Every year we keep an eye on the Arizona Fall League (AFL). It is a developmental league that features invitation-only prospects from all the major league baseball teams. The league has six teams, each of which are made up of players from the development systems of five MLB teams.
It is an honor to be selected, because there are only a few roster spots and there are many players in each development system. The reasons for selection vary – sometimes a team determines that a player needs some specific work, sometimes they want to see how a player stacks up against tough competition, other times it is part of the progression to a more impactful role. But whatever the reason, if you are selected, you will be playing in a very competitive environment. Your opportunity should not be wasted.
This year the Mets, along with the Tigers, Pirates, Giants, and Blue Jays filled the roster for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The Mets players that were invited were:
Pitcher Jonathan Pintaro – a first year player at the age of 27, he pitched at three different levels in 2024: High A Brooklyn, AA Binghamton, and AAA Syracuse. Pintaro was a star pitcher at Division II Shorter University in Rome, Georgia, winning National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-America First Team honors in 2021. Undrafted from there, he played in the MLB draft league and independent ball until being discovered and signed by the Mets in June 2024. Since then his rise has been rapid, and the Mets wanted to take a longer look at him by assigning him to Scottsdale.
Pitcher Jawilme Ramirez – Signed in 2021 as an international free agent, Ramirez has pitched since May 2022. This year he pitched primarily with Brooklyn (A+) but was called up to AAA Syracuse at the end of the season and then selected for the AFL to continue pitching against tougher competition.
Infielder Jacob Reimer – Jacob was selected by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft and chose to forego his college career with the University of Washington to play for the Mets. He has played first base and third base as well as some DH in three leagues – the Florida Coast League (FCL), Low A St. Lucie, and High A Brooklyn.
Infielder Jett Williams – Williams is one of the Mets’ top prospects, rising quickly through the organization since being drafted with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 draft (Mets #1). This year he was hurt in April and sat out most of the season with a wrist injury. He only played 26 games, so the Mets assigned him to the AFL team to get some at-bats to continue his progression.
Outfielder Drew Gilbert – Drew was one of two touted prospects in the Houston Astros organization that were traded in August 2023 to the Mets for Justin Verlander. He immediately had an impact with the AA Binghamton Mets as they surged into an Eastern League Championship round series. This year Drew also spent quite a bit of time on the injured list and was assigned to the AFL team to get some at-bats to continue his progression.
With that introduction, the most pressing question is, “How did they do?” In a few words, not so well.
The Scorpions finished the AFL season with a modest 16-14 record, although they surged at the end to win 8 of their last 10 games. Our Mets position prospects treaded water around the Mendoza line, with all three in the .200 to .225 range. They showed some aptitude in getting on base, and Williams distinguished himself on base by swiping 7 bags in 22 games. Here are their slash lines:
Williams: .225/.376/.388
Gilbert: .208/.380/.403
Reimer: .208/.371/.358
Jett Williams was selected to the AFL all-star team roster as the starting shortstop and leadoff batter where he was 0-2 with a walk and a run scored for the NL team.
The Mets pitchers fared a little better, with both garnering wins for the Scorpions.
Pintaro: 1-0 record, 3.48 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .237 average against in 10.1 innings pitched over 4 games. He recorded 10 strikeouts and had 6 walks and a hit batsman.
Ramirez: 2-0 record, 4.40 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .300 average against in 8 innings over 8 games. He recorded 10 strikeouts and had only one walk and a hit batsman.
Overall, our position prospects did not stand out in the AFL. The Scorpions as a team slashed .285/.390/.473. The pitchers outperformed the Scorpion team ERA of 4.85 and 1.46 WHIP, though neither was named to the all-star team.
Although it would have been fun to write about Mets’ prospects dominating this Elite league, their average performance does not set off any alarm bells, as the purpose of any development ball is to evaluate player skills and improve them. The Mets will consider this work in progress and continue to use their development system and the tools available to optimize player performance.
Curious if Pintaro will get a cup of coffee stint in majors
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Jawilme Ramirez had good command and perhaps. 300 avg against sucks but at least is more about him throwing more strikes for development. I still want him to become a 1 inning pitcher
Ernest, the system is so depleted of pitchers, it has to be very favorable for Pintaro make the Mets at some point in 2025. He added a few pitches, and had a very solid year.
ReplyDeleteIt was surprising how little Jawilme, Pintaro and the other three Mets pitchers (Garcia, Hall, and Ross) threw. Just 39 of the team's 256 innings (15%); the other 4 organizations comprising Scottsdale averaged 21% of the innings.
Dylan Ross, drafted by the Mets in 2023, pitched briefly and did not pitch well, but I think, due to injury, he only had one pro inning prior to the AFL. Talk about a challenging assignment for him! Those are tough hitters to face with basically no pro experience.
John, nice summary.
ReplyDeleteThe 3 hitters got on base well, but their low averages in a hitters' league definitely was a disappointment. But it should make them sharper for spring training 2025.