout Wednesday afternoon, but the Cyclones found a way to edge out an extra-inning victory. Both runs came around to score in the bottom of the tenth. The game-tying run scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, it was a walk-off single by Lara that brought in the game-winning run.

Wilfredo Lara was today’s hero as he plated the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th to give the Cyclones a 2-1 win on Wednesday afternoon.

It was the @nationalgridus Safe at Home Run of the Game. #Safeathome #AmazinStartsHere pic.twitter.com/qq3zcOpKYA

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) July 24, 2024

Morabito stole two bases to put him at 30 for the year. As of Wednesday afternoon, he is one of seven players in the South Atlantic League with 30+ stolen bases.

• RHP Jack Wenninger (3.55): 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 4 K (41 of 76 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Jeffrey Colon (5.59): 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 K (17 of 21 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Henry Henry (5.79): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H (7 of 12 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Justin Lawson (1-2, 3.22): 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, BB (23 of 34 pitches for strikes)

The four Cyclones pitchers combined to allow just five singles. Wenninger ended up having his most strikeouts in an outing since joining Brooklyn and he has not allowed a run in eight consecutive innings. Lawson allowed an unearned run, but it kept his streak alive of eight consecutive outings, allowing one run or fewer.

Boston Baro, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

Low-A

Palm Beach Cardinals (53-37) 5, St. Lucie Mets (30-62) 3 In 10 Innings

BOX SCORE

• 3B Boston Baro: 3-for-4, BB, SB (.771 OPS)
• C Ronald Hernandez: 1-for-3, BB, K (.561 OPS)
• LF Willy Fañas: 1-for-4, R, RBI (14), 2 K (.603 OPS)
• 2B Kevin Villavicencio: 0-for-5, 2 R, 2 SB, 2 K (.592 OPS)
• SS Colin Houck: 0-for-5, 5 K (.609 OPS)

The St. Lucie offense struck out 17 times in Wednesday’s loss. The only run that was driven in came on an RBI single from Fañas in the bottom of the seventh for the team’s first run. Baro stood out with his three-hit performance, which was the seventh of the year for the 19-year-old. His 23 hits this month are four more than any other player in the Florida State League.

• RHP Saul Garcia (5.94): 3 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K (47 of 72 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Cristofer Gomez (4.76): 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, 2 K (29 of 42 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Wilson Lopez (3.95): 1 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, BB (16 of 27 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Layonel Ovalles (6.26): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, K (7 of 11 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Jeremy Peguero (1-1, 2.96): 2/3 IP, 2 R, 0 H, 2 BB, K (8 of 22 pitches for strikes)

St. Lucie used six pitchers on Wednesday but managed to record only seven strikeouts. Gomez threw the ball well and had his longest outing of the year out of the bullpen. The Mets staff only allowed one hit in the final three innings and Garcia was the only pitcher to allow an extra-base hit in the loss.

Dominican Summer League

DSL Mets Blue (13-22) 8, DSL Rangers Blue (19-14) 7 

BOX SCORE

• 2B Vladi Gomez: 3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, RBI (15), 2 SB, K (.675 OPS)
• DH Rainer Reyes: 1-for-2, R, 2 RBIs (22), 2 BB (.938 OPS)
• C Marcos Terrero: 2-for-5, R, 3B, RBI (7), K (.757 OPS)
• 1B Daris Cordero: 2-for-4, R, RBI (5), BB, 2 K (.669 OPS)
• LF Vladi Guerrero: 2-for-4, R, BB, K (.583 OPS)

On Wednesday, five of the nine hitters in the Mets lineup ended up having two or more hits. The Blue Mets squad ended up erasing a 7-4 deficit with four runs in the top of the eighth. Reyes was a part of that rally as his RBI single tied the game at seven. This month, Reyes has driven in ten runs in 47 at-bats.

In the leadoff spot, Gomez had the lone three-hit performance and it was the first time he had three hits in a game this season. The 18-year-old has driven in ten runs in 11 games this month.

• RHP Johan Moreno (4.18): 2 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K
• RHP Luisner Lopez (4.30): 3 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 K
• RHP Krisspy Valdez (2-0, 10.20): 1 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K
• RHP Jermayne Verdu (5.68, 1st save): 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Despite the Mets pitching staff having as many walks as strikeouts (9), they were able to hang on to get the win thanks to the six-out save from Verdu. It was his first save of the year and it snapped a streak of three consecutive outings in which he allowed a run.

The post Minors Recap: Strong July Continues for Tyler Stuart, Kevin Parada appeared first on Metsmerized.

Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (28-35) 5, Syracuse Mets (39-25) 3

BOX SCORE

• SS Luisangel Acuña: 2-for-4, R (.648 OPS)
• RF Rylan Bannon: 1-for-4, R, HR (11), 3 RBIs (43), 2 K (.892 OPS)
• 3B Brett Baty: 2-for-4 (1.316 OPS)
• 2B Luke Ritter: 1-for-3, BB (.870 OPS)

The lone runs for Syracuse on Wednesday came in the bottom of the third when Bannon hit a three-run home run that gave the Mets the early lead. The 28-year-old has homered twice and driven in eight runs over the last four games.

Don’t worry, Rylan Bannon is wide awake! pic.twitter.com/FRIcUrY42E

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 12, 2024

As for the rest of the offense, they did not have another extra-base hit, and they were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Baty had two more hits and he has a hit in each of the last four games he has played at the Triple-A level. Acuña ended up having his third multi-hit performance in the last four games.

• RHP Christian Scott (2.91 ERA): 3.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, BB, 6 K (46 of 60 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Mike Vasil (2-4, 7.08): 3.2 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K (43 of 75 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Grant Hartwig (2.31): 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, K (15 of 26 pitches for strikes)

While Mets fans wait for Christian Scott to get called back up, the right-hander keeps finding ways to excel in the minors, albeit while his workload is being managed. While the right-hander allowed a solo home run in the top of the fourth, he was efficient with his pitches and got four swinging strikeouts.

Double-A

Somerset Patriots (29-30) 10, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (29-28) 5

BOX SCORE

• 3B Jaylen Palmer: 1-for-4, R, HR (5), 2 RBIs (10), 3 K (.916 OPS)
• LF Ryan Clifford: 1-for-2, R, 2B, RBI (13), BB, K (.805 OPS)
• RF Matt Rudick: 2-for-5, 2 R (.750 OPS)
• DH Nolan McLean: 0-for-4, 3 K (.541 OPS)

Even though Somerset jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, Palmer tried to get the Rumble Ponies into the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second. The 23-year-old has three home runs in six games this month after having two for the entire month of May.

Clifford had the other RBI via a sacrifice fly in the fifth. He drew a walk, which gives him 10 for the month of June (six strikeouts).

• RHP Tyler Stuart (1-5, 5.02): 2 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, BB, 2 K (35 of 55 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Jordan Geber (4.86): 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 K (30 of 44 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Nolan Clenney (7.71): 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 4 K (20 of 32 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Trey McLoughlin (1.02): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, K (6 of 7 pitches for strikes)

The Patriots offense was able to chase Stuart from the game early. The 24-year-old right-hander has lost each of his last three starts and failed to get out of the third inning in back-to-back games. The five Binghamton pitchers combined for ten strikeouts, including four from Clenney, which is a season-high.

High-A

Hudson Valley Renegades (31-27) 6, Brooklyn Cyclones (30-29) 0

BOX SCORE

• LF Christopher Suero: 1-for-3, BB (.820 OPS)
• 1B Mateo Gil: 1-for-3, K (.694 OPS)
• CF Nick Morabito: 0-for-4, K (.780 OPS)
• 3B Nick Lorusso: 0-for-4, 3 K (.828 OPS)

The Cyclones only managed to record two hits and combined to strike out 13 times against three Renegades pitchers. Those two hits came on infield singles from Suero in the top of the first and from Gil in the fifth.

• LHP Felipe De La Cruz (3-5, 4.00): 1.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, K (29 of 45 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Jeffrey Colon (6.28): 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 6 K (47 of 70 pitches for strikes)

Wednesday night was arguably the worst outing of the year for De La Cruz. The Renegades had three doubles against him and the first eight batters of the second inning reached base against him (six runs). Colon did a good job of saving the bullpen, as he had a season-high for both innings pitched and strikeouts in an outing.

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets (19-39) had their game against the Jupiter Hammerheads (32-26) postponed due to rain. They will make up the game as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, with Game 1 beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

Florida Complex League

The FCL Mets (11-14) had their game against the FCL Marlins (17-7) postponed due to rain. They will make up the game on June 24.

Dominican Summer League

DSL Phillies White (2-4) 8, DSL Mets Orange (2-4) 5

BOX SCORE

• 2B Diover De Aza: 1-for-4, 2 RBIs (3), 2 K (.619 OPS)
• SS Bohan Adderley: 1-for-3, R, RBI (5), K (.898 OPS)
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI (2), BB, K (.568 OPS)
• RF Enderson Asencio: 1-for-1, 2 R, 2 BB (.750 OPS)
• LF Leandy Mella: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K (.683 OPS)

The Mets were constantly playing catchup to the Phillies on Wednesday, but Rodriguez was able to help contribute to the comeback attempt with an RBI triple in the bottom of the third. He also has at least one walk in four of the last five games. As for De Aza, he had a two-run single in the fifth that cut the lead to 7-4 at the time. The 16-year-old has at least one hit in four of the last five games.

• RHP Jonathan Jimenez (0-1, 3.68): 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 K
• RHP Nehomar Turmero (11.25): 1.1 IP, 3 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K
• LHP Angel De La Rosa (6.75): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, K

The main damage that Jimenez allowed came in the first inning when the Phillies put two runs on the board. As a team, the Phillies had three doubles and stole four bases in the win.

The post Mets Minors Recap: Rylan Bannon Homers for Syracuse appeared first on Metsmerized.

The story of the season in the minor leagues has been pitching, and that was the case again this week. The Mets saw dominant pitching performances at all levels this week, most of which came from the Mets’ top pitching prospects.

Let’s dive into all of the best and most notable showings from this past week from the Mets minor league teams.

Christian Scott, Photo by James Farrance

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets and Columbus Clippers completed a six-game series this past week. The Mets took an early 2-0 series lead but it quickly evened when Columbus won the next two games. The final two games of the series came on a doubleheader Sunday, and it was a Mets sweep to secure a 4-2 series victory.

Luisangel Acuña had a productive week, which was much needed considering his .563 season OPS entering the series with Columbus. Acuña played in all six games and recorded six hits including a double, a triple, and a home run. He also recorded three RBIs, walked twice, and stole a base. His OPS on the year is still just .652, but it’s a considerable improvement from where he stood a week ago.

Rylan Bannon also had a solid week against Columbus, raising his season OPS to .876. Bannon went just 3-for-15 in five games but two of his hits were home runs, and he also walked four times to get on base a total of seven times.

Christian Scott made two fantastic starts against Columbus this week. In those two starts, he pitched 11 innings and gave up three runs while striking out 10 batters. Despite the three earned runs, he allowed just two hits and three walks over his two appearances. He now sports an impressive 3.20 ERA—over a run and a half below league average—as he looks more and more ready for the major leagues.

Dom Hamel was named the International Pitcher of the Week for his performance, as he pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. In those 5 1/3 innings, he allowed just one hit and two walks. Hamel’s ERA is now 4.42, though his ERA in his last three outings is a much better 2.30.

Joey Lucchesi also continues to be very impressive, as he threw five innings of one-run ball in his lone start of the week. Lucchesi sports a season ERA of 2.42.

Photo Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Double-A Binghamton

The Rumble Ponies started out their season with a three-game series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Binghamton dropped that series 2-1. This week, the teams matched up for a six-game series and the Rumble Ponies got their revenge. They dropped the first game of the series but rattled off four straight wins before losing the series finale, giving them a 4-2 series win.

Alex Ramírez continued his torrid start to the season with a week that saw him go 8-for-24 with four doubles, five walks, five RBIs, and six stolen bases. His week raised his batting average up to .324 and his season OPS up to .859. Ramírez continues to look like one of the more pleasant surprises in the Mets’ system this year.

Rowdey Jordan had a solid week, switching it up between second and third base throughout the series. In six games, he recorded eight hits, including two doubles and a home run. He also recorded four RBIs, five runs, and three stolen bases. He hasn’t had the most impressive start to the year, but his OPS is now raised to .732.

Matt Rudick had perhaps the best week of any Rumble Ponies position player. In five games, he went 8-for-22 with two home runs and seven RBIs. He also walked three times and scored six runs. His big week gave a massive boost to his OPS, raising it from .499 to .759.

Tyler Stuart had far and away his best performance of the year in his start against New Hampshire this week. The tall righty threw six innings, allowing one run and striking out 12. He allowed just four hits and one walk in the effort. That performance lowered his season ERA to 3.45.

Blade Tidwell also had a fantastic start against New Hampshire, but he unfortunately drew a loss as he was unable to receive much run support. Tidwell threw for 6 2/3 innings in the series finale, allowing one run on two hits while striking out nine. Despite receiving the loss, it was arguably his best appearance of the year. 21 1/3 innings in, he has an outstanding 1.69 ERA.

Two relievers who did great in two appearances each this week were Wilkin Ramos and Trey McLoughlin. Both have had fantastic starts to the season, and each threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings this past week. Ramos has yet to allow a run this year through 9 2/3 innings, and he also has four saves and a win to his name. McLoughlin has allowed two runs to come across this season, but his 2.57 ERA is nothing to be ashamed about.

Ryan Clifford, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A Brooklyn

Like Syracuse and Binghamton, the Brooklyn Cyclones also won their series 4-2 this past week. They grabbed the first two games from the Wilmington Blue Rocks before dropping game three. The Cyclones then won two more in a row before losing the final game of the series.

Ryan Clifford cooled down with the bat in this series, recording just two hits in 13 at-bats, but it was still a productive week in that he was able to draw eight walks. That’s compared to just four strikeouts. Even with a .154 batting average on the week, his on-base percentage was a whopping .476. For the season, Clifford has a .222 average and a .430 on-base percentage. He hasn’t hit much, but he continues to find his way on base.

Nick Lorusso played in just four games against Wilmington, but he made the most of his playing time. The corner infielder went 5-for-15 with a double and six RBIs. He also struck out just once and recorded two runs. Lorusso remains the most productive Brooklyn batter, with an OPS that sits at .859.

Drake Osborn also had a productive week at the plate, going 5-for-14 with two doubles in five games. Osborn walked three times and drove in a run. The catcher has just 36 at-bats on the year, but as of now has a 1.083 OPS.

Even though he wasn’t productive at the plate in this series, Nolan McLean is still worth mentioning for his pitching performance. McLean went just 1-for-10 with two RBIs in three games this series, but as a pitcher, he started two games and combined for eight scoreless innings.

In those two games, he allowed three hits and struck out eight batters. He now has a .946 OPS and a 3.86 ERA on the year.

Brandon Sproat and Jordan Geber each had a start of five innings allowing no runs in this series. In Sproat’s outing, he allowed just two hits and a walk and struck out five. Geber allowed just one hit and struck out four. Both have pitched extremely well this season, as Sproat has a 1.23 ERA and Geber has a 2.25 ERA.

Dakota Hawkins and Justin Lawson were the best relievers for the Cyclones in this series. Hawkins made two appearances and threw four combined scoreless innings. He now has a 2.31 ERA on the year. Lawson made just one appearance but recorded a save with three perfect innings in which he struck out four batters. Lawson still has not allowed a run this year in nine innings.

Nick Morabito. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Low-A St. Lucie

St. Lucie was the only Mets affiliate to lose their series this week, falling 4-2 to the Daytona Tortugas. Both pitching staffs were great as each team recorded two shutouts in the series. The only two games in the series where both teams scored, St. Lucie lost both by just one run.

Nick Morabito has been St. Lucie’s best hitter on the young season. Morabito hit in each of the five games he played, including two three-hit games. He currently carries a six-game hitting streak. Against the Tortugas, Morabito went 9-for-17 and walked twice. Through 65 at-bats this year, Morabito is slashing .385/.500/.523/1.023. He’ll turn 21 next week, and if he keeps performing like this, he should be in Brooklyn soon.

Christopher Suero also hit in all five games he played in this week and holds a seven-game hitting streak. Against Daytona, Suero went 7-for-20 with four doubles and four RBIs. He also walked twice, struck out twice, and scored three runs. He now holds an impressive .918 OPS on the season.

Jonah Tong had yet another brilliant performance this week. Tong pitched six innings against the Tortugas, allowing just two hits and striking out nine. His outing kept his scoreless streak to the start the season alive at 18 2/3 innings. He has also allowed just 13 baserunners and struck out an astounding 36 batters. His next challenge at High-A awaits him.

Jack Wenninger also had a brilliant performance against Daytona, throwing six innings and allowing just one hit while striking out 10 batters. He made another appearance in the series, though it was much less successful. In 1 1/3 innings, he allowed four earned runs to score in what was a walk-off loss in Sunday’s game. His ERA is 4.19 on the year, but it was at 2.50 before his poor outing.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL) – .385

OPS – Ben Gamel (SYR) – 1.030

HR – Ben Gamel (SYR), Rylan Bannon (SYR), Luke Ritter (SYR), Trayce Thompson (SYR), Mark Vientos (SYR) – 5

SB – Omar De Los Santos (BRK) – 13

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA – Jonah Tong (STL) – 0.00

SO – Christian Scott (SYR), Jonah Tong (STL) – 36

WHIP – Jonah Tong (STL) – 0.64

Players of the Week

Offense – Matt Rudick, OF Binghamton

You could make the case for Nick Morabito here, but his lack of extra-base hits and RBIs limits him. Because of that, we’re going to go with Matt Rudick. An unlikely player of the week, Rudick entered this week with just a .499 OPS, but he raised it .260 points in just five games. Eight hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, three walks, and six runs in a five-game stretch is impressive for anybody, and especially so for Rudick.

Rudick will hope that this serves as a turning point in his season. Last year in Binghamton, Rudick had an .862 OPS in 61 games so he’s better than how he was performing to start the year.

In addition to Rudick and Morabito, Luisangel Acuña and Alex Ramírez are deserving of some love for their weeks. Acuña would love to turn his season around, while Ramírez would love to continue producing at the level he has been.

Pitching – Nolan McLean, P/DH Brooklyn

You could make the case for a number of pitchers here: Christian Scott, Dom Hamel, Tyler Stuart, Blade Tidwell, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong. They all pitched extremely well. But we’re going to go with McLean here because he made two separate appearances, each of which were scoreless. It’s important to note these appearances followed a brutal one last week in which he gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings.

With his two starts, McLean lowered his season ERA from 9.00 to 3.86. Even more impressive is his .174 average and .495 OPS against. He’s been extremely effective on the mound even with his one rough outing.

Upcoming Schedule – April 30-May 5

Triple-A Syracuse: @ Rochester

Double-A Binghamton: vs. Hartford

High-A Brookyln: vs. Aberdeen

Low-A St. Lucie: vs. Jupiter

The post Mets Minors Weekly Report: Pitching Dominates Across Organization appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (12-10) 1, Columbus Clippers (9-14) 9

BOX SCORE

• LF Ben Gamel 0-for-1, 3 BB, K (.918 OPS)
• DH Luke Ritter 0-for-4, 2 K (.830 OPS)
• 3B Mark Vientos 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (.917 OPS)
• 2B Luisangel Acuña 0-for 4, K (.560 OPS)

Syracuse only managed two hits on the day, though it did draw a whopping eight walks. Unfortunately, it could only turn that into one run, which came off a Taylor Kohlwey groundout.

• LHP Joey Lucchesi (2.42 ERA) 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K (61 of 94 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Jon Duplantier (9.00) 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB (14 of 29 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Eric Orze (5.59) 1 2/3 IP, 1 BB, 1 K (10 of 19 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Shintaro Fujinami (13.50) 1/3 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 H, 4 BB (11 of 29 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Grant Hartwig (4.70) 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K (19 of 33 pitches for strikes)

Lucchesi had a strong outing, but Fujinami was victimized by both poor control and an error by Acuña that left him with an ugly stat line. He has struggled all season for Syracuse, dealing with the same command issues that plagued him in the major leagues last year.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (8-9) 5, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (8-10) 2

BOX SCORE

• CF Matt Rudick 1-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI (6), K (.531 OPS)
• 2B Rowdey Jordan 1-for-4, 2 R, SB (2), K (.593 OPS)
• RF Alex Ramírez 3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, 2 SB (9), BB (.937 OPS)
• 1B JT Schwartz 0-for-2, 2 BB (.724 OPS)
• DH Kevin Parada 0-for-5, 2 K (.677 OPS)

The Rumble Ponies looked good on offense as they continued to thrive off the rebirth of Ramírez while Rudick hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning that put Binghamton up for good.

Jett Williams was missing from the lineup once again with no injury explanation.

• RHP Tyler Stuart (3.45) 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 12 K, (54 of 81 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Luis Moreno (6.75) 3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K (32 of 54 pitches for strikes)

Stuart is in the zone right now, building off his prior strong outing with one of his best starts as a professional. He struck out 12 batters on only 81 pitches while going six innings. Moreno would end up coming in to pitch the final three innings and got credit for the win despite first blowing the save.

High-A

Wilmington Blue Rocks (12-6) 1, Brooklyn Cyclones (9-9) 0

BOX SCORE

• DH Nolan McLean 0-for-3, BB (1.072 OPS)
• LF Stanley Consuegra 1-for-4, 2B, K (.690 OPS)
• 1B Nick Lorusso 0-for-4 (.877 OPS)

Brooklyn’s offense, after its recent scoring outburst, went missing today. They managed just four hits and one walk on the day while no Cyclone recorded more than one hit.

• LHP Felipe De La Cruz (3.06) 4 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K (56 of 84 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Victor Castaneda (4.15) 2 1/3 IP, 2 K (14 of 26 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Jordany Ventura (3.48) 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K (15 of 24 pitches for strikes)

The Cyclones had a great pitching day overall, with the only blemish being a run-scoring single in the fifth inning that would wind up marking the difference. Ventura has come out strong to start the season, striking out 15 batters in 10 1/3 innings.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (8-10) 0, Daytona Tortugas (10-8) 2

BOX SCORE

• 1B Christopher Suero 2-for-2, 2 BB 2 CS (4) (.937 OPS)
• C Ronald Hernandez 0-for-4, PO, K (.630 OPS)
• CF Nick Morabito 1-for-4 (.993 OPS)
• 3B Colin Houck 1-for-3, BB, K (.643 OPS)
• SS Jesus Baez 0-for-4 (.705 OPS)

St. Lucie’s offense was also missing in action today, managing five hits and four walks while getting caught stealing twice. When you are barely getting on base and trying to manufacture runs, getting thrown out is a less than ideal way to accomplish said goal.

• RHP Jonah Tong (0.00) 6 IP, 2 H, 9 K (58 of 84 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Austin Troesser (2.63) 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 K, 1 HR allowed (23 of 33 pitches for strikes)

Tong had an outstanding outing as he shares the spotlight with Stuart among Mets’ minor leaguers. He is currently striking out nearly 50% of the hitters he faces on the season. St. Lucie held strong despite scoring no runs until Troesser, who has been great this season, allowed a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth.

The post Tong, Stuart Turn In Dominant Performances appeared first on Metsmerized.

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (5-5) 3, Worcester Red Sox (4-6) 2

BOX SCORE

• 3B Mark Vientos: 1-for-3, R, HR (3), 2 RBIs (9), K (1.016 OPS)
• SS Luisangel Acuña: 1-for-4, R, 3B, 2 Ks (.444 OPS)
• 2B Jose Iglesias: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI (3), BB (1.009 OPS)

While the Syracuse offense only had four hits in the win, Vientos continued his strong start to the season on Wednesday when he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to open up the scoring.

Mark Vientos doing Mark Vientos things 💪
2-0 SMets pic.twitter.com/ulfrp5jAQW

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) April 10, 2024

Vientos drove in Acuña, who tripled to lead off the inning. The shortstop has at least one hit in four of the last five games, and he showed off his speed on the bases.

• RHP Christian Scott (1-0, 4.00 ERA): 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, BB, 10 K (57 of 83 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Nate Lavender (6.75): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K (12 of 17 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Grant Hartwig (6.00, 1st Save): 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, 2 K (16 of 24 pitches for strikes)

It’s only been two starts, but Scott has been dominant in his first taste of Triple-A baseball. He struck out 7 of the first 11 batters he faced. According to Baseball Savant, he got 12 swings and misses and threw his fastball in the zone 63% of the time. In his first two starts of the year, the 24-year-old right-hander has 19 strikeouts to 1 walk in nine innings of work.

Come for Christian Scott’s seventh K in three innings, stay for the cotton candy pic.twitter.com/gTKTp414Sx

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) April 10, 2024

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (2-3) 4, Erie SeaWolves (3-2) 3

BOX SCORE

• SS Jett Williams: 2-for-4, R, 2B, 3B, RBI (1), K (.733 OPS)
• LF Rhylan Thomas: 3-for-4, R, 2B, SB, RBI (1) (.873 OPS)
• DH Kevin Parada: 0-for-3, RBI (2), K (.744 OPS)
• CF Alex Ramirez: 0-for-3, RBI (3), 3 K (1.048 OPS)
• 1B JT Schwartz: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K (.679 OPS)

Williams was able to shine in the leadoff spot on Wednesday afternoon as his triple in the top of the fifth ended up breaking a 1-1 tie. That would be followed up by an RBI single from Thomas.

Parada’s sacrifice fly in the eighth ultimately scored the game-winning run for Binghamton. Thomas, the 23-year-old, had his first three-hit game of the year and his first since August 12, 2023, when he was with Brooklyn.

• RHP Tyler Stuart (5.79): 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 2 K (48 of 74 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Daniel Juarez (3.00): 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H (9 of 13 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Hunter Parsons (1-0, 0.00): 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 K, HBP (16 of 26 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Wilkin Ramos (0.00, 2nd save): 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K (9 of 11 pitches for strikes)

Stuart was unable to get out of the fifth inning and maintain the lead for the Rumble Ponies as he allowed nine hits (two extra-base hits). The nine hits allowed were the most he has surrendered in a start in his minor league career. The Binghamton bullpen did not allow a run over the final 4+ innings and combined for six strikeouts in the victory.

High-A

Asheville Tourists (3-2) 7, Brooklyn Cyclones (1-4) 3

BOX SCORE

• SS William Lugo: 1-for-4, RBI (3), BB, 3 K (.855 OPS)
• RF Omar De Los Santos: 1-for-5, R, RBI (1), 2 K (.464 OPS)
• 2B Junior Tilien: 2-for-4 (.594 OPS)
• C Drake Osborn: 2-for-3, R, BB, K (1.000 OPS)
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 0-for-2, 3 BB (.582 OPS)

The Cyclones had seven hits, but they did not record an extra-base hit, and their lineup combined to strike out 12 times in the loss. All three runs came in the bottom of the seventh due to RBI singles from De Los Santos and Lugo and a wild pitch.

Lugo has shown good discipline at the plate, with eight walks in the first five games of the year. Clifford also showed a good eye, with a three-walk game of his own (his fourth since 2023).

• RHP Nolan McLean (0.00): 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K, 2 HBP (36 of 56 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Victor Castaneda (0-1, 11.57): 2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB (22 of 38 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Ben Simon (6.75): 2.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 K, HBP (32 of 44 pitches for strikes)

Wednesday was McLean’s High-A debut, and the third-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft had his longest outing of his career in his third professional outing. Even though he hit two batters in the top of the third, he got himself out of trouble with a double play and a strikeout during the inning.

Final line for Nolan McLean in his season debut for the Brooklyn Cyclones:

3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

pic.twitter.com/a3ekxNoBFe

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) April 10, 2024

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (2-3) 4, Jupiter Hammerheads (2-3) 1

BOX SCORE

• C Christopher Suero: 2-for-4, R, 3B, 2 RBIs (3), K (.568 OPS)
• 2B Diego Mosquera: 2-for-4, 2 RBIs (2), BB (.900 OPS)
• 3B Jesus Baez: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB, K (.654 OPS)
• CF Nick Morabito: 1-for-3, R, BB (.867 OPS)
• SS Colin Houck: 0-for-5, 2 K (.536 OPS)

The St. Lucie offense was quiet for the bulk of Wednesday, but it came alive in the ninth with a four-run inning. Suero drove in the go-ahead runs on a two-run triple. Four batters later, Mosquera drove in two runs of his own with a base hit.

• RHP Kade Morris (0.00): 5 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K (47 of 65 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Jawilme Ramirez (0.00): 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, 3 K (21 of 32 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Alan Perdomo (1-0, 2.70): 1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 K (15 of 21 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Brett Banks (4.50, 1st save): 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, BB, K (19 of 28 pitches for strikes)

While Morris was unable to get the win, he was as efficient as can be on the mound. The 3rd-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft had a career-high four strikeouts in his third professional start. Banks was able to work out of trouble in the ninth to record the second save of his career.

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