Venezuela struck first in the top of the third. After McLean gave up a single to Salvador Perez and a walk to Ronald Acuna Jr., a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance into scoring position. Maikel Garcia then took advantage and hit a sacrifice fly to center field that drove in a run and made it a 1-0 lead for Venezuela.

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

McLean started the fifth for the United States and gave up a lead-off home run to Wilyer Abreu that extended Venezuela’s lead to 2-0 over the Americans.

His day ended at 4 2/3 innings as Brad Keller came on in relief. McLean finished the day with two earned runs on four hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Though he gave up a couple of runs, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online, the right-handed Mets prospect from North Carolina threw some of the fastest pitches of his career: 98.3 mph, 98.6 mph, 98.7 mph, 99.0 mph, and 99.2 mph. The fastest he threw in 2025 with the Mets was 98.4. McLean was fired up on Tuesday, and it showed in his pitch velocity.

On the other side of the mound, Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the United States. He threw 4 1/3, giving up just one hit, one walk, and striking out four to allow Venezuela to dominate the game.

Keller, Will Vest, and Griffin Jax kept the Venezuelan bats at bay and gave the United States a chance in the game through eight innings. After the bats were near silent through seven, the U.S. came back to tie in the bottom of the eighth.

After Bobby Witt Jr. walked, Bryce Harper came up and hit a long two-run home run to center field to tie the game 2-2, keeping the Americans’ hopes alive.

But then in the top of the ninth, Garrett Whitlock gave up his first run of the tournament to allow Venezuela to re-take the lead. After he walked Luis Arraez, Javier Sanoja replaced him on the base pads as a pinch runner and proceeded to steal second before Eugenio Suarez doubled to center field to score Sanoja and give Venezuela a 3-2 lead to immediately put the United States back behind.

The United States once again went flat in the bottom of the ninth and Venezuela went on to defeat the USA 3-2 and are the 2026 World Baseball Classic champions.

Tuesday’s victory marks the first time Venezuela has ever won the World Baseball Classic. This was the first year they made it into the finals and they came in and took advantage and now own the title of world champions for 2026.

The post Venezuela Upsets USA 3-2 for First World Baseball Classic Championship appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mar 11, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Dominican Republic left fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a two-run home run against Venezuela during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Friday’s games

Korea vs. Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami, 6:30 p.m. ET on FS2

Korea is the only team in the quarterfinals that lost twice, and it advanced by winning a three-way tiebreaker with Australia and Chinese Taipei. (Something seemed wrong to me at first about the runs allowed/outs recorded tiebreaker, but after some thought I like it.)

Korea is trying to make it to the semifinals for the first time since 2009, when it lost to Japan in the finals. It is facing a deep Dominican Republic team, looking for its second WBC title (2013, Robinson Canó was MVP).

Juan Soto is 5-for-15 with two home runs, four RBIs, five walks and a stolen base. He is one of five players on the team with two home runs (Junior Caminero, Oneil Cruz, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.). The DR outscored its opponents 41-10 while going 4-0 in pool play. Huascar Brazobán has thrown 2 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless ball. He’s struck out four (including Nicaragua’s Mark Vientos) and walked one.

USA vs. Canada at Daikin Park in Houston, 8 p.m. ET on FOX

Team USA survived a scare, and now Nolan McLean (a shaky outing vs. Italy) might get to pitch again. McLean, before the tournament, was named the starter should the Americans make it to the final. Clay Holmes (three scoreless innings, six strikeouts vs. Great Britain) is returning to the Mets.  Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge have hit two homers apiece.

The United States is trying to win its second WBC (2017, Marcus Stroman was MVP) and it will have to go through Canada and Marlins outfielder Owen Caissie (7-for-14, a home run, a 1.458 OPS). Jared Young is 1-for-5 with two strikeouts for Team Canada.

Saturday’s games

Puerto Rico vs. Italy at Daikin Park in Houston, 3 p.m. ET on FS1

Puerto Rico lost in this round in 2023 and in the finals in 2017 and 2013. In 2023, Edwin Díaz suffered a torn patellar tendon while celebrating a win over the Dominican Republic. He is back and has thrown two scoreless innings with five strikeouts and a save. Italy pulled off the upset of the tournament so far with its win over the United States. Vinnie Pasquantino became the first player to hit three homers in a WBC game against Mexico.

Mets prospect Nick Morabito, seeing action as a defensive replacement in the Team Italy outfield, is 0-for-1.

Venezuela vs. Japan at loanDepot park in Miami, 9 p.m. ET on FOX

Shohei Ohtani is 5-for-9 with two homers, a double and four walks for defending champion Japan, and Seiya Suzuki has a couple of homers as well. Japan has won three of the five Classics and advanced to the semifinals every time. This will be its first time playing Venezuela, which had its best showing when it advanced to the semifinals in 2009.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is 4-for-13 with a home run, a double, six walks, a tournament-leading eight runs scored and two stolen bases. Luis Arraez has two home runs and nine RBIs. RHP Carlos Guzman (3.12 ERA in 49 innings combined at Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton in 2025), got into one game, recorded two outs and gave up a hit and a walk.

The winners of Friday’s games will play Sunday in Miami, and the winners of Saturday’s games will play there on Monday. The championship game is Tuesday in Miami at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Predictions

Anything can happen in one baseball game. But I don’t like the vibes from Team USA. I think it survives Canada and loses to the immaculately-vibing DR in the semifinals. I’ll take Italy to keep its magic going, Venezuela in an upset over Japan and DR over Venezuela in the finals. Soto will edge Brazobán for MVP honors.

The post World Baseball Classic: Quarterfinals Preview appeared first on Metsmerized.

The potent offense may have to do a lot of heavy lifting because the pitching, already thin compared to some other WBC contenders, was dealt a serious blow when the Twins’ Pablo López suffered an elbow injury.

Notable Players

Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu form arguably the best all-around outfield in the tournament. The infield is loaded with MLB talent as well: Eugenio Suarez, Maikel Garcia, Gleyber Torres, Willson Contreras, Luis Arraez and Andres Gimenez. The catchers are Salvador Perez, 35, who is also the captain, and William Contreras.

But on the mound for starters, there is Ranger Suárez, and questions. Options include Eduardo Rodriguez (Diamondbacks) Keider Montero (Tigers), and a pair of Rockies, Antonio Senzatela and Germán Márquez, who combined to go 7-31 last season with ERAs of 6.65 and 6.70, respectively.

The bullpen, however, looks solid with Daniel Palencia, José Alvarado, Eduard Bazardo and Angel Zerpa. Ex-Met José Buttó (dealt to the Giants in the trade for Tyler Rogers at the 2025 deadline) is also there to provide relief. He’s made 15 career starts, so maybe he is an option to do that as well. The ‘pen also includes Carlos Guzman, a 27-year-old right-hander who pitched to a 2.95 ERA in 42 2/3 innings at Double-A Binghamton last season.

Notable Coaches

The manager is Astros bench coach Omar López, who was also at the helm for Team Venezuela in 2023. Johan Santana is one of his two pitching coaches. Miguel Cabrera is a hitting coach.

WBC History

Venezuela has competed in all six editions of the WBC, which started in 2006. Its best showing came in 2009, when a team that included the hitting coach Cabrera, Felix Hernandez, Francisco Rodriguez, Melvin Mora, Bobby Abreu and Endy Chavez advanced to the semifinals before losing to South Korea.

In 2023, Venezuela went 4-0 in pool play before dropping a 9-7 heartbreaker to the United States in the quarterfinals. Trea Turner hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning.

Pool

Venezuela is in Pool D with the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands and Nicaragua. Its first game is against the Netherlands on March 6 at loanDepot Park in Miami. Each team plays everyone in their pool once, and the top two teams move on to the quarterfinals. Tiebreakers, starting with head-to-head, will be used if necessary.

It would be an upset if Venezuela and the Dominican Republic don’t advance. The Netherlands is considered the third-best team in the pool.

For a ranking of all 20 teams by MMO’s Robert Colonna, click here.

The post WBC Team Preview: Venezuela appeared first on Metsmerized.

Via MLB/Team USA

We’re getting into crunch time in the World Baseball Classic and we have a mouthwatering game to look forward to on Saturday. Team USA will take on Team Venezuela with a place in the semifinals at stake.

While the WBC has come under fire this week in light of the Edwin Díaz injury news, the tournament has still delivered plenty of thrilling moments and that will only continue the deeper we get in.

Saturday’s marquee showdown will feature some important Mets connections, too. Pete Alonso will be hoping to help Team USA continue their march to hopefully defending their crowd. Meanwhile, Eduardo Escobar will be looking to help Venezuela remain unbeaten and move a step closer to ultimate glory. Escobar hit a home run in Venezuela’s victory over Israel on Wednesday.

Team USA finished second in Pool C (3-1) after losing to Mexico but beating Great Britain, Canada and Columbia. Team Venezuela, on the other hand, went a perfect 4-0 in what was a juggernaut of a Pool D, beating the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and Israel.

Before we look ahead to Saturday’s contest a little more, however, there was some WBC action on Friday as Mexico met Puerto Rico in quarterfinal 4.

Puerto Rico 4-5 Mexico

In what was one of the best and most electrifying games yet of the World Baseball Classic, it was Mexico who came out on top in an absolute thriller.

It was Puerto Rico, though, who came out swinging. Showing no impact in the wake of the devastating injury to Díaz just days before, Javier Báez and Eddie Rosario hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning. However, Mexico got back into the game thanks to Isaac Paredes, who hit an absolute 412 feet moonshot off former Met Marcus Stroman.

.@LuisUrias03 gives Team Mexico the lead in the 7th! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/MCmvjvvewg

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2023

Francisco Lindor and the rest of the Puerto Rico lineup was stifled by excellent pitching, while Mexico continued to get clutch hits at the plate. Paredes hit a game-tying, two run single to left field, before Luis Urías followed that up with a go-ahead single to put his country in the driving seat. Randy Arozarena then made a superb leaping catch at the warning track to rob Emmanuel Rivera in the eighth inning.

While Lindor and Puerto Rico will now head home, Mexico will begin preparing to take on a powerhouse Japan team in the semifinals on Monday.

USA vs. Venezuela, 7:00 P.M. EST

This is a matchup between two heavyweights with a lot of talent. Team USA boasts a lot of star power up and down their lineup and they have been powered by Mike Trout. The Angels superstar has been thriving on the big stage, going 3-for-4 and driving in all of Team USA’s runs during their win over Columbia on Wednesday. Trout is slashing .417/588/.833 in his first four WBC games.

Venezuela are unbeaten heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal, and they have been playing really impressive baseball from the very start of the tournament. They too have a lot of talent in their ranks, including veteran catcher Salvador Perez who was named the Pool D MVP after going 5-for-10 at the plate in his first three games. Perez drove in five runs and hit a homer and three doubles while slashing .500/.545/.1.100 during that stretch.

Neither Alonso nor Escobar are in the lineup for their respective countries.

Chicago White Sox righty Lance Lynn will get the start for Team USA, while Texas Rangers lefty Martín Pérez will go for Team Venezuela.

The winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal will go on to meet Cuba in the first semifinal on Sunday night.

Saturday’s quarterfinal between Team USA and Team Venezuela will be broadcast live on FOX.

The post WBC Game Thread: USA, Venezuela Set For QF Showdown appeared first on Metsmerized.

Nolan Arenado. Photo via USA Today

Both USA and Puerto Rico are set to play their second games of the World Baseball Classic.

In game one for the United States, they defeated Great Britain 6-2. Adam Wainwright was credited with the win, and the USA was led by Kyle Schwarber and his two-run home run offensively.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico defeated Nicaragua 9-1 on Saturday. Marcus Stroman picked up the win, and Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor had a two-hit, one RBI game.

Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico, 7:00 PM EST

Team Puerto Rico will look to start their tournament with a 2-0 record in Pool D. Lindor and former Mets’ infielder Javier Báez will have to contend with former Marlins’ starter Pablo López on the mound. Puerto Rico will turn to Jose Berrios.

Offensively, Venezuela (1-0) is led by Ronald Acuña Jr., Jose Altuve, and Luis Arráez. Current Mets’ third baseman Eduardo Escobar will bat ninth for the team.

The game will broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

USA vs. Mexico, 10:00 PM EST

USA will contend with a Mexico (0-1) team that lost to Columbia in extra innings on Saturday.

Nick Martinez is expected to get the start for USA. They will once again lead on a prolific offense led by Mike Trout Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado, among others. In the first game, Jeff McNeil was hitless and Pete Alonso did not start.

As for Mexico, they will turn to Patrick Sandoval. Offensively, Mexico is led by Randy Arozarena, Joey Menses, and Isaac Paredes. Catcher Austin Barnes contributed a two-hit performance on Saturday as well.

The game will broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

The post WBC Game Thread: USA, Puerto Rico Ready For Game Two appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com talks about the excitement for Eduardo Escobar to be able to play for Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic tournament.

The Mets played an exhibition game to Team Venezuela on Thursday and lost 6-4. Metsmerized’s own Jack Ramsey was there and covered the game. Check out his game story here.

WBC Scores

Japan 8, China 1

Italy 6, Cuba 3

• Matt Harvey: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
• Yoenis Céspedes: 0-for-4

Czech Republic 8, China 5

Cuba 13, Panama 4

• Ruben Tejada 1-for-3, 2 RBI

Latest Mets News

Mets manager Buck Showalter spoke with Adam Jones on the Adam Jones Podcast on Thursday.

Tim Healey of Newsday Sports talks about two changes Drew Smith made during the offseason: his pitching delivery and his diet.

Matt Harvey pitched three scoreless innings in Italy’s 6-3, 10-inning win over Cuba on Thursday morning. Per USA Today, Harvey said the game on his outing: “You know, I know my grandfather is part of the reason I’m able to be here. He’s getting older, and I know he was up this morning to watch it and it’s just special to be able to play for him.”

Latest MLB News 

Per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the New York Yankees are eventually expected to have a uniform sponsorship patch, but according to the New York Post, it won’t be before opening day.

Christina De Nicola of MLB.com talks about how after the World Baseball Classic, Ty Kelly plans to go to Triple-A as a coach.

According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, Carlos Rodon has a mild forearm strain and will not throw for seven to 10 days, per Brian Cashman.

Nabil Crismatt will get the ball in Team Colombia’s opening World Baseball Classic game on Saturday. He spoke with AJ Cassavell of MLB.com about what it means to him to pitch for his country, but especially to be the first to get the ball in the tournament.

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday that Hunter Greene will get the ball on opening day for the Reds.

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, free-agent first baseman Yuli Gurriel is in agreement on a contract with the Miami Marlins.

Latest on MMO

Rivka Boord discusses Baseball’s Savants stats on catchers and which Mets catcher’s defense should keep that player’s playing time up.

Michael Mayer recaps Matt Harvey’s scoreless three-inning start in Team Italy’s win on Thursday.

Dan Quinones recaps Max Scherzer’s outing on Wednesday against Team Nicaragua.

Christian De Block previews Pool B of the upcoming 2023 World Baseball Classic that officially starts this weekend.

Jack Ramsey discusses Jose Butto’s struggle in his first start since the rotation spot opened.

Colby Morris talks about Bryce Montes de Oca impressing during the spring for Mets Minors.

On this Date in Mets History

1962: The 1962 New York Mets made their spring training debut. They lost the game 8-0 to the Cardinals under Casey Steng.

Birthdays: John Cangelosi (60), Mike Birkbeck (62), Wayne Twitchell (75), Ken MacKenzie (89) 

The post Morning Briefing: Eduardo Escobar Proud To Represent Team Venezuela appeared first on Metsmerized.

Bryce Montes de Oca, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Thursday’s friendly matchup between the Mets and the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic team started with a bang and ended with a 6-4 win for the national team at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie.

On playing for his country’s team, Mets third baseman and Team Venezuela member Eduardo Escobar said that wearing his country’s uniform is “very important for me, because you want to compete with the best players from the best countries.” He said he misses his teammates and being in Mets camp, but “every game is like a Game 7. World Series Game 7” when you have the chance to play for and represent your home country.

Once action got underway in Port St. Lucie, the Venezuelan team put up three runs in the first, thanks in part to a leadoff first pitch tank from Jose Altuve. The Mets and José Butto wound up allowing three first-inning runs, putting the Mets in an almost immediate hole that they would never fully come back from.

Altuve led off the second inning the exact same way, giving the national team a 4-0 lead with only three outs recorded. The Venezuelan team was teeing off on fellow countryman Butto, who was making his first start since a spot in the Mets’ rotation opened up due to Jose Quintana’s injury last week.

Butto was unable to impress to the tune of five earned runs and four walks. After Butto’s departure, the Mets were able to rally and get some runs on the board. Following Butto and Nolan Clenney came Drew Smith, who threw a scoreless inning in the only frame he worked. Next came a trio of relievers who impressed for the Mets on Thursday: Stephen Nogosek, Bryce Montes de Oca, and Grant Hartwig.

Nogosek did not allow a run over two innings, but loaded the bases in his first frame before escaping the jam. In four innings of work this spring, Nogosek has put five runners on, but has escaped every outing unscathed and still has his 0.00 ERA in tact. Nogosek had a duck on every lilypad on the proverbial pond in the fifth inning, but got out of the jam by inducing a Gleyber Torres popup. His second frame went much easier, in which he set the side down in order.

Replacing him was Bryce Montes de Oca, who continued his incredibly impressive spring. De Oca set Andrés Giménez down on what ended up being a 101 mph fastball, a speed he marked three times in his outing.

101 mph with 21 inches of horizontal break from Bryce Montes de Oca to strike out one of the AL’s best players in 2022.

pic.twitter.com/uit3kLAFE4

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 9, 2023

De Oca, much like Nogosek, still has a 0.00 ERA for the spring. Now three innings in, de Oca has hit the three-figure mark in each outing, and has sat down six of the nine outs he’s recorded with the strikeout. The ability to hit triple-digits with insane movement is not something that is common in baseball, and his freakish ability makes him an incredibly attractive option for the Mets’ bullpen this year.

The last of the trio for the Mets was Grant Hartwig, one of the greatest stories in the Mets’ system this year. Speaking to him before the game, Hartwig mentioned that his increase in velocity is from “training smart, training better, and having more freedom in training.” Hartwig went on to dominate in his outing, setting his Venezuelan counterparts down 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts.

Hartwig topped out at 97, sitting in the 94-96 range while also working in a cutter that he said he had been working on to go along with the slider and change.

Hartwig mentioned that going to 11 pitches in his first at-bat wasn’t in the script of his ideal outing, but he “felt good overall” and was pleased with how his day went. Hartwig, as humble as he is dominant, said he doesn’t have specific goals of reaching the bigs in 2023, or view not cracking the New York team as a failure. After a 2022 that saw him play for every full-season affiliate the Mets have, he is just ready to get back to playing and see what the new season brings for him. If that moment comes calling, he’ll be ready for his chance.

Grant Hartwig says the jump in velo is from
1) Help from the Mets
2) Being shortened up to a reliever
3) Being an adrenaline based pitcher
He didn’t say that making the bigs is his goal for 2023, but if his moment comes, he’ll be ready for it.

— ramsey (@jwr082OO2) March 9, 2023

Talking to a few other arms in Mets camp this year, that seems to be the consensus: whatever happens, it happens. But if that moment arises, you best believe they’ll be ready.

The post Young Mets Relievers Shine In 6-4 Loss To Team Venezuela appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Thursday, March 9, 2023 • 1:10 PM
Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, Florida
LHP  Enmanuel De Jesus (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP José Butto (0-0, 4.91)
SNY

For the second straight day, the Mets will take on a World Baseball Classic team getting ready for this weekend’s opening games. This time the Mets will take on a much stronger Venezuelan squad.

The good news for the Mets yesterday is the pitching looked strong. Max Scherzer looked good outside of a homer he gave up. Besides that, he struck out nine batters in three innings. Nine batters. Three innings. Pretty great. After him, Eric Orze, Sam Coonrod, Jeff Brigham, T.J. McFarland, Jimmy Yacabonis and Josh Walker all tossed scoreless innings. The problem for the Mets yesterday was their hitting – Mauricio recorded the only hit for the Mets.

Venezuela had a much more exciting game yesterday, beating the Astros 9-8. Escobar pinch-hit and played third yesterday earning two walks in both trips to the plate. Omar Narváez recorded a hit and a walk in his two trips to the plate.

Mets Lineup

The Mets lineup versus Team Venezuela today. #LGM pic.twitter.com/KU1urJa9C1

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) March 9, 2023

Venezuela Lineup

Team Venezuela lineup vs the Mets today:

José Altuve DH
Ronald Acuña Jr. CF
Eduardo Escobar 3B
Eugenio Suárez 1B
Gleyber Torres 2B
Omar Narváez C
Anthony Santander RF
Luis Rengifo LF
Andrés Giménez SS

Enmanuel De Jesús P

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 9, 2023

Game Notes

Scheduled pitchers for today are Jose Butto, Bryce Montes de Oca, and Grant Hartwig.

Our own Jack Ramsey is covering the game today, make sure to give him a follow on Twitter.

Three Things To Watch For

1. José Butto: Butto will be pitching in his third game this spring. In his first outing, he allowed one run from two walks, no hits over 1 2/3 innings. In his second outing, he allowed one run from two hits in two innings. Overall he struck out seven batters over 3 2/3 innings. The Mets already have had their starting pitching depth tested early with an injury to Quintana – that makes every start Butto make so much more important as he rises up the depth chart.
2. You Look Familiar: Eduardo Escobar and Omar Narváez, are both on the roster for Venezuela. They are joined by former Mets Robinson Chirinos and Andrés Giménez. Since being traded from the Mets, Giménez has blossomed into a star. That trade may go down in history as an example with both teams coming out as winners.
3. What are the Rules? I love the World Baseball Classic. One valid criticism is the rollout of the rules for major league baseball and the WBC. The WBC is not using the pitch clock and the new bases. This means players in major league camp are going from new rules, to old rules and back to new rules. This applies to the exhibition games as well. Luckily for everyone in Mets camp, this issue will pass after today.

Let’s Go Mets!

The post MMO Game Thread: Venezuela vs Mets, 1:10 PM appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar was playing in the Venezuelan Winter League on Tuesday night as rumors started to swirl that the Mets had interest in star shortstop Carlos Correa to play third base. Ultimately, Correa ended up signing a 13-year, $350 deal to become the face of the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, Escobar was playing his third game for the Tigres de Aragua, his first time playing in winter ball action since 2016.

• DH Eduardo Escobar 2-f0r-4, RBI, 2 R, .333/.429/.500

Escobar had two doubles on the night and knocked in his first run of the season. The 33-year-old is serving as the DH, so it looks like he’s looking to get in a few extra at-bats after missing a little time during the 2022 season with the Mets.

Eduardo Escobar went 2-for-4 with two doubles, RBI, and two runs scored last night in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Escobar has a .929 OPS in three games. pic.twitter.com/ZfGodEZ1XI

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) December 14, 2022

The veteran third baseman had 26 doubles, 20 home runs, and 69 RBIs with the Mets and slashes .240/.295/.435 with a 106 OPS+. Escobar struggled in the first half of the season to the tune of a .676 OPS despite hitting for the cycle against the Padres in early June. After spending time on the injured list with an oblique strain, Escobar came back in late August and was one of the best hitters in baseball to finish out the season. In the last 34 games of the regular season, Escobar hit .317/.376/.575 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs.

Escobar is under contract for one more season with the Mets and there’s also a $9 million team option for the 2024 season.

There were no games in the Dominican Winter League on Tuesday night meaning Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio and his league-leading .831 OPS were not in action for the Tigres del Licey.

The post Eduardo Escobar Playing Winter Ball in Venezuela appeared first on Metsmerized.

Matthew Allan/Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

The Mets announced Saturday that the team has added RHP Matthew Allan and C Francisco Alvarez to the Club Player Pool. Both players will report to the Brooklyn site and put the 60-man pool at capacity.

Allan and Alvarez, who both made their professional debuts in 2019, easily become the top prospects at the Alternate Site. They are currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization’s fifth and second-best minor leaguers, respectively.

Allan, a first-round talent who slipped to the Mets in the third round of last year’s draft due to signability concerns, kicked off his career with 10.1 innings split between the GCL Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones, joining the latter for their playoff push.

The 6’3″ right-hander owns a potentially plus fastball and curveball with the breaker inducing one of the best spin rates in the organization. He generally sits in the low-to-mid 90s but has crept up to 97-98 mph in shorter stints.

Allan would have opened the 2020 minor league season with Low-A Columbia.

Alvarez, 18, spent his debut season in the GCL and with Kingsport. After receiving a near-$3 million bonus out of Venezuela, he hit .312/.407/.510 in 42 games.

As a catcher with only rookie-level experience, Alvarez’ career could go down a million different paths over the next three-to-four years. For now, he has a strong arm and good motions behind the plate and good raw power for his age.

Alvarez could have made the jump to Columbia this season but likely would have spent time in extended spring training before heading to Brooklyn.

Saturday’s additions are notable for a couple of reasons, including the fact that the Mets had seemed to be against adding their top prospects to the Pool.

And with the group now at its maximum, any further additions would require a removal, which can only be done by risking the outright loss of that player (waivers, trade, release).

“This team is built to win,” General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said at the beginning of Summer Camp. “Our intention is to have players in camp that we think are capable of helping us at the major league level this year.”

Adding Allan and Alvarez also makes them eligible to be traded immediately before the Aug. 31 deadline.

Non-60-man players can be traded but must be included as a player to be named later and cannot join his new organization until after the season.

With in-person scouting outlawed at each team’s Alternate Site for safety reasons, MLB is in the process of creating a video and data sharing system that teams can opt into. Getting updated metrics and film on two of their top prospects could allow the Mets to make a move if they are so inclined.

Whether they are traded or not, the hands-on instruction that Allan and Alvarez will receive in Brooklyn is not comparable to anything they could be doing at home.

The post Mets Add Top Prospects Allan, Alvarez To Player Pool appeared first on Metsmerized.