Syracuse is now the lone affiliate whose season is still ongoing, and they have just one week remaining. It’s been a struggle for the Mets, who lost their most recent series and now own the worst record in the International League East over the second half of the season.

Nolan McLean. Photo by Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets lost their penultimate series of the season, dropping five of seven games to the Worcester Red Sox. Syracuse’s two wins, however, were utterly dominant as they won 11-0 on Friday before topping that with a 19-3 victory Saturday. With six games remaining, the Syracuse Mets are 28-41 in the second half and 74-69 overall.

José Azocar led the Mets with seven hits in the seven-game series, going 7-for-23—all singles. Still, he scored five runs and drove in three while walking once and stealing two bases. In his brief tenure with Syracuse, Azocar owns a .300 batting average but a .677 OPS. In total, he has a .721 OPS in Triple-A this year.

Yolmer Sánchez followed Azocar with six hits, going 6-for-20 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Sánchez also scored five runs, drove in six, walked three times, and stole a base. Sánchez owns a .720 OPS in 106 games for Syracuse this year.

Carlos Cortes did not hit much, going 4-for-23 in the series, but two of his hits were home runs which led the team. Cortes now has an .806 OPS on the year, and he has been red hot lately. Six of his 15 total home runs have come in the last 14 games, and he owns a .930 OPS in that time span.

Blade Tidwell pitched well in the final game, going five scoreless innings, but not before he allowed six runs in four innings earlier in the series. That gave him a 6.00 ERA for the week, which actually lowered his Triple-A ERA to 6.15.

Dom Hamel also had an outing of five scoreless innings, striking out four in the effort. Hamel has actually been worse than Tidwell this year, still owning an abysmal 6.92 ERA.

Jonathan Pintaro shined in his Triple-A debut, throwing four scoreless innings and striking out six. Between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A this year, Pintaro owns a 2.68 ERA in 17 appearances.

Eric Orze, Max Kranick, and Matt Gage each tossed three scoreless innings, with Orze striking out seven and looking the most impressive out of the group. Orze now possesses a 2.95 Triple-A ERA, while Kranick owns a 3.60 ERA and Gage owns a 3.86 ERA in Syracuse.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies finished their season with a series win over the Portland Sea Dogs, taking four of the six games in the series. That means Binghamton ends the year with a 34-35 second-half record, finishing 69-67 overall. The team did not make the postseason after contending for the Eastern League championship a year ago.

Ryan Clifford had a phenomenal week to end his season, going 7-for-23 with five walks, three doubles, two homers, and eight RBIs. It’s been an up-and-down year for Clifford, but he’s been mostly magnificent since his promotion to Binghamton. He ends the year with 18 home runs, 58 RBIs, and an .815 OPS in 98 games with the Rumble Ponies.

Kevin Parada also had a great final week of what was an otherwise disappointing season. The former first-rounder went 6-for-18 with a team-leading three home runs for the week. Parada ends the year with a .663 OPS, but an .837 OPS in his final 12 games.

Jeremiah Jackson finished his year with a solid series, going 7-for-23 with two doubles and a home run. Despite ending the year with a team-leading 19 home runs and 61 RBIs, Jackson was not a very strong hitter, owning a .618 OPS with 123 strikeouts to 23 walks.

Nolan McLean was fantastic in his final start of the year on his way to earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors. He tossed six scoreless innings and struck out six in his effort, lowering his Double-A ERA to 4.19. McLean looked increasingly better as the season went on, earning a 2.35 ERA in his final six starts.

Luis Moreno also looked great, too, tossing eight innings across two starts and giving up just one unearned run. Moreno struck out seven and lowered his season ERA to 4.27.

Jordany Ventura, TJ Shook, and Joshua Cornielly all shined out of the bullpen. Ventura tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings while Shook and Cornielly both threw three scoreless innings. Shook’s outings were especially impressive, as he allowed just one hit and struck out six. Ventura finishes the season with a 0.00 ERA in five Binghamton appearances and a 2.96 ERA overall. Shook finishes 2024 with a 3.92 ERA and Cornielly with a 1.13 ERA as Rumble Ponies.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

(Among Qualified Players)

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – .312

OPS – Luke Ritter (SYR) – .867

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 26

SB – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – 59

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK/BNG) – 3.03

SO – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK/BNG) – 160

WHIP – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG/SYR) – 1.08

Players of the Week

Offense – Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF Binghamton

As soon as Ryan Clifford was promoted to the Binghamton Mets, he automatically became the best offensive player on the team. Clifford’s eye discipline and power will be the reason he becomes a major leaguer sooner than later, and he demonstrated both of those abilities with ease this past week. Still just 21 years old, the sky is the limit for Clifford in 2025.

Pitching – Nolan McLean, P Binghamton

Nolan McLean has taken massive strides since he started to focus solely on pitching. He struggled earlier in the year when he was first promoted, but McLean ends the season on the highest of notes with six scoreless innings. McLean is 23 years old and should figure to be an important pitching prospect for the Mets in 2025.

Upcoming Schedule – September 17-22

Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Charlotte

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Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

With spring training games in full swing, a few standout performers emerged for the Mets last week.

Ronny Mauricio, one of the team’s top prospects, picked up right where he left off from winter ball while David Peterson earned his first start and turned in a pair of strong outings for New York.

Hitter of the Week

Ronny Mauricio turned heads last week with a pair of home runs to go with four RBIs and a slash line of .400/.455/.1.100 across seven games and 10 at-bats.

Mauricio’s first homer of the week came against the Cardinals on Feb. 27. He blasted an 81 MPH changeup from Tommy Parsons 413 feet to right center, recording an exit velocity of 108.6 MPH in the process. His second homer came on Mar. 1 against the Marlins, as he crushed a 93.9 MPH four-seam fastball from Sean Reynolds 413 feet out to center field.

Mauricio also recorded a walk against the Astros on Feb. 28, a double against the Nationals on Mar. 3 and a single against the Marlins on Mar. 4 to account for his total production on the week.

Mauricio’s recent string of performances is a welcome development for the Mets. If he continues to mash the ball and improve his plate discipline, perhaps it could signal that he is ready for meaningful big-league action sooner rather than later.

Pitcher of the Week

David Peterson got the short end of the stick this offseason, being tentatively removed from the rotation following the additions of Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and José Quintana. However, he should still factor in down the road after a strong 2022 season and he has created additional buzz for himself during spring training.

Peterson’s first appearance of the week came in a two-inning start against the Cardinals on Feb. 27. He pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, mixing in five different pitches while touching 94.4 MPH with his four-seam fastball. His next outing in relief of Verlander five days later against the Marlins, as he once again completed two scoreless innings in spite of his control issues rearing its ugly head with two walks.

Peterson appears ticketed for Triple-A Syracuse to open the season, but he has shown his worth in the past as a valuable and versatile chess piece for the Mets either in the rotation or out of the bullpen. With reports that the team is likely to use a six-man rotation at points in 2023, his potential role could be of major importance, and he has succeeded in his audition for it thus far.

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Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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Credit: USA Today

As the calendar turns to December on Thursday, there still hasn’t been a run on free agents like we saw pre-lockout in 2021. Discussions and rumors have returned to their normal slog this winter with expectations they will ramp up ahead of next week’s Winter Meetings.

However, the Mets will make initial moves beforehand with free agent starter Carlos Rodón, according to SNY‘s Andy Martino.

The Mets will reportedly meet with Rodón and his camp via Zoom on Tuesday, Joel Sherman reported. The soon-to-be-30-year-old is the top left-handed starter on the market this offseason and one of the top overall behind Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander.

Rodón opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants this offseason after just one year with the team. It was his best year as a pro. He tossed 178 innings, accumulated 6.2 WAR with a 2.88 ERA (2.25 FIP), 33.4% strikeout rate and just a 7.3% walk rate. It was also his healthiest year in MLB, spending just the final weekend on the injured list when feeling “under the weather.”

Pitching of all sorts–starting and relief–is a vital need for the Mets. Though they are remain the likeliest team for deGrom (per multiple reports), the team is also expected to pursue Verlander, Kodai Senga, and now Rodón. (Multiple ESPN insiders predicted Rodón would ultimately end up with the Mets with deGrom leaving.) Other teams including the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins reportedly have interest in Rodón, too.

Check out our free agent profile of Carlos Rodón.

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According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the New York Mets, “spoke with Verlander by Zoom last week.” This via “major-league sources.” Of course, starting pitchers Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker are all currently free agents. Verlander appears to be the Mets’ fallback plan if deGrom were to move on.

Verlander, who is 39 years old, and will turn 40 in February, posted a sensational season last year. He won his third-career Cy Young award by tallying a league-leading 1.75 ERA. He also owned a 18-4 record with 185 strikeouts over only 175 innings pitched. The no-brainer, hall-of-fame bound pitcher arguably had one of the best seasons of his 17-year career.

As for the type of contract he will command, Verlander is reportedly seeking a deal that would be in the range of Max Scherzer‘s $43.3-million per year contract. This, of course, over multiple seasons. Which is very troublesome given the right-handed starter is about to turn 40 years old.

Regression is a given, and even the best of the best, like Verlander, will experience it at some point. When it arrives, it usually comes on quick. With that being said, do the Mets really want to have $85-million plus tied up in two pitches close to their 40s? Is that a smart investment if deGrom moves on? Time will tell.

Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The report by Rosenthal also mentions the Mets meeting with Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga and contacting free agent starter Jameson Taillon.

Taillon had a rebirth of such last season with the Yankees. He posted a 14-5 record with a 3.91 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 171 1/3 innings. This after not pitching in 2020 and posting a 4.30 ERA in 2021. His underlying metrics throughout his career has painted a picture of a good third/fourth starter. Specifically last season, as he posted an xERA of 4.20 and xFIP of 3.79. Both not too shabby figures for a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

MLB Trade Rumors projects a four-year, $56-million deal for the 31 year old. This average annual figure comes in at $14-million per season, which is around what a third-or-fourth starter would make. A figure that likely places him between Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker, which is fitting given the levels of each of those pitchers.

It will certainly be interesting to see how general manager Billy Eppler and the New York Mets address their starting rotation. At the reported price, Taillon would certainly make a decent later-rotation starter. Meanwhile, a lateral decision to sign Verlander, if the team loses on on deGrom, would put the team in an interesting situation.

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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no way to spin it as a good week for the Mets following them getting swept by the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. Still, Jeff McNeil and Drew Smith proved their value to the team by showing up when the Mets needed to absolutely win games.

Hitter of the Week

Jeff McNeil continued his tear in September, batting .524/.546/.667 over the last seven days with a home run, two runs batted in and zero strikeouts in 22 plate appearances.

McNeil has been the Mets most consistent hitter throughout the season. Against the Braves this weekend, McNeil went 7-for-13.

He’s currently in the midst of a tight race for the National League and Major League batting title. He sits barely behind Freddie Freeman in average (.327 vs. .326).

This award could’ve gone to Eduardo Escobar who on Wednesday single-handedly dragged the Mets to a win over Miami with a five RBI performance but McNeil’s consistency and terrorizing of Atlanta pitching during the largest series of the year gives him the nod.

Pitcher of the Week

Typically this goes to a Mets pitcher who had an impeccable performance. If the Mets were able to win a game against Atlanta it likely would’ve gone to one of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, or Chris Bassitt. But the entire starting rotation crumbled this week.

Drew Smith, who has worked his way back from injury, made four appearances last week, pitching clean sheets in all of them.

He pitched a clean inning on Sunday in Oakland, earned the win against Miami on Wednesday, and got the outs he needed to against Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday.

Smith likely had the best relief outing of the season on Wednesday. He entered in the 10th inning against the Marlins and didn’t allow the runner on second to score, striking out two of the three batters he faced. That allowed the Mets to walk the game off in the bottom of the inning and enter the weekend with a lead in the National League East standings.

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Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets remained consistent in their play last week, taking two-of-three from the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland A’s.

On the trip out west, the offense, led by Pete Alonso, put up 40 runs across six games (really five, because they were shut out Wednesday). The pitching held relatively strong, too, despite a rare off day from Jacob deGrom.

Let’s dig into the top players of the week for the Mets on offense and on the mound.

Hitter of the Week

Pete Alonso capped off a monster week on Sunday with a 4-for-5 day at the plate, during which he crushed a 451-foot home run and two doubles. He knocked in five RBI, giving him 128 on the season. Those 128 RBIs (and counting) are the all-time single-season record for RBIs by a Mets player. He leaped Mike Piazza‘s and David Wright‘s 124 RBIs in the feat.

Before that, though, Alonso spread three home runs and nine RBIs across the remaining five games, giving the Mets’ offense a solid boost while on the road. Alonso had a frustrating start to September, but he’s heating up just as the most important games of the season are being played.

Alonso shared MLB’s NL Player of the Week honor with Albert Pujols this week. Pujols crushed his 699th and 700th career home runs in back-to-back at-bats on Friday.

Pitcher of the Week

Max Scherzer, like Alonso, had himself a helluva week.

Returning from a brief stint on the injured list (with oblique tightness), Scherzer tossed six perfect innings against the Brewers on Monday. He was removed from the game, under no protest, after 68 pitches. It’s the longest perfect start by a Mets pitcher in team history.

After the game, he acknowledged the most important thing to him and the team is being healthy and available for the postseason, and it was part of his rehab process to limit the number of pitches in his first start back.

His next time out, on Sunday against the A’s, Scherzer went another six innings, this time allowing just one run on a Seth Brown home run. He increased his pitch count to 91 with no ill effects afterward, meaning he should be good to throw as many pitches as needed against the Braves in his next outing.

He ended the week with a total of 12 innings under his belt, allowing one run on four hits and one walk to go along with 16 strikeouts. Scherzer also earned the 200th win of his career on Monday.

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Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was named National League Co-Player of the Week with Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols for the week starting Sept. 19.

Alonso hit .333/407/.917 with four home runs and 13 RBI in six games.

During the week, Alonso surpassed Mets legends David Wright and Mike Piazza for the franchise RBI record of 124. Alonso is currently tied with the Yankees Aaron Judge for the MLB lead with 128 runs batted in.

It’s the second time in his career Alonso has been named the player of the week and the first time since his rookie season in 2019. He shares the honor with Pujols this week for hit his 699 and 700th career home runs on Friday.

Following a slow August, Alonso has turned it back on for the Mets stretch run. In September he’s hitting .264/.356/.586 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs.

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Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Despite starting last week off rough and getting swept by the Cubs at home in the first half of the week, the Mets rebounded back to sweep the Pirates in a four game series that put them in a position to possibly clinch a playoff spot on Monday or within the week.

The Mets offense was quiet against the Cubs, but looked strong against the Pirates, striking for 23 runs against the Pirates over the course of the four-game series.

Following their sweep of the Pirates, the Mets hold on to a one-game lead over their NL East foe Atlanta Braves in the race for the division title.

Hitter of the Week

Daniel Vogelbach had a stand-out series against the Pirates at the plate. After going 0-5 against the Cubs with two walks, Vogelbach was 5-for-8 against the Pirates with five walks and a home run. He drove in six RBI’s during the series and also had two runs scored.

The highlight of the week and series against the Pirates was on Thursday when he went 2-for-2 with three RBI’s, including two in the first inning on a 2-RBI double to right field that scored Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso to put the Mets on top of the Pirates early. His third RBI of the game came in the bottom of the third on an RBI single to right field that once again scored McNeil to give the Mets a 5-1 lead. They went on to defeat the Pirates 7-1 in that game.

So far this season, Vogelbach is batting .235/.359/.431, with a .791 OPS. Through the last seven games he batting .389/.560, with a .611 slugging percentage.

Pitcher of the Week

In a week with a few standout pitchers, including Jacob deGrom’s 13-strikeout performance on Sunday, the pitcher who really stood out to the Metsmerized staff this week was Joely Rodriguez out of the bullpen.

Rodriguez threw five innings over the course of last week and was perfect. He did not allow a single baserunner in five innings and struck out nine along the way.

Overall for the month of September, Rodriguez has thrown seven and one-third inning, giving up just two earned runs on four hits, two walks, and has struck out 12. He has a 0.82 WHIP in September.

Over the full course of the 2022 season, Rodriguez is 1-4 with a 4.73 ERA. He has struck out 55 over the course of 45 2/3 innings pitched.

Rodriguez is having a productive year coming out of the bullpen and has been part of the success the Mets have been able to have.

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