IN FOCUS: Mack's #11 Mets Prospect - Clay Holmes, Kevin Pillar, Phil Rizzuto, Nolan McLean, Sandy Alcantara, Merrill Kelly, Free Agent Bats, OAA Leaders

 We continue with my countdown of Mets prospects with… 

#11 – C/LF/1B Chris Suero 

Chris Suero is a 21-year-old New York Mets prospect, born on January 27, 2004, in the Dominican Republic, and raised in the Bronx, New York. A versatile athlete, Suero primarily plays catcher but also logs time at first base and left field, showcasing his athleticism and positional flexibility. Signed by the Mets for a modest $10,000, he has emerged as a legitimate prospect, ranked No. 20 in the Mets’ farm system.

 Position and Skills: Suero is noted for his uncommon speed and pull power for a catcher, with average-to-above-average arm strength. His defensive skills need refinement, particularly in receiving and blocking as a catcher, with a 23% caught-stealing rate (13-for-57) this season. His speed, rare for a catcher, has led to 21 stolen bases in 2025, the most among Minor League catchers, and he’s played 107 innings in left field this year.

2025 Performance: Playing for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones

Current stat line as of 6-30:

209-AB, 11-HR, 46-RBI, 24-SB, 34-BB, .258/.396/.474/.870

Batting Profile: A left-handed hitter, Suero has a strong eye at the plate, drawing walks to offset a high strikeout rate and low batting average. His swing can miss fastballs, but he possesses “mistake power,” capable of capitalizing on pitchers’ errors. 

Early Life: Raised in the Sedgwick Houses in the Bronx, Suero moved to the Dominican Republic at 15 to train at the Academia Carlos Paulino, leveraging his Dominican heritage. This move helped him gain attention as a prospect despite limited initial interest from MLB teams. Suero faced adversity, including the loss of his sister in a car accident two years ago, which forced him to mature quickly. Mets coaches praise his leadership traits. 

His athletic profile draws comparisons to Blue Jays slugger Daulton Varsho, highlighting his potential as a multi-positional player.

 Suero’s versatility, speed, and power make him a candidate for a multi-positional bench role in the majors, potentially as a backup catcher with outfield and pinch-running utility. His development hinges on improving his defensive consistency and hit tool as he faces tougher pitching in higher minor league levels. While not a top-tier prospect like Francisco Alvarez, Suero’s unique skill set and New York roots make him an intriguing name to watch in the Mets’ system

I might be conservative here listing him only the 11th top prospect. Suero seems to be breaking out this season and projecting himself easily into the person that could wear the mask in CitiField. 

Current ERA:  finish 2026 at Syracuse... be ready OD 2027.

Pitch Profiler                             @pitchprofiler

A decent outing from Clay Holmes seemed to have slipped away from the Mets in the later innings

Outfielder Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement After 13 Seasons

Kevin Pillar is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played 13 seasons across 10 teams, most notably the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants. As shown in the sports card above, he finished his career with a .255 batting average, 1,053 hits, 114 home runs, 469 RBIs, and 533 runs scored. Known for his defensive prowess, he led all major league outfielders in putouts in 2015, earning the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for center field, and won the Fielding Bible Award in 2016. His .997 fielding percentage in 2017 was the best in the American League. Pillar was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 32nd round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Cal State Dominguez Hills, where he set an NCAA Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak in 2010. In the minors, he batted .324 through 2016 and was named the 2012 Midwest League MVP. His standout MLB moments include a 2015 season with a .278 average and 25 stolen bases, and a 2019 season with the Giants where he hit 21 home runs and earned the Willie Mac Award for inspiration. He was also known for highlight-reel catches, like robbing home runs, earning the nickname "Superman."In 2025, Pillar played 20 games for the Texas Rangers, batting .209 with 3 stolen bases, before being released in May. He announced his retirement in July 2025 on the "Foul Territory" podcast. Off the field, Pillar is married with two children, established a foundation to help Jewish students in Israel, and was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2018

Jim Koenigsberger                                  @Jimfrombaseball

"I got a letter threatening me. It said if I showed up to play against the Red Sox I'd be shot. I turned letter over to the FBI and Casey Stengel. You know what Casey did?

Casey gave me a different uniform and gave mine to Billy Martin. I guess Casey thought it'd be better if Billy got shot."

Phil Rizzuto

Mack - mentioned this before... Phil went to my high school... Richmond Hill HS, in Richmond Hill, NY... and was a drop-out.

Nolan McLean’s next steps

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6464300/2025/07/01/mets-pitching-prospects-mclean-sproat-tong/

McLean is a candidate to join the Mets at some point this season, people with knowledge of the situation said. Aside from roster implications (neither Sproat, McLean nor Tong resides on the 40-man roster, and none of them need protection from the Rule 5 draft), a possible promotion for McLean depends on his performance and readiness. Generally, in such situations involving players with a similar roster status, clubs want to feel doubly sure before making such a move. Formerly a two-way player, this is McLean’s second full season as a starting pitcher; he was a reliever at Oklahoma State.

A top priority for McLean is improving against left-handed batters (.726 OPS against them, .453 OPS against right-handed batters). Recently, the 23-year-old right-hander has made some improvements in that area.

McLean’s sweeper profiles as an elite pitch. But McLean’s arsenal mostly moves east-to-west, which is usually susceptible to opposite-handed batters. Still, his curveball and changeup — two relatively fresh pitches for him — are developing well. In a recent start, McLean racked up a handful of strikeouts against left-handed batters using his curveball.

While trying to be more platoon-neutral, McLean is still producing an impressive season. After a promotion earlier this season to Triple A, he has a 2.72 ERA (49 2/3 innings) with 45 strikeouts and 22 walks.

Trade Targets

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6467560/2025/07/02/mlb-trade-deadline-predictions-alcantara-naylor/  

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins

Alcantara was the player mentioned the most overall — by far. That was fascinating to me because he’s 4-8 with a 6.98 ERA and I doubt the Marlins would get the requisite value for him if they traded him now. Instead, they could wait until the offseason to cash-in, perhaps after he’s had a strong August and September. However, several execs pointed to the fact that he pitched better in June and seems to be healthy and getting closer to top form.

Here’s how one GM put it: Max Fried and Corbin Burnes each got more than $200 million in free agency, yet an acquiring team would get Alcantara for three postseasons at a much lower cost. So it makes sense for some teams to try to trade for an ace now, as it would be a lot less expensive than trying to sign a starter like Dylan Cease or Michael King in free agency this winter.

Alcantara, 29, is in his first season since Tommy John surgery, and after a poor start, has allowed three runs or less in four of his past five outings. He is making $17.3 million this year, will make the same next year and has a $21 million team option for 2027.

The Marlins will have to get a significant prospect package in return to trade him now, because if they don’t get the right offer or if Alcantara falters, they can always wait until the offseason or the 2026 trade deadline. Most execs believe he will be moved at this deadline though.

Trade Targets

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6467560/2025/07/02/mlb-trade-deadline-predictions-alcantara-naylor/   

Merrill Kelly, RHP, Diamondbacks

Kelly, 36, is an impending free agent who grew up in Arizona and would prefer to finish his career as a Diamondback. However, as one GM told me, the D-Backs can trade him at the deadline as a rental and then re-sign him in the offseason. That would allow Arizona to improve its farm system with a solid prospect or two as the return. Kelly is 7-4 this year with a 3.49 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 17 starts. He’s struck out 100 in 98 innings. His 2025 salary is just $7 million.

MLB trade deadline Urgency Index 2.0: Who needs what the most?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6464783/2025/07/02/mlb-trade-deadline-urgency-index-2/

BATS      -              New York Mets

The day we published our first Urgency Index, the Mets’ playoff odds were a season-best 96.2 percent (according to FanGraphs), and you could argue that the club had no legitimate needs at the time. Well, New York has been popping leaks across the roster in the time since, and few teams with championship aspirations have ever looked as bad in a single series as the Mets did over the weekend in getting outscored by the Pirates, 30-4.

Even so, we’d trust the Mets’ current offense more so than the other four teams appearing on this list. The thing is, we don’t much trust their pitching staff considering the freefall it’s experiencing, and so the offense has to win on its own more often moving forward. And as presently constituted, New York’s lineup simply hasn’t been as deep as expected, due to regression by Mark Vientos at third base and Francisco Alvarez at catcher. Even if the Mets think those two can contribute more in the second half, there’s room to add another infielder and perhaps a center fielder.

Thomas Nestico                                        @TJStats

Outs Above Average Leaders - Third Baseman

 

Outs Above Average Leaders – Shortstop