MACK - The Latest Top Lowest ERAs – Jhoangel Marquez, Bryce Jenkins, Alvaro Carrillo

 

Period -       6/16-6/29

 

Jhoangel Marquez/DSL Blue   -   0.62-WHIP, 3-IP, 5-K, 0-BB, 0-R, 0.00-ERA

Jhoangel Marquez (full name: Jhoangel Gabriel Marquez) is a 19-year-old right-handed pitching prospect (born April 26, 2007, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela) in the New York Mets organization.

He signed with the Mets as an international free agent in mid-January 2026 on a minor-league contract and was assigned to the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Mets Blue on May 29, 2026. As of now, he has no professional stats recorded

Height/Weight: 5'9", 175 lbs

B/T: Right/Right

He is a low-profile, recently signed international arm.

Outlook

Marquez is in the very early stages of his development. The DSL is a developmental league where young signees focus on innings, pitch execution, and physical growth. If he shows velocity, strike-throwing, and swing-and-miss stuff, he could climb quickly through the lower minors (like many Mets international arms).Keep an eye on Mets prospect lists or DSL recaps later in 2026 for early performance notes. He's a name to monitor as a high-upside, low-floor international project rather than an immediate impact guy.

 

Bryce Jenkins/Brooklyn   -   1.15-WHIP, 44.1-IP, 6-K, 3-BB, 0-R, 0.00-ERA

Bryce Jenkins is a right-handed pitching prospect in the New York Mets organization (born April 3, 2001, in Knoxville, TN; 5'11", 175 lbs; bats/throws R/R).

He was drafted by the Mets in the 17th round (516th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee after transferring from Cleveland State Community College. He signed for a $180,000 bonus.

 

milb.com +1

 

Background and Career PathCollege: Limited innings at Tennessee in 2023 (high strikeout rate in relief), but stood out more in the Cape Cod League. The Mets were drawn to his high-spin breaking ball.

Pro Debut (2023): Brief appearances in the FCL and Single-A St. Lucie before Tommy John surgery ended his season and wiped out most of 2024–early 2025.

Post-Surgery (2025–2026): Rehab and limited innings in the FCL/St. Lucie in 2025. In 2026, he has pitched in relief for High-A Brooklyn Cyclones (South Atlantic League), posting strong results (e.g., low-1s ERA over ~19 IP with good strikeouts and low hits allowed).

He is a relief pitcher working to build innings and consistency after the injury.

Fastball(s):     Pre-injury, he used a sinker and four-seamer, both averaging ~92 mph. Post-surgery, velocity has ticked up (topped out at 95.4 mph in 2025). He throws from a three-quarters slot with repeatable mechanics.

Breaking Balls: Signature is a high-spin slider (pre-injury up to ~3020 rpm, routinely 2900+; post-TJ around 2770 rpm in Fall League but used more frequently). He also throws another distinct breaker (previously a curve/slider mix). Post-TJ work emphasizes separating the two breakers by shape/speed to avoid blending.

Other: Earlier in his career (JUCO/earlier college), he had a curveball and changeup, but he has mostly focused on fastball + breakers in pro ball (especially in relief).

Overall Style: Compact, athletic delivery with effort. Emphasis post-TJ on refining the new slider, fastball life/command, and overall pitchability in relief outings. Control has been a work in progress (higher walk rates at times), but he has shown the ability to miss bats.

Jenkins is still developing after significant time lost to injury. His 2026 performance in High-A is a positive step, showing improved effectiveness with strike-throwing and swing-and-miss stuff. For the latest updates, check MiLB.com or MLB Pipeline prospect coverage.

 Alvaro Carrillo/DSL Orange   -   1.67-WHIP, 3-IP, 3-K, 3-BB, 0-R. 0.00-ERA

Alvaro Carrillo is a young right-handed pitching prospect in the New York Mets organization (born April 5, 2005, in Palo Negro, Venezuela; 6'4", 175 lbs, throws right). He signed as an international free agent in July 2024 and has pitched primarily in the Dominican Summer League (DSL Mets Orange).

Stats Overview      2024 (DSL): 7 G (0 GS), 1-0, 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP, 8 K, 9 BB, 1.50 WHIP (limited relief work).

2025 (DSL): 14 G (4 GS), 3-1, 4.96 ERA, 32.2 IP, 33 K, 36 BB, 1.74 WHIP (mix of starts and relief).

Career Minors (through early 2026): 22 G (4 GS), 4-1, 4.25 ERA, 42.1 IP, 42 K, 1.68 WHIP.

He is a projectable, lanky pitcher with some strikeout ability but control issues (high walk rate). As of 2026, he has seen very limited action (1 IP). He remains a low-level prospect without widespread rankings or extensive scouting reports available publicly.

Alvaro is still early in his development.

Tom Brennan: New Favorite Minor League Guy; Criticism Where Criticism is Due

 

HEY!! I SEE SOME GOOD THINGS WITH THIS GOMEZ GUY

When I look at hitters that are relatively new to the scene, I am interested in the tools.

 * Can they hit for average? 

 * Can they get on base? 

 * Do they have any power? 

 * Can they run?

 * Are strikeout levels good, or scary?

The defensive part very early on is hard to estimate. So leave that out for now.

I am distinctly unimpressed with any DSL stats, especially this early in the season, because the pitching in the DSL is simply barely professional, simply on the number of walks allowed. So, I am not looking there.

 So who is my favorite new-name, low Minors guy?

Vladi Gomez.

A 20 year old 5’11” lefty hitting, righty throwing OF/2B/3B, his FCL Mets slash line through the first 35 games this year, .341/.458/.482.  NICE.

20 steals in 23 tries, in just 109 plate appearances. And just 21 Ks. Power? Too early to discern from the stats. 

He will take a walk (14) or get HBP (6) to boost that OBP.

He has stolen 81 of 92 in his early pro career, nice.

He has been hit by pitch an amazing 32 times in 633 pro PAs. 

Somewhere, no doubt, MLB’s premiere pin cushion, Ron Hunt is smiling. 

Brett “I Don’t Like Pain” Baty, the “proud owner” of just 9 HBPs in 1286 MLB plate appearances, most likely thinks Gomez is nuts.

But Gomez GETS ON BASE. 

Baty’s career OBP is .295.

Nimmo, a clearly superior version of Brett Baty, has not been bashful. 

HBP 93 times in 4692 PAs. His career OBP, in part due to that, is .362.

Anyway, back to Gomez. Let’s keep it up there, Vladi. 

How about a promotion to St Lucie soon? 

He started out there well for 6 games in April (.391 OBP), so he certainly looks ready for bigger challenges.

Before I leave the Vladi scene, the Mets signed Vladi Guerrero (related to you know who) in 2024. 

He was a DSL bust, and is out of baseball already, having not yet quite turned 20.

His last season in 2025, he was up 99 times. HBP? Zero. 

Telling stat, to me, that HBP %.

CRITICISM WHERE CRITICISM IS DUE

“The Mets Suck” non-fiction book has oh, so many chapters.

Bo Bichette, tho’, deserves a reprieve. 

He was a sizzling .346/.361/.590 thru June 23.

But in June, thru June 23 (I wrote this a few days ago, so I did not update these miserable numbers):

Vientos is .194/.231/.387

Semien is .186/.260/.386.

Baty is .167/.262/.185.

Ultra pathetic. A whole lot of Pepto Abysmal from those three.

If those three jackanapes could do something amazing in June like hit .240, the Mets might actually win a few.

They might even actually NOT suck.

Also, thru June 23, Mets starters have the 4th worst starter ERA (4.87).

The worst, Colorado, can always be excluded for obvious reasons, so amongst teams that are under a mile in altitude, the Mets are 3rd worst.

And that sucks.

I AM TRULY IMPRESSED

Roughly 11 months after his Tommy John surgery, Dedniel Nunez is pitching in rehab games. If all goes well we will see him after the All Star Break. A tip of my cap to Dedniel.

METS WIN 3-0 BEHIND MCLEAN

1968 Mets low-scoring baseball is BACK! 

Very briefly, in the minors…

Morabito (scorching of late) and Voit (.250) had 3 hits apiece, and Clifford went 0-5 with 3 Ks. Now 117 Ks as June wraps up.

Luis Robert a hit and walk, and Polanco 0-3, for Syracuse in rehab.

Daviel Hurtado is putting up the organization’s best pitching stats, after his brilliant 6 innings of no run, one hit, 8 Ks pitching for Brooklyn. He has a sizzling 0.69 WHIP this year. A 21 year old lefty.

Reese Kaplan -- An Awful Lot For the Mets To Do To Improve

For a few minutes pretend you are Steve Cohen and need to determine what to do between now and the end of the season with the team?  Obviously it is mathematically possible for the Mets to rally their way into a playoff position, but the odds are not very appealing.  

Many are advocating a wholesale housecleaning of the roster in order to prepare better for the future but there is a problem therein.  Throwing in the towel during the first week of July signals the team is giving up and despite the reality of playing multiple AAAA type players regularly is truly not a formula for success.  Prolonging the mediocrity until the first couple of days of August when the trade deadline draws near allows the club to maintain the illusion that they are still giving it their all to advance out of the basement.

So aside from necessary (and long overdue) roster reconstruction, what else needs to be done? 

Starting Pitching

Right now the Mets are relying on Nolan McLean, newly healed Christian Scott, uneven Sean Manaea, totally lost Kodai Senga, rusty ace Freddy Peralta and hope for an imminent recovery of the leg fracture suffered by Clay Holmes.  Going into 2027 the club still has the prospect of five of these six pitchers with Peralta headed into free agency.  There are no clear candidates for immediate promotion in AAA who are showing star potential and no one is especially excited to get Tylor Megill back next season. 

First Base

This black hole has only gotten worse since the year began.  Jorge Polanco’s dual injuries took him off the field during April and he has just started rehab in Syracuse though his role going forward is slated to be DH rather than first baseman.  Jared Young has come back to earth after having had a hot start but at the moment it’s he or Mark Vientos, neither of whom are likely helping the team climb out of the cellar.  Ryan Clifford continues to whiff at a stunning rate and newcomer Cole Mathis needs to get healthy before the Mets try to push him up to the AA level.  He has moderate power and a .272 lifetime minor league batting average which isn’t bad for a two-way player who everyone assumes is now strictly a hitter.  They need to look at 2027 and beyond at this position.

Second Base

Marcus Semien definitely shows the defensive skills and communication ability to show he is a solid major leaguer, but his hitting skills seemed to deteriorate first last year and even further this year.  The Mets are obligated to pay him for awhile so it’s unclear what is role will be in the future.  Brett Baty could be a second baseman as could Ronny Mauricio, but neither have shown enough at the major league level to fill you with confidence.

Third Base

Will Bo Bichette opt out or won’t he?  Given his mid season rise in his productivity it is indeed possible to envision him hitting north of .275 by year’s end, but it’s also highly unlikely he could find any team willing to cough up north of $40 million per year for a long term deal.  He may decide that, for example, a five year $35 million deal is better for his bank account than another year or two at a higher rate with the Mets.  If he does find a taker then the Mets have yet another hole to fill.

Manager

There are a few ways to go here.  You could bring in a known winner as was done in the past with Buck Showalter or you could name a known former player who was a superstar such as Carlos Beltran or Albert Pujols.  You could find a coach or minor league manager elsewhere who needs to prove what he can do when handed the lineup pencil, but the Carlos Mendoza experiment likely puts that approach far back on the stovetop.  

The superstar approach hasn’t yet been tried in recent days, so it’s entirely possible the Mets will go in this direction, though it is often difficult for guys with natural talent to understand how to motivate players who are not of the same caliber.  Furthermore, an untested manager being asked to salvage two straight awful seasons is a heady gamble.  From a business standpoint finding the next minor league manager or major league coach would be far less expensive yet not generate the feel-good stories that a Beltran reunion would.

Front Office

Let’s stop tap dancing around what everyone is already thinking.  David Stearns has done a horrific job enhancing the major league team since arriving.  Is there too much on his plate?  Is his coaching staff unknowledgeable or overly optimistic?  Does he need a GM to take over the day to day roster considerations while he concentrates on the organizational level picture?  Or does he too need to be replaced?