Tom Brennan - Can We Please Move, Daddy?

 

Every single year it’s the same thing

I looked at the leaders in the AL Central and the AL West. Their combined average record, for two teams that are in first place, is a lousy 45–42.

This is not a long article. 

I simply want the Mets move the heck out of the NL East. 

I DO NOT CARE AT ALL ABOUT GEOGRAPHY.

I simply want the Mets moved to the AL Central for the AL West, where it is easy to win a division.

Right now, with players returning to the Mets, presumably healthy, if the Mets were in either of those divisions, they could easily take a run at the division title. 

There is zero chance of that happening in the NL East, this year, or quite frankly, in any other year. 

“ Can we please move, daddy? PLEASE!”

Please don’t treat this article as a joke.  If the Mets have been in either of those two AL divisions for the past 25 years, how many division titles would they have won? I think several. HOW HAPPY WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN IF THAT HAVE BEEN THE CASE?

I also want you to think about the team that the Mets had at the end of this year. 

If the Mets were in the AL Central or the AL West, would they have passed on signing Pete? Would they have traded Brandon? I think this is a very significant chance they would have signed Pete and not dealt away Brandon, because they would’ve felt that they had more than enough enough juice to win those divisions with those two players. 

So the ramifications of the division you are assigned to are extraordinarily significant. 

Again, I do not care about geography. I want the Mets move to an easier division. Period.

This also applies to teams that are in the Dodgers NL West division. If I were them, I’d be pleading, begging to be switched into another division.

And for those teams in the NL West, simply being switched into the AL West would be a dream come true. Simply put, baseball should adopt the concept of rotating teams between divisions based on some kind win loss record factor.

WEIRD DSL STATS OF THE DAY

SOOOO many walks in the DSL, although I am guessing that as the more competent pitchers there get stretched out, the wildest ones won’t be used much, or will be cut.

That said, I decided to look at the guy with the highest OBP in the entire DSL.

Before I provide a name and stats, I have no idea if he will really be any good. His name?

Eliomar Garces, a non-Met, has an insane .615 OBP. 

In 23 games, he is hitting .339. OK.

But he also walked an incredible 37 times, vs. just 6 Ks.

And he was HBP 6 times.

So, in just 23 games, he walked, or was HBP, 43 times.

There you go. Weird. In a good way, of course, for Senor Garces.

Apparently, he was signed with the Rays for $1.6 million, so he is most likely going to be superb, knowing the Rays.

Also, in Friday’s DSL Mets Blue game, they lost 13-12, but the two teams had 27 hits, 17 walks, and 4 HBPs. Nothing like getting on base 48 times.

For the Mets’ Blue team, a player named John Sanchez was on base 5 times, while his teammate, named Jonn Sanchez, was on base 4 times. 

So, I guess if you said it phonetically, Jon Sanchez got on base 9 times.

And that, phonetically speaking, is downright amazing.

Ernest Dove reports on the Mets farm system

Ernest Dove gives us some good news (how badly to we need that?) about the Mets farm system.  Enjoy his latest discussion on the prospects here.

As always, if you want to stay current on Mets prospects, read about them at Mack's Mets or hear about them on the Dove Report.

Enjoy it, fans!

Reese Kaplan -- Is Steve Cohen Hinting Stearns' Departure After All?

On this 4th of July holiday the Mets can proudly display the team that David Stearns built, owning last place all by themselves and facing a ghastly 36-51 record, a full 15 games under .500 and in the standings 15.5 games behind their current opponent, the Atlanta Braves.  

Now everyone jumped all over the announcement earlier this week when it was spun that owner Steve Cohen endorsed and reinforced his belief in the job David Stearns has been doing.  The Mets desperately needed some positive headlines so that was an understandable interpretation.

Cohen’s first comment regarding the Stearns methodology was observant and critical but not unfair.  He said, “Settling for less-talented players while weighing concerns about committing too many years has led to a lot of wasted payroll space for the Mets, so perhaps more targeted strikes for elite players can avoid these issues from happening in the future.”

However, as Steve Cohen went on a podcast to address the Mets season and how everything has unfolded, he sounded far more like a beleaguered fan frustrated by the poor decisions made and the money spent on players who have not contributed.  At one point he admitted, “It's horrendous. No sugar coating it. This is not anything close to what I expected. It's really disappointing. Wildly disappointing.”

If I’m David Stearns then I am not taking out any long term leases in New York.  It definitely sounds as if Cohen has heard and agrees with the sentiments of the fans who are fed up living off year one of the three years of Stearns in charge.  The 2025 season was a major downturn as the club did finish over .500 but out of the October picture.  Then came 2026 with free agent departures and oddball trades while nearly everything that can go wrong has gone wrong while nothing has been done to take corrective measures.  

To be fair, no one is going to be 100% correct on every decision they make but being close to 100% wrong is just as unlikely yet it has happened even before the current season began.  Part of how you evaluate an executive is by plan design, implementation and correction.  Thus far Stearns in 2026 is having an 0-for-3.  

Again, no one is blaming him for on the field injuries but it is fair to question what has been done while the wheels fell off.  Thus far the only actions taken have been the promotion of 30 year old minor leaguers into starting roles and then making excuses for the losing record that resulted from this approach.  Real leaders make new plans when the old one is clearly not working and the person paying his salary needs to hold him accountable just as he scapegoated Carlos Mendoza for not winning with a AAAA roster.  

If the Mets stick by David Stearns then we need to see how he will change in the future to reflect positive actions.  If not, there are any number of other baseball executives available who would gladly take Steve Cohen’s money to replace him. 

Tom Brennan: Succinct Thoughts on Mets Pitching; Perfect Blood Pressure; Ducks Delight

 

The Mets Pitching Is Not Making The Kid In Me Very Happy, But…

My Succinct Thoughts On NY Mets Pitching?

Simply this:

I mostly stay away from criticizing Mets pitchers 

That’s because, if the grossly underperforming 5 traitorous Queens Mets hitters who went a putrid, punchless 40 for 257 (.155) in June (Vientos, Baty, Semien, Melendez, and Mauricio) actually realized at some point that hitters are supposed to hit, and produce run-generating offense, Mets pitchers wouldn’t feel like they have to be perfect.

That said, Freddy P did suck on Wednesday, again, and (no surprise) Mets team hitting sucked, again.

Another day, another loss. Easy, like breathing.

29-47 (.381) in their last 76 games thru WED. 

Meanwhile…

The recently horrendous 121 loss Chicago White Sox are 45-40 this year.  

Despite Munetaka Murakami, the guy the Mets and Stearns didn’t want for first base but hit an insane 20 HRs in his first 200 at bats, missing the last 5 weeks due to injury. 

They lose a big bat like that, and survive. The Mets lose a bat and DIVE.

The Sox’s top 3 sluggers have 60 HRs in 222 combined games.  

SIXTY!

For perspective? That is a somewhat higher HR per game pace than Pete Alonso, the great former Mets slugger, has produced in his career.

Meanwhile, Brett Baty, beloved by David Stearns? 

A rip-roaring 3 HRs in 83 games.  

That works out to 8 HRs in 222 games.

Steve Cohen must love that Stearns talent evaluation as much as we do.

The White Sox have 20 more HRs and scored 65 more runs than the Mets.

If the Mets pitchers had that additional 20 and 65 behind them, would they pitch better? I think so. 

It is called BREATHING ROOM.

The Mets’ ERA is 13th best in baseball (4th lowest for the bullpen) , so, if they had average hitting, they should be roughly 45-40, like the White Sox.

 OK, that’s my pitch. Time for you, the reader, to swing away.

“YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS PERFECT”

 I read that a doctor said:

“We know that getting the blood pressure to 120/80 is ideal”.

It may be ideal - for blood pressure…but not for hitter strikeout ratios.

For that, I’d prefer 80/120.

Ryan Clifford’s strikeout ratio is 120/80. 120 Ks in 80 games. 

Putting him at risk for a major career “heart attack.”

“Well, if he is hitting well, does it really matter?” 

You have a point, “IF” he is hitting well. But he is hitting .190.

In June and July, 9 for 89, 42 Ks in 25 games.

“Oh, a player’s career is not a straight line correction.”

Trey to an extent, but when his 9 for 89 stretch started, he already had nearly 2,000 minor league plate appearances.

Cutting the K rate by 1/3 could be the beginnings of a resumption of upward progression. Easier said than done.

Progression begins with more aggression on strike 0 and strike 1.

Progression continues on choking up and protecting the plate on two strikes.

DUCKS DELIGHT

No, I didn’t run out for Chinese take out last night.

A friend of ours gave us two free tickets to the Long Island Ducks game in Central Islip. We got there a little late, after visiting a good friend in the hospital. The game itself was uneventful, but I was really surprised at the size of the crowd. 

It made sense when someone told me it was fireworks night. 

They put on a great show.

That made me think, if the Mets ever moved one of the Mets minor league teams to that park, I would be going to so many games. It is close to where I live, and it was lively and fun.

I did notice that the field dimensions were 325 down the line and 400 to dead center. Boy, did I like that too. 

Steve Cohen needs those exact dimensions at Citi Funk Field.

For one night, baseball was fun again.

Brett Baty and Ryan Clifford? They would make great LI Ducks.

Reese Kaplan -- Is It a Pat On the Back Or a Push Towards the Exit?

Pick whatever analogy best floats your boat, but the recent public declaration of support for embattled POBO David Stearns by team owner Steve Cohen has the earmarks of other similar endorsements made prior to other sports team upheavals taking place.  Even here Stearns heartily endorsed Carlos Mendoza before dropping the ax.

Yes, it is certainly expected that publicly Cohen would put on his loyalty face and underscore his faith in what Stearns has been doing to improve the team but privately you do have to wonder what’s really going through his head?

What were the issues he though Stearns would address upon becoming a part of his Mets family?  Well, the obvious one is building a contending team which after the 2024 brief trial at October baseball has been a lot more about losing than it has about winning.  Now everyone knows that there are no magic spells you can cast over a misfit team to convert them overnight into a perennial favorite for the division title and the distant dream of a World Series.  Still, the moves that have been made that did not work are too numerous to cite here without making you risk losing your breakfast. 

Of course, there is a lot more to the Mets world than simply what happens on the field at Citifield or wherever they are visiting.  The minor league system was filled with a passel of mostly borderline players that did not look as if they would ensure a future helping the big club win ballgames.  In this regard Stearns has been a bit better by improving the laboratories for specific training and rehabilitation, improved drafting and hanging onto prospect capital until it becomes necessary to let someone go in order to bring in new blood at the big league level. 

Then there is the matter of payroll.  We have all lived through the pre-Wilpon and Wilpon eras when it became clear the club was not willing to pay what it took to keep the best players happy and to entice the top free agents to consider signing on with the Mets.  Then things changed after Steve Cohen took over and spending was all of the sudden no longer the huge red flag it had been in the past.

Unfortunately, other than the stunning contract handed out to Juan Soto (who is easily the most productive bat on the team) the rest of the payroll burdens brought on by David Stearns have not been nearly as impactful.  Sure, there have been some solid entries here like A.J. Minter, Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley in the bullpen and Clay Holmes pre injury, but then there have been others like Devin Williams who have not posted the kind of numbers expected.  In the starting pitching it’s been pretty much a disaster between Sean Manaea, since departed David Peterson, Freddy Peralta, Frankie Montas and inherited starter Kodai Senga there has been a whole lot more bad than good. 

For the team’s history the Mets have still not found a respectable designated hitter who could contend for an All Star Game selection.  The infielders other than inherited Francisco Lindor have been pretty much embarrassing.  Letting Pete Alonso walk away without a plan other than the fantasy baseball position shifting of the walking wounded Jorge Polanco suggests that much work is needed here, too. 

Then there is the outfield which is only serviceable due to a long term injury to overpaid IL regular Luis Robert and A.J. Ewing not falling on his face as many others have done in the recent past.  Carson Benge looks like a keeper and left fielder Juan Soto looks like a great future DH or first baseman as his defensive acumen out there in left field is causing some folks to have Todd Hundley flashbacks. 

Now you can’t blame Stearns for the on-the-field injuries such as Holmes’ leg fracture but you can hold him accountable for signing players with long histories of not playing regularly.  You also can question why he’s done nothing other than the take-a-flyer trade of Peterson for a single A first baseman to address the hitting.  He’s done nothing at all to address the pitching.  Isn’t fixing the won-loss record a large part of his job?  Maybe I am crazy for thinking that it is...

MACK - Friday Observation - Weekly Prospect Update

 

 

 Taken off the report this week:

 

IF Trey Synder/A-St. Lucie

C Kevin Parada/AAA-Syracuse

 

None

 

SP Jack Wenninger/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-10 - 11-G, 10-ST, 3-4, 2.68, 1.33, 50.1-IP, 49-K, 28-BB  

As of end 6-17 – 13-G, 11-ST, 3-5, 3.34, 1.38, 59.1-IP. 33-BB, 60-K

As of end 6-24 – 14-G, 12-ST, 3-5, 3.71, 1.43, 63-IP,36-BB, 64-K

As of end 7/1 – 15-G, 12-ST, 3-5, 3.84, 1.43, 68-IP, 39-K, 68-K – frankly, Wenninger keeps slowly going in the wrong direction. It really would be nice to see a turnaround this week…

 

SP Zach Thornton/AAA-Syracuse & MLB-Mets –

As of end 6-10:  AAA: 5-G, 4-ST, 1-2, 3.91, 1.26, 25.1-IP, 24-K, 11-BB

As of end 6-17 – AAA:  6-G, 5-ST, 1-2, 3.81, 1.38, 26-IP, 13-BB, 25-K

As of end 6-24 – 7-G, 6-ST, 4.80, 1.50, 30-IP, 14-BB, 29-K

On 6-25, Thornton was called back to Queens to pitch the next day, in place of the traded David Peterson.

6-25/MLB:  6-IP, 5-H, 1-R, BB, 7-K – nice. You would think, now that Peterson has been traded and Senga has been banished to the pen, that an outing like this will create an invite, but we’ll see…

7—1 – 5.2-IP, 3-H, 2-ER, 4-BB, 4-K – why this guy is back in the minors makes no sense to me

As of end 7/1 – 8-G, 7-ST, 1-3, 4.54, 1.46, 35.2-IP, 18-BB, 33-K – strange… killer MLB start this past week, but AAA stats much worse than Wenninger. Another starter that needs a great AAA start this week.

 

SP Jonah Tong/AAA-Syracuse – For some reason, some people around here think this guy is a prospect, so, by popular demand, he’s baaaaaaaak…

As of 6-24 – 12-ST, 1-5, 6.30, 1.62, 50-IP, 32-BB, 68-K

6-25 – 6-IP, 4-H, 2-R, 2-BB, 3-K – better. Build on this and you could be seeing the return of the future fifth starter.

As of 7/1 – 13-ST, 1-5, 5.95, 1.55, 56-IP, 34-BB, 71-K – ya know, I’m really starting to take him off my long-range plans board…

 

RP Jonathan Pintaro/AAA-Syracuse only -

As of end 6-10 - AAA - 19-APPS, 2-0, 3.16, 1.05, 31.1-IP, 38-K, 13-BB

As of end 6-17 – AAA – same as 6-10   

As of end 6-24 – 20-APPS, 20-APPS, 2-0, 3.63, 1.15, 34.2-IP, 14-BB, 41-K

As of end 7/1 – AAA – same

                           MLB – 5-G, 0-ST, 0-0, 5.11, 0.73, 12.1-IP, 3-BB, 12-K – Pintaro is currently being used as a fill-in reliever in Queens and you rarely will see this kind of ERA/WHIP swing.

 

RP Ben Simon/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-10:  AAA - 7-APPS, 1-1, 2.16, 1.20, 8.1-IP, 6-BB, 4-K

As of end 6-17 – 9-APPS, 1-2, 2.38, 1.23, 11.1-IP, 7-BB, 7-K

As of end 6-24 – 11-APPS, 2.57, 1.14, 7-BB, 8-K

6-25 – 1.1-IP, 2-H, O-R

7-1 – 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, BB, K

As of end 7/1 – 13-APPS, 2-2, 2.20, 1.16, 16.1-IP, 8-BB, 9-K – simply a guy that puts his nose to the grindstone. So far this season, 27 appearances in AA/AAA.

 

RP Dan Hammer/AAA-Syracuse – Hammer has quietly produced a great AAA stat line. Through 6-18, the 28/year old is 11-APPS, 2.13 A\after 10-apps, 2.77 in Binghamton.

As of 6-24 – AAA: 13-APPS, 0-1, 2.25, 1.56, 16-IP, 13-BB, 18-K

6-24 – 1-IP, 1-H, 0-ER, BB, 2-K

6-27 – 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, K

7-1 – 0.2-IP, 1-H, 0-R, BB

As of end 7/1 – 16-APPS, 1-ST, 0-1, 1.93, 1.55, 18.2-IP, 15-BB, 21-K – Hammer is sort of becoming a real deal…

 

C Kevin Parada/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-3:  AAA:  31-AB, 0-HR, 9-RBI, .355/.400/.484/.884

As of end 6-10 - AAA:  38-AB, 1-HR, 10-RBI, 10-K, .342/.381/.526/.907

As of end 6-17 – 50-AB, 1-HR, 10-RBI, .320/.397/.460/.857

As of end 6-24 – AAA: 66-AB, 1-HR, 12-RBI, .318/.387/.455/.841

6-24 – 0-3

6-26 – 1-4

7-1 – Parada was reassigned to AA-Binghamton. A demotion like this makes me take him off this active prospect list;

 

2B Ji Hwan Bae/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-10:  192-AB, 3-HR, 19-RBI, .297/.400/.406/.806

As of end 6-17:  212-AB, 3-HR, 21-RBI, 31-BB, .283/.383/.396/.779

As of end 6-24 – 227-AB, 4-HR, 35-RBI, 35-BB, .278/.381.410/.790

6-24 – 0-4

6-25 – 1-5, RBI, 2B (12)

6-26 – 2-4, 2-R, BB, 3B (3)

6-27 – 0-3, R

7-1 – 2-5, R, 2B (13)

As of end 7/1 – 248-AB, 5-HR, 26-RBI, 37-BB, .274/.375/.411/.786 – your perfect AAAA infielder waiting for his phone to ring.

 

SS/3B/2B Yonny Hernandez/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-24 – 178-AB, 2-HR, 20-RBI, .287/.381/.360/.741

6-24 – 0-4, R

6-25 – 4-5, RBI, 2B (8)

6-26 – 3-4, R, 3-RBI, 2-2B (10)

6-27 – 2-4, R, RBI

6-30 – 0-1

7-1 – 1-3

As of end 7/1 – 199-AB, 2-HR, 25-RBI, .307/.390/.387/.777 – Yonny is becoming more relevant each week…

 

OF Nick Morabito/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-10:  199-AB, 5-HR, 22-RBI, .246/.352/.382/.734

As of end 6-17 – 219-AB, 5-HR, 25-RBI, 31-BB, .251/.360/.379/.736

As of end 6-24 – 243-AB, 8-HR, 28-RBI, 34-BB, 26-SB, .263/.368/.416/.784

6-24 – 2-3, BB, 2B (10)

6-26 – 1-5

6-27 -1-5, RBI, 2B (11)

6-30 – 3-5, 2B (12) – Nick is having quite the week

7-1 – 1-5, 2-RBI

As of end 7/1 – 266-AB, 8-HR, 31-RBI, .271/.369/.421/.790 – this was a good week for Morabito. A couple more like this should cement a trade deadline callup.

 

SP Jonathan Santucci/AA-Binghamton –

As of end 6-10 - 11-ST, 1-5, 3.93, 1.23, 52.2-IP, 24-BB, 63-K              

As of end 6-17 – 12-ST, 1-5, 4.13, 1.31, 56.2-IP, 29-BB, 68-K

As of end 6-24 – 14-ST, 2-5, 3.95, 1.33, 66-IP, 34-BB, 80-K

6-30 – 2IP, 0-H, 0-R, 2-K – I hope nothing happened to Santucci…

As of end 7/1 – 15-ST, 2-5, 3.84, 1.31, 68-IP, 33-BB, 83-K – excellent K/9 ratio

 

RP Felipe De La Cruz/AA - Binghamton -

As of end 6-10:  AA - 16-APPS, 0-0, 1.37, 1.12, 19.2-IP, 11-BB, 26-K   

As of end 6-17:  AA - -APPS, 0-1, 2.11, 1.31, 21.1-IP, 12-BB, 29-K

As of end 6-24 – Combined AA/AAA – 20-APPS, 0-1, 2.45, 1.31, 25.2-IP, 35-K

On Tuesday, 6-30, De La Cruz was reassigned to AA-Binghamton.

6-30 – 2-IP,  0-H, 0-R, 4-K – back at home in the Eastern League

As of end 7/1 – AA – 19-APPS, 1-1, 1.93, 1.24, 23.1-IP, 12-BB, 33-K – he really should be in Syracuse.

 

RP Saul Garcia/AA-Binghamton –

As of end 6-10:  21-APPS, 4.24, 1.24, 23.1-IP, 34-K, 7-BB         

As of end 6-17:  24-APPS, 0-1, 3.67, 1.22, 27-IP, 9-BB, 39-K

As of end 6-24 – 25-APPS, 0-1, 3.86, 1.25, 28-IP, 10-BB, 40-K

6-24 – 0.1-IP, 0-H, 0-R

6-26 – 2-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 4-K – been quite a while since Garcia threw out a clunker. (through 6/26, Garcia has a career-best 7.9% walk rate and is second in the Eastern League with 27 appearances).

6-30 – 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 2-K

As of end 7/1 – 28-APPS, 0-1, 3.45, 1.12, 31.1-IP, 10-BB, 46-K – check two things here… one, the steady weekly declining of the ERA, and two, the K/IP ratio,

 

SP Jose Chirinos/A+ Brooklyn –

As of end 6-10 - A+:  2-ST, 0-1, 3.27, 1.18, 11-IP, 6-BB, 14-K

As of end 6-17 – A+ - 3-ST, 1-1, 2.81, 1.31, 16-IP, 8-BB, 20-K

As of end 6-24 – 4-ST, 1-2, 3.86, 1.47, 21-IP, 9-BB, 23-K

6-25 – 5-IP, 5-H, 5-ER, 2-BB, 5-K

As of end 7/1 – 5-ST, 1-2, 4.85, 1.46, 26-IP, 11-BB, 28-K – still hasn’t adjusted to this level.

 

SP Nicholas Carreno/A+ Brooklyn –

St. Lucie -

as of end 6-10:  11-G, 6-ST, 2-1, 1.94, 1.05, 41.2-IP, 21-BB, 58-K 

as of end 6-17 –

  A-St. Lucie:  2-1, 1.94, 1.06

  A+ Brooklyn:  0-1, 5.40, 1.50

   Combined A/A+:   2-2, 2.61, 1.14

As of end 6-24 – AAA: 3-ST, 0-1, 7.71, 1.64, 14-IP, 9-BB, 15-K

6-27 – 4-IP, 2-H,  0-R, 4-BB, K

As of end 7/1 – 4-ST, 0-1, 6.00, 1.61, 18-IP, 13-BB, 16-K – starting to adjust

                                    

SP David Hurtado/A+ Brooklyn -

As of end 6-10 - A+ - 3-ST, 1-0, 0.69, 0.46, 3-IP, 2-BB, 11-K

As of end 6-17 – A+ - 4-ST, 2-0, 0.50. 0.44, 18-IP, 3-BB, 13-K

As of end 6-24 – 6-ST, 3-1, 1.91, 0.60, 28.1-IP, 4-BB, 24-K

6-30 – 6-IP, 1-H, 0-R, BB, 8-K – boy, this guy just continues to impress!

As of end 7/1 – 7-ST, 4-1, 1.57, 0.55, 34.1-IP, 5-BB, 32-K – Had a 27.4% K rate to a 4.2% walk rate in June.

 

SP Dakota Hawkins/A+ Brooklyn – not sure Hawk is a starter now, though he did start on Sunday, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up only two hits, walking one and striking out two. The important thing is he has now lowered his seasonal ERA to 2.08, far below the minimal 2.99 needed to make this report. Welcome Hawk.

As of end 6-24 – 14-G, 4-ST, 1-0, 2.08, 1,00, 26-IP, 6-BB, 26-K

6-26 – 5-IP, 4-H, 0-R, K – “Hawk” is really turning into a productive starter.

As of end 7/1 –

7-ST, 4-1, 1.57, 0.55, 34.1-IP, 5-BB, 32-K – boy, I hope he can do this in NY State

 

SP Channing Austin/A+ Brooklyn –

           A+ - 8-ST, 2-1, 1.17, 38.1-IP. 48-K, 22-BB

5/27 - Austin was placed on the IL with an oblique issue.

6-25 - reinstated

 

RP - Bryce Jenkins/A+ Brooklyn

As of end 6-10 - 16-APPS, 1-2, 2.49, 0.83, 21.2-IP, 8-BB, 23-K

As of end 6-17 – 18-APPS, 1-2, 2.66, 0.84, 23.2-IP, 9-BB, 25-K

As of end 6-24 – 20-APPS, 1-2, 2.49, 0.87, 25.1-IP, 10-BB, 27-K

6-24 – 1.2-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 2-BB, 3-K

6-27 – 1-IP, 1-H, 0-R, K

As of 7/1 – 22-APPS, 2-2, 2.25, 0.89, 28-IP, 12-BB, 31-K – Jenkins is starting to project as a future mid-pen workhorse.

 

RP Juan Arnaud/A+ Brooklyn – The 22/yr. old righthander is quietly doing a good job this season.

As of end 6-24 – 23-APPS, 2-1, 2.66, 1.43, 23.2-IP, 14-BB, 35-K

1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 2-K

6-27 – 1-IP, 1-H, 1-ER, 2-K

As of 7/1 – 25-APPS, 2-1, 2.81, 1.36, 25.2-IP, 14-BB, 39-K – love the k/9 ratio

 

RP Hunter Hodges/A+ Brooklyn - made this list after going 1.0-IP, 1-H, 1-ER, 1-BB. Yeah, I know. Not that impressive, but he should have been on the list earlier due to his 2026 accomplishments.

early Cyclones stat line: 22-G, 0-2, 2.63, 1.17, 27-1-IP, 39-K.

6-24 – 0.1-IP, 0-H, 0-R

6-27 – 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 3-BB, 2-K

As of 7/1 – 24-APPS, 0-2, 2.51, 1.22, 28.2-IP, 28-BB, 55-K – that’s a whole lot of strikeouts for the new kid on the block…

 

OF JT Benson/A+ Brooklyn –

As of end 6-10 - A+ - 53-AB, 1-HR, 11-RBI, .264/.371/.472/.843

As of end 6-17 - A+ - 66-AB, 2-HR, 15-RBI, .258/.380/.485/.865

As of end 6-24 – 92-AB, 4-HR, 19-RBI, .283/.371/.565/.937

6-24 – 0-4, BB

6-30 – 0-3

7-1 – 2-5, 2-R

As of end 7/1 – 107-AB, 5-HR, 23-RBI, .280/.374/.551/.925 – In June, JT led the Mets minor league teams in just about every offensive category.

 

RHSP Emilio Obispo/St. Lucie –

As of end 6-10 – 7-G, 4-ST, 2-1, 1.93, 1.07, 23-1-IP, 6-BB, 27-K

As of end 6-17 – 9-G, 6-ST, 3-1, 1.67, 1.17, 32.1-IP, 10-BB, 38-K

As of end 6-24 – 10-G, 7-ST, 3-1, 1.49, 1.26, 36-1-IP, 15-BB, 41-K

6-30 – 5-IP, 5-H, 4-ER, 2-BB, 3-K (2.18) – everybody has a clunker and, hopefully, this is Emilio’s one and done.

As of end 7/1 -

 

 RP – Zack Mack/St. Lucie -

As the end 6-24 – 13-APPS, 2-0, 1.89, 1.21, 19-IP, 7-BB, 24-K

6-25 – 1-IP, 3-H, 0-R

As of end 7/1 – 11-G, 8-ST, 3-2, 3.48, 1.28, 41.1-IP, 17-BB, 44-K – hoping the last outing is a “one and done”.

 

1B Randy Guzman/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-3:  173-AB, 9-HR, 29-RBI, .260/.363/.480/.843

As of end 6-10:  210-AB, 9-HR, 29-RBI, .257/.357/.469/.826         

6-10 – on IL-7  

 

2B/3B/SS Trey Synder/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-17 – 40-AB, 7-RBI, .300/.364/.425/.789

As of end 6-24 – 59-AB, 0-HR, 7-RBI, .271/.328/.356/.684

6-24 – 0-4, RBI

6-25 – 0-4, BB

6-30 – 0-4

7-1 – 1-4

As of 7/1 – 80-AB, 0-HR, 10-RBI, .225/.279/.288/.567 – dropping Trey from the report.

 

SS Elian Pena/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-10:  199-AB, 3-HR, 22-RBI, .271/.404/.377/.781

As of end 6-17 – 220-AB, 3-HR, 23-RBI, 42-BB, .264/.393/.364/.756

As of end 6-24 – 234-AB, 3-HR, 25-RBI, .261/.397/.355/.751

6-24 – 0-0, BB

6-25 – 2-3, RBI, 2-BB

6-30 – 0-4

As of end 7/1 – 241-AB, 3-HR, 26-RBI, 36-BB, .261/.400/.353/.753 – still hanging around waiting to explode. Maybe now that Wandy Asigen is playing can get Elian going.

 

OF Yohairo Cuevas/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-17 – A – 78-AB, 2-HR, 11-RBI, .308/.466/.551/1.017

As of end 6--24 – IL

As of end 7/1 – still on IL

 

C Yovanny Rodriguez/FCL  –

As of end 6-10:  74-AB, 5-HR, 18-RBI, .297/.402/.541/.943

As of end 6-17 – 89-AB, 5-HR, 21-RBI, 30-K, .281/.387/.483/.870

As of end 6-24 – 102-AB, 5-HR, 26-RBI, .284/.380/.480/.861

6-26 – 1-2, R, 2-BB

6-28 – 0-1, BB

As of end 7/1 – 108-AB, 5-HR, 26-RBI, .278/.394/.463/.857 – very limited play this week.

 

SS Vladi Gomez/FCL

As of end 6-10 - FCL - 47-AB, 1-HR, 8-RBI, .340/.500/.532/1.032

As of end 6-17 – 58-AB, 1-HR, 9-RBI, .345/.486/.517/1.004

As of end 6-24 – FCL – 70-AB, 1-HR, 11-RBI, 19-SB, .371/.483/.514/.997

6-25 – 1-3

6-26 – 0-3

6-28 – 1-2, 2-R – ya know, I’m starting to get quite impressed with this guy…

7-1 – 1-3, R

As of end 7/1 – 84-AB, 1-HR, 13-RBI, .357/.466/.488/.954 – no one talks about this guy when they discuss Mets prospect shortstops… maybe they should start.

 

3B Roybert Herrera/FCL –

As of end 6/17 – 35-AB, 5-BB, 1-HR, 7-RBI, .371/.476/.514/.990

As of end 6-24 – 46-AB, 1-HR, 7-RBI, .304/.429/.413/.842

6-26 – 1-4, R, RBI

6-28 – 0-2

7-1 – 0-2

As of end 7/1 – 56-AB, 1-HR, 9-RBI, .286/.403/.375/.778 – Herrera is fading fast… I’ll give him one more week to bounce back.

 

RF Bohan Adderley/FCL

As of end 6-10 - 88-AB, 4-HR, 13-AB, .295/.354/.477/.831

As of end 6-17 – 101-AB, 4-HR, 14-RBI, .287/.345/.446/.791

As of end 6-24 - 112-AB, 4-HR, 15-RBI, .313/.364/.482/.846

6-25 – 1-3, R, BB

6-26 – 2-4, 2-R

6-28 – 1-2, RBI

As of end 7/1 – 127-AB, 4-HR, 16-RBI, .315/.367/.465/.831

 

 

END OF THE WEEK DSL STATLINES (end of games 7/2):

 

C Frank Moreno – 56-AB, .339, .920-0PS, 2-HR, 15-RBI, 0-SB      

1B Jonnhan Sanchez -  67-AB, .373, 1.024-OPS, 2-HR, 18-RBI, 8-SB

SS/3B Michalle Mercedes –  74-AB, .297, .788-OPS, 1-HR, 19-RBI, 2-SB

OF Henry Manrique –  73-AB, .329, .941-OPS, 0-HR, 12=RBI, 5-SB

OF Cleiner Ramirez -  82-AB, .305, .972-OPS, 5-HR, 14-RBI, 7-SB

 

HELIUM ALERT

 

OF Nick Lucky/AA-Binghamton – Lucky was drafted by the Boston Red Sox (14^th round) in 2018, out of Coastal Carolina and signed by the Mets on 6-16, away from Indy Lancaster Stormers. So far, as of 6-24, he’s hitting .381, which is sorta good.

 

BTW

 

Per Pitch Profiler       @pitchprofiler

Nolan McLean's curveball is the best-graded pitch in baseball this season at a 134 proPitching+. At 81.8 mph with 40 percent whiffs and a .138 wOBA allowed on 190 thrown, hitters have genuinely no answer for it. Bryan Baker's changeup checks in at 132.

Tom Brennan: 1) Top 30 Prospect Thoughts; 2) Impressing the Boss - NOT

REMEMBER JONAH TONG’S SEPTEMBER GATORADE MOMENT? 

IT WAS HIS LAST ONE FOR A WHILE, IT SEEMS 

Nolan McLean? 

We all got excited about him in the minors, and he has succeeded as a MLB pitcher. So, our excitement was indeed warranted. 

But…

After seeing the struggles of the likes of Tong, Wenninger, Thornton, Sproat, Hamel, and Vasil when they get to AAA, it is hard to get excited about ANY prospect pitcher until they get to, and succeed at, AAA.

Who on earth in 2025 could have envisioned that through June 23, 2026, Tong, Wenninger, and Thornton combined would have given up 110 runs in 168 innings? 

If I guessed pre-2026, I would have guessed that figure would have been, at most, 50 runs in 168 innings. 

And, when I looked a few days ago, they were a combined 5-15. WHAT!!

No correlation whatsoever to 2025’s outstanding performances by that trio, keeping in mind that performance level was almost entirely below AAA in 2025. 

I’m still a believer in those 3, and Thornton was great vs. Philly the other night.

Having thought about it early this year, it hit me that while the average major league team may hit around .250, If you were to teleport an entire average AAA team to the majors, they probably hit about .175, and if you did the same with your average AA team, they would probably hit about .115. 

Keeping that in mind should temper any enthusiasm about Mets prospect pitchers in the future. In other words, just because they’ve done well at AA, it doesn’t mean a hill of beans.

My only minors pitcher I’m therefore currently modestly excited about in the short term is Nate Lavender. 

Sure, his ERA is 4.78 due to a few bad relief outings, but his 46 Ks in 26 innings grabs my attention.

Will he be any good at the MLB level? Only time will tell.

It is a relief, frankly, that Reid Garrett, Tylor Megill, and Dedniel Nunez will each return from TJS at the start of 2027. 

Who, after all, can truly count on any Mets pitching prospects? 

Besides McLean, of course.

MY BRIEF TOP 30 METS PROSPECTS THOUGHTS

I will keep this short. 

I looked at the list of 30 Mets prospects, at the minor league season halfway point.

I categorize them in three buckets:

Playing better than I expected: number one

Playing about as I expected: number two

Playing worse than I expected or injured: number three

Assessment? Pretty bleak.

In category one, I only have one (3%):

Mitch Voit - as above average, playing really well after a slow season start in frigid and windy Brooklyn. 

He can hit, hit with some power, field great, and run like the wind.

In category two, I have just 5 (13%):

Nick Morabito, Elian Pena, Zach Thornton, Cleiner Ramirez and Yovanny Rodriguez. 

And, of these five, three of them are in the very low minor leagues, so they are too early to project.

Morabito jumped from Cat 3 in May to Cat 2 with an excellent June. June slash: .304/.390/.478. 

Another month like that? Category one.

Keep it up, Nick.

In category three, I have an astounding 23 prospects (77%):

Those 23 are playing below average to well below average vs. my pre-season expectations, or have been injured, or both.

Nope.  It doesn’t get much more bleak than that. Only on Bleecker St.

Take a look at the Mets top 30 prospects on the Mets site yourself.

See if you agree or disagree with my categorizations.

Lastly…Categories 1, 2, and 3 above total 29, not 30. Here is why:

I left Cole Mathis out of this list, since the Mets new # 14 prospect was just acquired in a trade. He was doing well enough in High A ball with the Cubs. 

Too early to evaluate him as a Met. I am hoping for Category 1.

IMPRESSING THE BOSS?  NOT!

You remember that old Account Temps commercial, with the guy calling in sick, and his boss saying, “don’t you worry about it - we’ve got Bob from Account Temps”.

June was IMPRESS THE BOSS MONTH. A few impressed.

But which hitters DEPRESSED the bosses in June?

Mark Vientos 7 for 48 with 4 walks vs. 19 Ks.

Marcus Semien 14 for 78, with 7 walks vs. 22 Ks.

MJ Melendez 7 for 44, 8 walks vs. 19 Ks.

Brett Baty 11 for 75, 10 walks vs. 22 Ks, 0 HR, 4 RBIs, 5 runs.

Ronny Mauricio 1 for 12, no walks, 4 Ks.

Francisco Lindor 3 for 20, 1 walk.

 - Lindor has an excuse. Rushed back from rehab.  He gets a pass. 

The other 5 clunkers?  Bring in FIVE Bobs from Account Temps instead.

Then, find the nearest dumpster for the current 5, open the lid of said dumpster, toss in that Funky Five, and send the dumpster detritus off to parts unknown. They are playing like total garbage. Handle accordingly.

Why are fans pissed? These five.

Especially wimpy Brett Baty. Look at those crap #s. deGrom hit better,

Stearns? He let Pete go, and THIS is the garbage he gets from Baty?

What can I do here to utterly piss Baty off and wake him up? I’m trying.

Or is he really just Jarred Kelenic’s twin brother and it is simply hopeless?

Well, Kelenic actually hit much better once demoted to AAA than the next guy I mention below.

Minors?

AAA in June:

Ryan Clifford, incredibly just 8 for 81, 11 walks, 39 Ks. FRAME THAT ONE. He has started 45 games at first base this year and made 8 errors.

Of course, Clifford is representing the Mets in the upcoming Futures Game.

Me? 

I’d demote him ASAP via FED X and promote Nick Lorusso, who had a great month in AA. 

Nick hit .315/.398/.616, with just 13 Ks in 19 games. And added a HR 7/1.

And Lorusso has one error at first base and a total of 5 others at 2nd and 3rd, so he is flashing leather.

Better than Clifford, obviously. Blatantly. Glaringly. Make the switch, David.

Jorge Polanco? 0 for 13. He wasn’t in the line up on Tuesday nite. No rush.

He’s playing through pain, true - yes, Mets fans ARE in pain here.

I thought I would stop there on the negatives. 

Except to note that going into Tuesday’s action, Syracuse, Binghamton, Brooklyn and St Lucie were a combined 33 games below .500. Last year, the 4 teams combined by this point were way above .500. 

Anyway…

On a more positive note, Brooklyn (.240) and Binghamton (.228) hit much better from June 1 thru July 1, so they get a pass on hitting criticism. Yes, those numbers are MUCH BETTER than previous months.

OK, CHILDREN, CHILDREN, NOW, NOW…PLAY NICE TOGETHER

The NY Post had some quotable comments from a fella named Steve Cohen, one of which was essentially that there was a chill between Messrs. Soto and Lindor last year.  

Why should they be warm and friendly? 

The 2 were only paid about $100 million combined last year. 

You and I could see them getting along much better if they were paid a reasonable amount last year like, say, $200 million.

Cohen seemed to think that situation with the duo had improved this year.

For $100 million a year, they should, tho’, be the ultimate team-first duo.

One for all, all for one?

That they were any less than that, frankly, is nonsense.

Give me a team full of Benge and Ewing guys, hungry, eager guys. 

Any day. And twice on Sunday.

But…I am happy to report that the Yanqueros from El Bronx are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Misery LOVES company. I guess missing Judge does hurt, after all.