MACK - MY Friday Observations - Mack's 10th Top Mets Prospect, How Bad For Mets?, Rob Manfred, Sandy Alcantara, Brandon Sproat, Mickey Mantle

 

We continue with my countdown of Mets prospects with…

 

#10 – 3B Jacob Reimer

Jacob Reimer, a 21-year-old third baseman and the Mets’ No. 17 prospect, was drafted in the fourth round in 2022 out of Yucaipa High School in California. He signed for an over-slot $1.5 million bonus. In 2025, Reimer has emerged as a standout in the Mets’ farm system, particularly at High-A Brooklyn, where he posted a .284/.384/.502 slash line with an .886 OPS, eight home runs, and 11 stolen bases in 61 games. His strong performance, including a 198 wRC+ (leading full-season minor leaguers with 100+ plate appearances), earned him a South Atlantic League Player of the Month nod in April. Reimer made history as the first Brooklyn Cyclone in nearly 20 years to hit three home runs in a single game on May 8, 2025.Recently promoted to Double-A Binghamton, Reimer has quickly adjusted, hitting .333 with a home run and five RBIs in his first four games, including a 367-foot homer on June 27, 2025. His improved power comes from better timing and rotational torque in his swing, while maintaining a strong batting eye (11.2% walk rate, 19.2% strikeout rate). Reimer primarily plays third base but has also seen time at first base and as a designated hitter. Despite a injury-plagued 2024 (hamstring strain limited him to 25 games), his 2025 breakout showcases his potential as a dynamic bat for the Mets.

Current AA-Binghamton stat line, as of 

How bad can it get for Mets?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6461477/2025/06/29/mets-struggles-pittsburgh-sweep-takeaways/

The Mets plan on using Blade Tidwell as a starter against the Milwaukee Brewers this week, with David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn and Frankie Montas comprising the rest of their rotation. Holmes is in his first year as a starter and needs to prove that he can withstand the increase in volume. Blackburn is a depth starter. Peterson is in a slump, battling his mechanics. Then there’s Montas, who simply didn’t have it on Sunday.

        Mack – what you are not reading here is that they have no plans on promoting either Nolan McLean or Jonah Tong to help them through this. The least they could do is consider Brandon Sproat, who is pitching kind of decently in Syracuse these days.

Rob Manfred has a plan

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6461725/2025/06/30/mlb-commissioner-rob-manfred-mlbpa-tour-lockout/

He rails against the lack of a deadline in free agency. He tells players their salaries should be growing faster. In fact, he says, they could be $2 billion-plus richer had they decided to equally split the game’s revenues with owners some 20-plus years ago. He suggests, however, MLB Players Association leadership doesn’t want to deliver change.

        Mack – so, the dude that currently makes $17,500,000 a year salary ( with bonus potentials to make $25,000,000) off these players wants them to believe he has their interest first in his heart…

        Boy, this is gonna be one long ass ugly strike which could result in the only way Trevor Bauer pitches a major league inning again.

Sandy Alcantara

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/miami-marlins-sandy-alcantara-still-crown-jewel-trade-deadline/

If only his most recent start on June 28 had gone better – he surrendered seven runs off 10 hits in six innings of work – his monthly totals would look far better.

All that to say, a 4.34 ERA, 3.47 WHIP and 1.14 WHIP in June is far more palatable for potential trade suitors to consider putting a package together for.

He might be turning a corner and, again, all while still being a former Cy Young winner with two more years of team control.

One key factor of those two additional years as well is that the second year in 2027 is a club option, so should things continue to go sour for Alcantara in a potential new home, there doesn’t have to be a guaranteed financial commitment for anything beyond 2026, should that new suitor simply want to part ways. That’s just another added incentive for a buyer.

That being said, seeing how things have not been altogether awful for Alcantara this season, paired with his respectable June performance, it’s hard to think a high-6.00 ERA arm is who he’ll be in the future.

A turning point for Brandon Sproat?

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

Sproat, a 24-year-old right-hander, delivered his best performance of the season on Saturday.

The importance of the outing goes beyond the final line, though it was quite strong: six innings, no runs, three walks, two hits and six strikeouts.

Sproat made a couple of key changes. His velocity on Saturday was his best in 2025. He threw as hard as 100.5 mph. His fastball averaged 97.9 mph (a lot of times, he sat around 96 mph). Sproat always carried big velocity. On Saturday, he pitched more aggressively. The added zip on the fastball opened up room for his secondary pitches to perform better. With two strikes, Sproat deployed his curveball one-third of the time, something he rarely did previously, especially against right-handed batters. In two-strike situations, he relied less on his fastball. The changes led to more success, particularly against left-handed batters.

This season, lefties own a .909 OPS against Sproat. Through 68 innings, all in Triple A, Sproat has a 5.43 ERA. Unlike last year, Sproat hasn’t dominated batters with his fastball. To some, the movement on the pitch had looked flat, especially before Saturday.

Last year, Sproat, who formerly pitched at the University of Florida, soared through the farm system. Now, he has hit a snag. In an alternative reality, Sproat might be helping the Mets by now. Instead, club officials are likely hoping his latest start serves as a turning point (as an aside, multiple evaluators gave Francisco Alvarez credit for the way he set up targets for Sproat).

Jim Koenigsberger                                  @Jimfrombaseball

"I had dinner with Mickey one night. It was in January in New York, and it was really cold. We were walking back to the Regency Hotel, where we both were staying, and I had noticed that Mickey Mantle had asked for a doggie  bag for his dinner in the restaurant--which was sort of strange.

Anyway, he asks me to take a walk with him. Now this wasn't the kind of night where you wanted to take a stroll, but I went along, over to Madison Avenue, where Mick knew this homeless guy who was in a cardboard box.

Mantle knocks on the cardboard and suddenly this guy pops up his head. He looks  frightened--and frightening--not knowing who's there, and suddenly when he sees us, the guy's face softens. He says, 'Oh, hi, Mick.'

And Mantle hands him his dinner.

It was clear to me he had done this many times before. Did it mean that Mickey Mantle was the greatest humanitarian in the world?  No, just that that was part of him, just as an hour later he could have been drunk in a bar and told some very nice autograph seeker to go f***  himself." Bob Costas