MACK - MY WEDNESDAY OBSERVATION - Brandon Sproat, Buck O'Neil, Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, Jonah Tong, Elian Pena, Osiris Calvo, DSL #10 Prospect, Power Rankings,

 

TJStats Top 100 Prospects - Thomas Nestico  @TJStats

8) Nolan McLean

The Good

One of the best breaking balls in MiLB in his sweeper headlines a deep arsenal. He has also taken massive strides in the command department this season, helping him quickly rise through the Mets system despite converting to a full-time starter mid-way through 2024.

The Bad

His fastball command has room for improvement and its shape will limit whiffs. His changeup is also a work in progress.

                     MLB Top 100 Prospects: September 2025

https://tjstats.ca/p/mlb-top-100-prospects-september-2025?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F96bf524e-8b5f-4268-b3dd-edf93ad3ee7b_5940x4469.png&open=false

75) Brandon Sproat - RHP - NYM

Previous Rank: 87 → New Rank: 75 (+12)

A hot 2nd half driven by a pitch usage overhaul made Sproat look more confident on the mound and led to a call-up to the Mets. The strikeout upside isn't as present in his profile, but he should continue to induce weak contact.

Baseball Hall of Famers Who Served During World War II

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/hall-of-famers-wwii.html

Buck O’Neil – US Navy

Buck O’Neil was an outstanding player in the Negro Leagues, finishing his career with a .288 batting average and two All-Star Game appearances. O’Neil’s impact on the game, however, didn’t end when his career did. The former Kansas City Monarch later became a scout and the the first African-American coach in Major League Baseball history.

The baseball legend spent two years in the service during WWII. He served in New Jersey with the Navy’s Stevedore Battalion, which focused on construction projects. O’Neil will be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Just Baseball                                      @JustBB_Media

Nolan McLean is the only pitcher in MLB HISTORY with an ERA below 1.20 and 40+ K’s in their first 6 career starts

The rookie has stepped up in an incredible way when the Mets needed it most.

Mets Prospect Group       @bkfan09         DSL TOP 10

10.          OF          Adolpho Miranda

18/yrs. old          6-2          190         RF/CF/LF

    2024 – DSL Blue:              20-AB, 0-HR, 0-RBI, .150/.190/.150/.340

       2025 – DSL – O:              169-AB, 5-HR, 29-RBI, .290/.353/.473/.826

  Only 32-K in 187-PA

Adolfo Miranda (full name: Adolfo Francisco Miranda) is an 18-year-old Cuban outfield prospect signed by the New York Mets as an international free agent.

Born on October 4, 2006, in Havana, Cuba, Miranda is a right-handed hitter and thrower, standing at 6'2" and weighing 190 pounds. He is considered an active, up-and-coming player in the Mets' farm system, though he is not yet among the organization's top-ranked prospects.

Physical Profile and Position

Position: Outfielder (primarily right field, with some experience as a left fielder and designated hitter).

Miranda's build suggests potential for athleticism and power development, common for young international signees in the outfield. He is still early in his professional career, focusing on refining his skills at the rookie level.

Signing and Professional Debut

Miranda signed with the Mets during the 2023-2024 international signing period, though exact bonus details are not publicly specified in available sources. As a Cuban prospect, he likely defected or was scouted through international channels before joining the organization. He made his professional debut in the 2024 Dominican Summer League season with the DSL Mets Orange, the Mets' primary rookie squad in the Dominican Republic.

The DSL is MLB's entry-level league for young international players, emphasizing development over competition. Miranda's assignment there aligns with typical progression for 17-18-year-old signees.

Performance and Statistics

As a rookie in 2024, Miranda appeared in limited action, showcasing flashes of potential but room for growth in plate discipline and consistency. Key stats from his debut season (via Baseball-Reference and MiLB data):

Highlights:

Miranda demonstrated speed on the bases with 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts (77% success rate), indicating good athleticism for an outfielder. He also showed plate discipline with an 11-walk total, though his strikeout rate (22%) suggests areas for improvement in swing decisions.

Defensively:

Limited data available, but as an outfielder, he has played both corners (left and right field). No advanced metrics like arm strength or range are detailed yet, but his size implies above-average potential.

Miranda is not yet a standout like other DSL Mets standouts (e.g., 2025 DSL Prospect of the Year Elian Peña, who hit .292 with 9 HRs), but his youth and physical tools mak, Power Rakine him a player to monitor for future promotions to stateside rookie leagues like the Florida Complex League (FCL).Prospect

Strengths:

Youth (turned 18 in October 2024), size for power potential, and base-stealing ability. Cuban prospects often develop quickly if they adapt to professional coaching.

Areas for Improvement:

Increasing power production (no home runs in 2024) and reducing strikeouts to boost his on-base percentage.

MLB Power Rankings

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6628768/2025/09/16/mlb-power-rankings-dodgers-cubs/

14. New York Mets (13.9)

Record: 77-73

Last Power Ranking: T-10

Worth watching: A potential trainwreck

The Mets are going to make the playoffs. Right? Their playoff odds have been pretty good all year, and for a while, they looked like one of the best teams in the entire sport. But things have been unraveling down the stretch, and suddenly, a forgone conclusion of October baseball isn’t to be taken for granted. The Reds, Giants and Diamondbacks are making a push, and the Mets need to get it together in the final weeks to hold them off. If you’re into a late-season collapse — or just not at all into the Mets — these next two weeks in Queens are worth monitoring.

 

How The Mets Built One Of The Most Productive Farm Systems In MLB

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/how-the-mets-built-one-of-the-most-productive-farm-systems-in-mlb/?s=03

The Mets felt good about the state of their minor league system in spring training, good enough that they felt they could be poised for a banner year on the farm in 2025.

“Anecdotally, one of the first signs of a good year was during spring training,” Mets farm director Andrew Christie said. “Our position players were giving us feedback that, once they started playing the other teams in Florida, they felt way more prepared because of how nasty our pitchers were.

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St. Lucie Mets                                   @stluciemets

Best of the best!

Congratulations to both Trace Willhoite and Wellington Aracena on being named to the 2025 Florida State League All-Star Team!

 

Jim Koenigsberger                          @Jimfrombaseball

"Babe Ruth never played a night game, he never hit against fireball relief pitching (relief pitchers in his day were worn-out old starters), he never travelled cross-country for a night game and played a game the next day, he never performed before millions of television viewers, he never had to run on artificial turf.

It is the changes in the game, the modern factors that have made the game more difficult, that bring Babe Ruth in here as number three, behind Mays and Aaron.

His feats were heroic.

So were theirs.

They simply did them under tougher conditions." Maury Allen, on why he ranked Babe Ruth #3, after Willy Mays #1 and Hank Aaron #2.

With Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel, Tom Seaver