Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
The New York Mets minor league season gets underway on Friday with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets traveling to Worcester, Massachusetts to play a three-game set. Mets fans eyes should be glued to the Syracuse games to start the season with Francisco Alvarez, Bretty Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos all on the roster creating a powerhouse top of the lineup.
There was some belief that at least one of Baty or Vientos would start the season in the minors, but the Mets decided to go with more experienced players in third baseman Eduardo Escobar and speedster Tim Locastro for the final bench spot. Those decisions give Syracuse four of the Mets’ top 10 prospects together in the same lineup.
Syracuse Opening Day Lineup
- Danny Mendick LF
- Francisco Álvarez C
- Brett Baty 3B
- Mark Vientos 1B
- Ronny Mauricio SS
- Jonathan Arauz – 2B
- Khalil Lee – RF
- Lorenzo Cedrola – CF
- Carlos Cortes – DH
This is probably the best lineup in the minor leagues and can probably be compared to a couple of the tanking lineups in the majors.
On the pitching side, right-hander Tylor Megill was scheduled to get the Opening Day start for Syracuse, though he will slot in Justin Verlander‘s (low-grade teres major strain) spot in the Mets’ rotation to start the season. Lefty Joey Lucchesi or Mets No. 15 prospect Jose Butto could slide into that spot. The Mets also recently signed veteran right-hander Dylan Bundy to a minor league deal and he will join the Syracuse rotation when ready. Right-hander Tony Dibrell, who was destined for the bullpen to start the season, will now get the Opening Day spot start.
The bullpen is a mixture of pitchers with big league experience and prospects yet to make their major league debut.
- RHP Jeff Brigham
- RHP Tony Dibrell
- RHP Grant Hartwig
- LHP T.J. McFarland
- LHP Zach Muckenhirn
- RHP Eric Orze
- RHP Bubby Rossman
- LHP Josh Walker
- RHP William Woods
- RHP Jimmy Yacabonis
Brigham is on the 40-man roster so he will likely get the first call-up. Hartwig, Orze, Woods, Yacabonis, and Muchenhirn all had some success in major league camp this spring.
You can read about the full roster here and we will have a game thread going up at 3 p.m. ET over at MetsMinors.net on Friday to follow the Syracuse Mets Opening Day game.
