Paul Articulates – Arizona Fall League finishes up

The thirty game short season for the Arizona Fall League has concluded, and the outcome for the Glendale Desert Dogs (who had nine Mets prospects) was somewhat short of successful.  They finished sixth in a six team league where the top four make the playoffs.  Since there was a tie for fourth, a one game playoff will determine the other participant, meaning everyone except the 12-18 Dogs got into a playoff game.

Now, before you exclaim, “Ugh, that’s so Metsy!” let’s put this in perspective.  This is a developmental league that gives rising young players an opportunity to get in some more competitive reps.  There are no “World Champion” gem-studded rings given out after a winner is crowned.

So, you ask, “How did the nine Mets develop?”  Avoiding a direct answer like the best of our politicians, I’ll just say, “They got their reps”.  Here’s the hard facts:

Position players:

Rowdey Jordan hit .255/.367/.373 with a .740 OPS.  He stole only one base and was caught stealing twice.  He did this over 51 at-bats in 15 games, mostly at third base with some time in the OF.

JT Schwartz hit .247/.325/.411 with a .736 OPS in 73 at-bats over 20 games.  Schwartz started very well, but suffered a slump over the last few weeks of the season that dropped his average from the .280s to the .230s before a late recovery.  He split time at first base with the power hitting Aaron Sabato from the Twins organization.  JT also was third on the team with 13 RBI.

D’Andre Smith hit .235/.291/.353 with a .644 OPS in 51 at-bats over 15 games.  He was third best on the team with a 25% K/AB ratio.

Kevin Parada chalked it up to a learning experience.  His .186/.240/.371 slash line says there is work to do.  He struck out at a 41% rate, so clearly he was not seeing the ball like we would expect.

Both Schwartz and Parada played in the fall stars game, which was an all-star game of sorts hosted by the Arizona Fall League.  Schwartz impressed defensively in the game with  a lay-out catch of a foul ball.

Pitchers:

Trey McLoughlin and Nolan Clenney had a very solid fall in the AFL.  Both saw action in nine games and proved to be very stingy with the opposition with McLoughlin posting a 0.00 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP and Clenny posting a 1.00 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP.

Tyler Thomas saw action in 8 games with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

Jordan Geber threw some quality starts, but had a couple rough outings as well which drove a 6.00 ERA over 5 starts and 18 innings.

Brendan Hardy saw limited action, pitching to a 6.35 ERA in 5 2/3 innings.

Overall, our Mets prospects got in some good work to close out the 2023 season, but none really stood out in the AFL, where there were a full 15 players sporting an OPS above .900 and eleven batting above .300.  We saw some early flashes with the bat from JT Schwartz but that faded late, and Kevin Parada struggled with contact which made his power numbers suffer.  I was pleased to see Nolan Clenney bounce back with a strong fall and some heads will turn over Trey McLoughlin’s stats.

We now turn our attention to the 50-game Dominican Winter League, which began in late October and is currently in full swing with a finale 

scheduled for December 22nd.  The DWL, also known for its Hispanic acronym LIDOM, will feature many of the recently-adopted MLB rules such as the pitch clock, the larger bases, and the pitchcom devices.  This will condition the players for use of the MLB rules, which will be important for their development.  Note that right now (Nov 10-12) there is a three-game exhibition series being played at Citi Field in New York between LIDOM teams Águilas Cibaeñas and Tigres del Licey (featuring Ronny Mauricio).

See our link in the sidebar for all the LIDOM action.