The second half of spring training is always a very important time for baseball prospects. They are in the home stretch of showing what they can do, and many are close to being assigned to the team that they will break camp with – whether that is an MLB team or a minors affiliate.
As you have seen from our weekday 11am posts, there are many prospects working their way up through the system. We recently had a great opportunity to see some of the most compelling prospects showcase their talents in the Spring Breakout Game, where the Mets and the Nationals participated in a contest between their brightest future stars.
The stars were indeed bright for the Mets, who prevailed in the game 4-2. The starting outfield included Drew Gilbert in right, Jett Williams in center, and Alex Ramirez in left. That’s right, Jett Williams was playing center, not a middle infield position for this showcase game.
Some folks, including writers on this site have speculated that he could move there because of his speed and versatility. Apparently great minds think alike! The infield was loaded with talent as well, with Ryan Clifford, Marco Vargas, LuisAngel Acuna, and Jesus Baez showing what they could do.
To me, the stand-outs were Ryan Clifford who powered an opposite field double to drive in a run in the first and also scored one in the fourth; and the pitching. Dom Hamel, Tyler Stuart, Blade Tidwell, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Calvin Ziegler all spent time on the hill and pitched well. To me, I was really impressed with the ease that Sproat and Ziegler threw with. They are both coming up from lower minors levels and Sproat was throwing consistently at 98/99MPH. Both fanned two in scoreless innings.
Before and after the Breakout game, the Media duo from the Binghamton Rumble Ponies Jacob Wilkins and Matt Levine had a chance to interview some of the prospects. Jacob was kind enough to share those interviews with the Mack’s Mets group so I include them below with a big thank you to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies!
Here are a few of the interviews with the players. We will include a series of the interviews with a link on the home page so you can get a feel for some of our future Mets.
Tyler Stuart played in both Brooklyn and Binghamton last year, recording a perfect 4-0 record with a 1.55 ERA before being moved up to AA. He is a 6’9” 250 pound right-hander that was selected by the Mets in the sixth round of the 2022 draft.
Tyler
Stuart Spring Training Interview.mp4
Rhylan Thomas played at three levels last year as an outfielder and won the defensive player of the year award in the Mets’ minor league system. Rhylan was a defensive standout last year and has very good speed which he put to use in the Spring Breakout game with an impressive dash from first to third on a base hit to center. Thomas has put on 12 pounds of muscle in the off-season so look for more athleticism from him this year.
Rhylan
Thomas Spring Training Interview.mp4
Blade Tidwell also played in Brooklyn and Binghamton last season. The 22-year old pitcher has always impressed me with his competitiveness on the mound. He is at his best when runners are in scoring position. Tidwell played his college ball at Tennessee where he was teammates with Drew Gilbert.
