Vasil Headlines Nine Mets Prospects Headed to AFL

With the Arizona Fall League set to kick off in just a few weeks, the rosters for the six teams in the league were released on Friday. The Arizona Fall League offers minor leaguers an opportunity to get extra reps right at the start of their offseason and can prove to be especially valuable for players who missed time during the regular season due to injury.

Nine prospects in the New York Mets system made it onto the roster of the Peoria Javelinas, and Binghamton Rumble Ponies manager Reid Brignac will manage the team. Among that crop of players is one of the organization’s premier pitching prospects, as well as a few pitchers with a shot at making the major league roster in the immediate future.

Perhaps the most exciting Mets prospect to make the roster is Mike Vasil, the team’s eight-round pick in the 2021 draft. Vasil made 17 starts and one relief appearance across three levels in the organization during the 2022 season, recording a 3.53 ERA in 71 1/3 innings. He stumbled a bit with Brooklyn and spent almost two months on the shelf, so this will be a much-needed chance for the highly-touted 22-year-old to make up for that lost development time. Vasil is ranked as the Mets’ No. 13 prospect on MMO’s most recent list.

Grant Hartwig had an impressive season across three levels, pitching to the tune of a 1.84 ERA in 37 appearances with St. Lucie, Brooklyn, and Binghamton. He struck out 79 batters in just 53 2/3 innings, and he seemed to improve as his level of competition got better. Hartwig went undrafted out of Miami University (OH) and only just completed his second professional season, but his current trajectory would suggest the 24-year-old could get the call to the majors as early as the 2023 season.

Christian Scott is another pitcher with just two professional seasons under his belt, but the 2021 fifth-round pick has shown flashes of brilliance when he has been able to take the mound. Scott posted a 4.45 ERA in 18 appearances with St. Lucie and Brooklyn this past season. His strikeout rate went down a bit after his Brooklyn call-up, but he still managed to strike out 77 batters in 58 2/3 innings. He was used predominantly as a starter in Brooklyn, and as long as he can stay healthy, he will likely stay in the rotation as he progresses through the organization. Scott is ranked No. 23 on MMO’s Top 30.

The remaining prospects that will feature in the Arizona Fall League this year are right-handed pitchers Franklin Sanchez and Troy Miller (taxi squad), utilityman Kevin Kendall, infielder Luke Ritter, and outfielders Brandon McIlwain and Stanley Consuegra (taxi squad).

Consuegra earned an early-season call-up after a strong start to the year with St. Lucie (.251/.324/.431 with eight homers and eight steals in 66 games), but his numbers dipped with Brooklyn. Consuegra is listed No. 17 on MMO’s updated Mets prospect list.

It was a similar story for McIlwain, who posted a .861 OPS in 48 games with Brooklyn but just a .636 OPS in 48 games with Binghamton.

Sanchez had a 3.79 ERA this season and touches 100 mph with his fastball. Miller missed the entire 2022 season as he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery. Kendall missed most of the year with a wrist injury but put up a .872 OPS with St. Lucie in 2021. Ritter just had a big moment for Syracuse with a walk-off double on Thursday but has just a .680 OPS this year.

The Arizona Fall League will start on Monday, October 3, with the regular season running to early November and the championship game being played on November 12. The league will implement the major rule changes approved for the 2023 major-league season, including a pitch clock, shift restrictions, and bigger bases. The league will also give managers three challenges to be used on ball-strike calls, with an automatic strike zone determining the correct call.