Mack's Mets

6/19/26

Tom Brennan - Happy Recap of Thursday Action

The Happy Recap! Hoo, Hoo, Hoo!

Lots of “Happy”, and not much “Crappy”, on Thursday:

Mets win, 6-4. ALL STAR Soto (.480/.594/.920 over last 7 games) blasts 2 more (17), and on his second, he was stunned that his high fly blew out for a HR. NICE to hit in a hitter-friendly park, huh, Juan?

Manaea pitched well for the W, and the Phillies hit like, well, like aging guys.

Benge and Ewing hit, well, like rising young stars, going 5 for 9; Semien had 2 hits and 2 RBIs, too (last 7 games, .400 OBP). Pen was super again.

Syracuse? Nick Morabito “got his Soto on”, also blasting 2 homers (6, 7). Syracuse won 6-5, with 6 hurlers fanning 15.

- Clifford fanned 4 times. 101 Ks thru June 18. Draw your own conclusion.

Binghamton and Santucci (6 shutout innings) won 8-1.

Catcher Vincent Perozo is SIZZLING in June, including 3 hits last night.

BTW…”Guess who’s coming to dinner?”

Francisco Lindor will begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday for AA Binghamton, and could return to the Mets lineup by early next week.

And the line up could become…dangerous?

We can only hope he returns like Braves superstar catcher Blake Baldwin, who recently missed 4 weeks, and in his first game back, cranked a 473 foot home run. Fourteen homers in 50 games for the catcher whom the Braves selected 85 picks after Kevin Parada.

Brooklyn lost 5-4, but Mack’s favorite, Houck the Hulk, had a HR and 3 RBIs.

St Lucie won. Mauricio PLAYED!

- He was 1 for 3 at shortstop. Hopefully, feet first slides from now on.

Pena? He had a single and 2 walks.

19 y/o Joel Lara threw 4 brilliant hitless innings, fanned 7, but got a ND because he did not go 5 innings.

Change the darned rule. At least in the minors. Four innings for a win.

The FCL Mets won, 4-2. Vladi Gomez has 2 hits (.361).

80 of 91 career steals in 165 games.

Mack already knows: Watch this guy.

Both DSL teams won, with one score being 15-14. Thank heavens for a late two point conversion.

Reese Kaplan -- David Stearns is Better At Judging Who to Lose

After writing a bit about the oddball trades and under performing free agent acquisitions engineered by David Stearns which unfortunately has yielded very little in terms of quality beyond Juan Soto, a good question arose regarding younger players/prospects Stearns traded away or DFA’d during his tenure and how they’ve done overall.

As a precursor to looking at this list is the overall conclusion that as bad as Stearns has looked with the higher profile player acquisitions, the departed former Mets organization properties have not exactly set the world on fire. In a more-or-less chronological order let’s see if anyone truly outstanding is no longer here. (Ummm...no!):

Reliever Eric Orze has appeared in 64 games between 2024 and now while earning a 4.21 ERA split between Tampa and Minnesota. His 1.442 WHIP suggests he’s not doing a very good job keeping batters off base each inning.
21 year old young starting pitcher Wellington Aracena is now employed by Arizona and despite a quick start to his new career he’s not been good this year at all. He’s currently sporting a 4.23 ERA and a 1.443 WHIP in A+. He’s young enough to blossom but overall he has an ERA of 5.39 for his entire minor league career. So far he’s not been a major loss.
Pitcher Cameron Foster has debuted for the Orioles this year and it’s not gone well. Thus far through 9 games he has a 9.00 ERA and a WHIP of 2.778. Now aged 27 making his major league debut it may be valid to suggest his prospect window has all but closed.
Jose Butto pitched fairly well for the Mets while making his early major league roster and as such he was a part of the trio sent to San Francisco in the 2025 last ditch effort to acquire solid players for reliever Tyler Rogers. Unfortunately he’s not done well on the left coast with ERAs for 2025 as a Giant of 4.50 and in 2026 he’s at an eye popping 22.50.
Blade Tidwell was once a fairly highly regarded pitching prospect in the Mets minors (and briefly majors) but all has not gone well in the city by the bay. He did show a 3.00 ERA in a brief end of year trial in 2025 but this year he’s been struggling in the PCL with an ERA of 5.30. Another one whose luster has gone somewhat dull.
Outfielder Drew Gilbert has had nearly 250 ABs for the Giants between 2025 and 2026 while tallying an above Mendoza line .207 batting average with 6 HRs and a single stolen base. Now aged 25 he still has some time to improve but early indications are not causing Mets fans to lose sleep.
Reliever Anthony Nunez made it to The Show with the Orioles this year but is pitching to a 4.98 ERA with 3 Saves and a WHIP of 1.282. It’s not horrendous at a David Peterson level yet but it’s not noteworthy either.
Big reliever Chandler Marsh at age 23 is struggling in the Orioles organization at the A+ level this year with a 5.01 ERA and a WHIP of 1.371. He has time but at age 23 many are already higher up in the minors.
Brandon Sproat was indeed one of the notable chips gone in the Devin Williams/Tobias Myers trade and some wondered that for a rental were the Mets giving up too much. Thus far Sproat over 14 games (12 of them as a starter) he’s pitched to the cacophonous tune of a 5.94 ERA and a WHIP of 1.461. No one is losing sleep over this deal either.
Now Jett Williams was a much more highly regarded future Met and many felt his inclusion in the Milwaukee Brewers deal was a high mistake. Unfortunately for Williams 2026 has not gone well at all. In Nashville at the AAA level he’s clubbed 9 HRs and driven in 36 while stealing 13 bases but is only hitting .227. This backslide was certainly not expected.
Now age 27, former Mets prospect Dom Hamel who was DFA’d by the Mets is now with the Yankees organization where all has not gone well. In 2026 in AAA he’s started 13 games and has an ERA north of 7.00. Moving on...
The under age 30 Vidal Brujan has bounced around the majors and minors since 2021 and now he’s a casualty of a Mets DFA. A career .197 hitter in nearly 600 ABs he’s not proven to be a quality reserve for any of his baseball employers.

Overall you do have to tip your cap to the much criticized POBO for not giving up future talents that have helped their new organizations. While Stearns has not been good at identifying major league talent he’s shown an affinity for understanding which minor league players are indeed expendable.

MACK - Friday Observations - Weekly Update on the Future

Taken off the report this week:

OF Wyatt Vincent/FCL

SP Jack Wenninger/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-3 - 10-G, 9-ST, 3-3, 2.80, 1.33, 45-IP, 46-K, 25-BB

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

6-11 - 5-IP, 6-H, 3-ER, HR, 2-BB, 5-K, 2.93 – another sub-par outing for Wenninger. This is getting to be the norm lately.

6-17 – 4-IP, 4-H, 4-ER, 3-BB, 6-K, 3.34 – Wenninger continues to leak earned runs. What’s this, three or four meh outings in a row.

I’m concerned.

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

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

As of end 6-3: AAA: 4-ST, 1-2, 4.87, 1.3720-1-IP, 19-K, 9-BB

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

6-13 – 0.2-IP, 2-H, 3-R, 2-BB,, K – speaking of sub-par outings, this might take the cake… Thornton threw 36 pitches to get two outs.

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

RP Jonathan Pintaro/AAA-Syracuse & MLB-Mets -

As of end 6-3: AAA - 18-APPS, 2-0, 3.38, 1.09, 29.1-IP, 37-K, 13-BB

As of end 6-10 -

MLB - 3-APPS, 0-0, 1.35, 0.30, 6.2-IP, 1-BB, 5-K

AAA - 19-APPS, 2-0, 3.16, 1.05, 31.1-IP, 38-K, 13-BB

6-15 – Pintaro was recalled by the Mets and pitched 3.2 innings (stretching?), giving up 3-H, 2-ER, while striking out four. MLB ERA now 2.61.

6-16 – Pintaro was returned to AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-17 –

MLB – 4-APPS, 0-0, 2.61, 0.48, 10.1-IP,1-BB, 9-K

AAA – same as 6-10

RP Ben Simon/AAA-Syracuse –

As of end 6-3: AAA 5-apps, 3.18, 1.59, 5.2-IP, 1-K, 5-BB

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

6-12 – 1-1P, 2-H, 0-R, K, 1.93

6-17 – 2-IP, 1-H, 1-ER, BB, 2-K – Frankly, Simon is not dominated like I hoped he would be this season.

As of end 6-17 – 9-APPS, 1-2, 2.38, 1,23, 11.1-IP, 7-BB, 7-K

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

6-11 – 2-3, BB

6-12 – 1-3

6-13 – 0-4

6-16 – 0-0

6-17 – 0-2

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

Parada was 3-12 for the week… .250. Yes, a tail-off but still great AAA numbers.

2B Ji Hwan Bae/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-3: 176-AB, 2-HR, 18-RBI, .278/.380/.375/.755

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

6-11 – 1-4, 2B (11)

6-12 – 0-4

6-13 – 1-5, R, TRIPLE

6-16 – 0-3, R

6-17 – 1-4, R, 2-RBI

For the week… 3-20.

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

Frankly, this guy should be on the parent club, not that Short guy.

OF Nick Morabito/AAA-Syracuse

As of end 6-3: AAA - 180-AB, 5-HR, 22-RBI, .256/.363/.400/.763

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

6-11 – 1-4

6-12 – 1-4, RBI

6-13 – 2-4, R, RBI

6-14 – 0-2, R

6-16 – 1-3, R, RBI

6-17 – 1-3, 2-R, 2-BB

For the week… 6-20, .300

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

Morabito continue to put up respectable numbers. Not overwhelming. Respectable.

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

6-12 – 4-1P, 4-H, 3-ER, 5-BB, 5-K, 4.13 – there was so much wrong here… the lack of innings, the amount of pitchers, runs, and walks… another sub-start from a key prospect starter.

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

A choppy year so far for Santucci, but the boy still can strike you out. To me, potential back-end reliever.

RP Saul Garcia/AA-Binghamton –

As of the end 6-3: 20-APPS, 0-1, 4.43, 1.21, 22.1-IP, 33-K, 5-BB

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

6-11 – 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 0-BB, 0-K, 4.07

6-14 – 1-IP. 1-H, 0-R, BB, 2-K, 3.91

6-17 – 1.2-IP, H, 0-R, BB, 3-K

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

Garcia has slowly lowered his ERA below 4.00 while increasing his K/9 ratio.

RP Felipe De La Cruz/AA-Binghamton -

As of end 6-3: 14-APPS, 0-0, 1.56, 1.15, 17.1-IP, 23-K, 9-BB

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

As of end 6-17: 18-APPS, 0-1, 2.11, 1.31, 21.1-IP, 12-BB, 29-K

NEW ADDITION – C/OF Vincent Perozo/AA-Binghamton – I added Perozo on Sunday after “John From Albany” sent me a list of the top five hottest Mets minor league bats in the last 10 days (6/5-6/14). Perozo came in #2 with a 11.62-OPS. That’s good enough for me.

6-14 – 1-5, R, 2B (5), .244, .780

6-16 – 1-3

6-17 – 1-4, R RBI, HR (6)

As of end 6-17 - AA – 89-AB, 6-HR, 14-RBI, .247/.299/.506/.805

SP Jose Chirinos/A+ Brooklyn –

As of end 6-3 - A+ - 1-ST, 0-0, 1.80, 1.20, 5-IP, 4-K, 3-BB

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

6-14 – 5-IP, 6-H, ER, HR, 2-BB, 6-K

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

WHIP is running a little high.

SP Nicholas Carreno/A+ Brooklyn –

St. Lucie -

as of end of 6-3: 10-G, 5-ST, 2-0, 1.43, 0.98, 37.2-IP, 56-K, 18-BB

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

6-11 – PROMOTED TO A+ BROOKLYN

6-11 - 6-IP, 4-H, 1-ER, HR, 2-BB, 9-K, 1.50 – an excellent first outing for Brooklyn. One bad pitch produced one home run. Nine strikeouts in six innings is simply fantastic.

6-16 – 4-1P, 5-H, 5-ER, 4-BB, K – okay… now I’m starting to think all Mets minor league starters have been bit by a rabid rat. And he got off to such a nice start earlier in the week.

To date: 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

Let’s write-off the second Brooklyn start as a learning lesson and hope Carenno gets back to impressing us.

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

6-12 – 5-1P, 1-H, 0-R, BB, 2-K, 0.50 – just wow… Hurtado has joined Carreno and Chirinos as one powerful starter trio.

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

It’s hard to find anything wrong here, but it would be nice if Hurtado raised his K/9 ratio.

SP Channing Austin/A+ Brooklyn –

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

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

As of 6-10 - still on the IL

RP - Bryce Jenkins/A+ Brooklyn

As of end 6-3 - 15-APPS, 1-2, 2.61, 0.87, 20.2-IP, 8-BB, 22-K

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

6-11 – 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, BB, K, 2.38

6-14 – 1-IP, 1-H, 1-ER, K, 2.66

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

Jenkins keeps hanging on this report based solely on his excellent WHIP.

OF JT Benson/A+ Brooklyn –

end of 6-3 - A+ - 39-AB, 9-RBI, .256/.310/.385/

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

6-11 – 0-3, RBI (12)

6-14 – 1-4, 2-R, 3-RBI, .238

6-16 – 1-3, R

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

I’m really rooting for this guy.

NEW ADDITION - RHSP Emilio Obispo/St. Lucie –

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

6-11 – 4-IP, 3-H, 0-R, 3-BB, 5-K, 1.65 – I put Obispo on this list before the 6-11 start. This just goes to prove he deserved to be added to this list. Fastball up to 96.

An absolute pleasant surprise so far.

6-17 – 5-IP, 6-H, ER, BB, 6-K, 1.67

The surprise continues…

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

I’m not going to get excited… again… about a low level starter.

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

NEW ADDITION – 2B/3B/SS Trey Synder/A-St. Lucie – Snyder is a 20/year old former 5^th round prep pick in the 2024 draft. He started this season playing for the FCL Mets, hit .333 in 15 at-bats, and, as of the day I added him here (end of game Saturday), is hitting .296 for St. Lucie.

6-14 – 2-4, .323, .834-OPS

6-16 – 1-4, 2-R, 2-RBI, BB

6-17 - 1-5, RBI, 2B (3)

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

The Mets may be quietly developing another infielder here.

SS Elian Pena/A-St. Lucie –

As of end 6-3: 177-AB, 35-BB, 3-HR, 22-RBI, .282/.410/.395/.806

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

6-11 – 0-5, 2-K

6-13 – 0-4, R, RBI

6-14 – 1-4, 2-R

6-17 – 3-5, 2-R, 2B (11)

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

Let’s face it… we were all expecting a little more here.

C Yovanny Rodriguez/FCL –

As of end 6-3: 60-AB, 5-HR, 16-RBI, .267/.353/.567/.920

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

6-12 – 0-3, BB

6-15 – GM1: 1-2, R, BB – GM2: 0-3

6-17 – 2-4, 2-R, 2-RBI

For the week… 3-12, .250

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

Haven’t seen much pop lately here.

SS Vladi Gomez/FCL

6-3: 49-AB, .327, HR, 9-RBI, 14-SB, 1.051-OPS

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

6-12 – 0-3

6-13 - -2-2

6-15 – GM1: 1-3, 2B (3)

6-17 – 1-3, RBI, BB

For the week… 4-11

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

A very pleasant surprise so far from someone none of us knew anything about.

RF Bohan Adderley/FCL

As of end 6-5: 76-AB, .289, 3-HR, 11-RBI, 19-SB, .796-OBP

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

6-12 – 1-4, RBI

6-15 – GM1: 0-3 – GM2: 0-3

6-17 – 2-3, 3-R, BB

For the week… 3-13

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

In my next life, I want to be named Bohan.

END OF THE WEEK DSL STATLINES (end of games 6-17):

C Adrian La Rosa – 19-AB - .316/,435/.421/.856

1B Jonnhan Sanchez - 38-AB - .395/.531/.605/1.136

SS/3B Michalle Mercedes – 46-AB, .283/.353/.326/.679

OF Aiberson Blanco – 34-AB, .353/.439/.588/1.027

OF Henry Manrique – 41-AB, .390/.510/.561/1.071

OF Emerson Estevez – 35-AB, .229/.341/.514/.856

OF Cleiner Ramirez - 44-AB, .295/.367/.568/,936

HELIUM ALERT

SP Patrick Lohman/FCL

Lohman hasn’t gotten off to the best start this year, but the former 2025 8^TH round draft pick put it all together on Friday, going 4-IP, 0-H, 0-R, BB, 6-K. We will keep an eye on him to see how he follows this up.

RP Matt Turner/AAA-Syracuse – this 26/year old lefty came to the Mets from Colorado. Originally an 11^th round pick by Cleveland in the 2017 draft. Posted a 2.45-ERA in 13-apps for Binghamton before being promoted to Syracuse. As of end of Saturday, after 9-apps, is 1.86.

6-13 – 1-IP, 2-H, 0-R, K, 1.86, 1.13

6-17 – placed on IL-7

OF Yohairo Cuevas/A-St. Lucie – Cuevas started out this year in Brooklyn, had 81 at-bats, and hit .123. This earned him a demotion to St. Lucie; however, he’s now had 69 at-bats in Florida, and is going .304/.456/.478/.934 there. He’s 22, which is far too old for this level, so I do expect a return to Brooklyn soon.

6-16 – 2-4, 2-R, HR (1), 2B, BB, 2-RBI

6-17 – 1-2, 2-R, RBI, 2-BB, HR (2)

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

IF Collin Houck/A+ Brooklyn – Houck has got a long way to go to get his stats up to a level that would qualify him to be added to this weekly report, but he is going in the right direction, especially during the month of June. There is a chance this former 1.32 pick in the draft will pay off. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a real deal third baseman?

6-14 – 1-4, .214, .622

6-16 – 1-3

As of end 6-17 – 199-AB, 91-K, 5-HR, 21-RBI, .211/.277/.337/.614

RHSP Abner Meza/DSL – Th 19/yr. old is considered the one good starter on both DSL teams. Went 4-3, 2.79 in 12-games, 8-starts in 2025 as an 18/yr. old. A steal at a $10,000 bonus. Meza’s first 2026 start came on Monday when he went 5-IP, 3-H, 1-ER, 0-BB, 3-K, 3.18 for the young season. I was very surprised and disappointed Meza didn’t open this season at the FCL level. He had eaned that.

2B Angel Ozuma – this is the former 16-yr old NY Yankee International guppy that was rated as the number one player in the 2027 class. It earned him a $5mi bonus until it was found out that he wasn’t 16 at all. Instead, the 19-yr old was hit with a one-year suspension. The Mets scooped him up for a $10,000 price and he debuted this week for the DSL-Mets. He still comes with uber-skills, just an older version currently playing two levels below where he should be. Watch him soar.

6-16 – 3-4, RBI, .500, 1.125-OPS

LF/CF/2B Nick Lucky/AA-Binghamton – The Mets dipped once again on Tuesday into the Indy pool, this time for a 26/yr. old outfielder playing for the Lancaster Stormers, where he was currently hitting 177-AB, 37-K, 31-BB, 6-HR, 45-RBI, .339/.441/.548/.989. Let’s see if they once again get lucky for Lucky.

SP Calvin Zeigler/FCL Rehab – Wait. What? I thought he was dead. Well, it turned out that reports on Zeigler’s demise were greatly exaggerated. Seems he turned out on the mound for the FCL Mets on Wednesday, throwing a scoreless opening inning, giving up one hit, but getting one strikeout. Reason to get excited? Nowhere near.

3B Roybert Herrera/FCL – For some reason, I missed on this guy until I was on Wednesday what he was accomplishing for the FCL Mets. The 18/yr, old up to then has produced 35-AB, .371, .990-OPS. My apologies Roy… you are now in my report.

6/18/26

MACK – More Hot Bats

John From Albany and I started last week keeping track of Mets minor leaguers that have been yielding a hot bat in the last 10 games they had played.

John updated this Top 5 list on 6-15 regarding games played on 6/6-6/15.

Three players on that list… Emerson Estevez, Nick Lorusso, and Cleiner Ramirez… were on the previous list and biographical information on those three were included in last weeks post.

There were two new names this week:

JT Benson/A+ Brooklyn - .263/.440/.737/1.177, 2-HR, 6-RBI,25-PA

JT Benson (full name: Johnathon Tyler Benson) is a 24-year-old outfielder in the New York Mets minor league system.

Born: April 1, 2002 (Louisville, KY)

Height/Weight: 6'0", 190 lbs

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

High School: South Oldham (Crestwood, KY) — He was a top outfield prospect in Kentucky coming out of high school.

College: University of Louisville (Cardinals)

He went undrafted in 2024 after a strong senior season but excelled in independent ball before signing with the Mets in March 2026.

College Career Highlights (Louisville)In 2024 (senior year), he posted career highs:.

.302 AVG 9 HR 41 RBI 52 runs 34 stolen bases (led the ACC, top-10 nationally)

He showed a strong combination of contact, power, and elite speed on the bases. Over three college seasons, he hit .284/.402/.494 with 51 steals.

Independent League Performance

2024 (Lake Country DockHounds, American Association): .286/.385/.418 in 27 games.

2025 (Evansville Otters, Frontier League): .295/.412/.477 with 10 HR, 40 RBI, and 24 SB in 26 attempts over 80 games.

Strong slash lines with good extra-base power (doubles, triples, HR).

Continued speed (steals).

Solid on-base skills but with swing-and-miss (strikeout rates in the mid-to-high 20s).

Scouting-wise, he profiles as a toolsy outfielder with plus speed, emerging power, and athleticism. His bat has shown it can handle wood (independents + early minors), though he'll need to refine his approach and contact consistency for higher levels.

As a recent signee who skipped the draft, Benson is an intriguing "sleeper" type prospect for the Mets. He's not yet in most major top-30 organizational rankings, but his combination of speed, production, and athleticism gives him a chance to rise as a fourth outfielder or upside platoon/bench piece if he keeps hitting. Keep an eye on his power/speed numbers as he advances through the system.

Roybert Herrera/FCL Mets - .438/.471/.688/1.159, 1-HR, 3-RBI, 7-H, 17-PA

Roybert Jesus Herrera (born June 30, 2007, in Caucaugua, Venezuela) is an 18-year-old infielder (primarily 3B, also 1B/2B) in the New York Mets organization. He signed as an international free agent (UDFA) in January 2024.

Bats/Throws: Left/Right.

Height/Weight: 6'2", 175 lbs.

He has performed well in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) and is now in the Florida Complex League (FCL):

2024 (DSL, age 17): 24 G, .329/.407/.443 (91 PA), 1 HR, 8 SB, strong contact and on-base skills early on.

2025 (DSL, age 18): 39 G, .285/.371/.488 (143 PA), 6 HR, solid power development.

He shows a good hit tool, improving power (ISO around .200 in 2025), patience (BB% improving to ~10%), and speed. Strikeouts are manageable but present (21-25% range). He missed some time in 2026 with a minor injury (activated from IL in late May).

Herrera is a lower-level prospect who has not yet cracked major Mets top-10 or top-100 lists as of mid-2026. He is viewed as a toolsy, projectable young player with upside as he advances to full-season ball. His athleticism, left-handed bat, and positional versatility (infield focus) give him potential, but he needs more reps against better competition to rise.

He is still very young (turns 19 in late June 2026) and has time to develop. Expect him to continue progressing through the Mets' lower minors in 2026-2027.

John published a further update, for games played on 6/8-6/17:

Yohairo Cuevas/St. Lucie - .385/.515/.654/1.169

Yohairo Alexis Cuevas (born September 16, 2003, in New York, NY) is a 22-year-old left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder/first baseman in the New York Mets minor league system. He stands 6'3" and weighs 172 lbs.

Cuevas was signed by the Mets as an international free agent in January 2021 (reported signing bonus around $500,000). Though born in New York, he trained/developed in the Dominican Republic (including at the Fernando Tatis Baseball Academy) and began his pro career in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). He has ties to former MLB player Juan Samuel (his uncle).

He has shown patience at the plate (solid walk rates) but struggles with strikeouts and consistent power. His bat has progressed unevenly, with strong showings in lower levels but challenges in A+.

Key seasonal highlights (standard batting stats):2021 (DSL Mets 1, age 17): 41 G, .155/.331/.214, 0 HR, 5 SB, high K% (30.8%) but good OBP.

2022 (DSL Mets 1, age 18): 51 G, .277/.374/.398, 2 HR, 7 SB — solid breakout.

2023: Split between FCL Mets (.310/.444/.577, 4 HR in 23 G — best offensive showing) and St. Lucie (A: .215/.308/.354).

2024 (St. Lucie, A): 113 G, .213/.333/.296, 1 HR, 20 SB — played a full season but low power.

2025: Strong in A (St. Lucie: .278/.440/.369, 50 BB in 63 G) but struggled in A+ (Brooklyn: .206/.289/.271).

Career minors (through ~2026): ~.228/.356/.330 with 11 HR, 69 SB in ~380 games. He draws walks (career ~15% BB rate) but has high strikeouts and modest power (low ISO).

Primarily an outfielder (LF/RF, some CF) with increasing time at 1B. He has above-average speed early on and has stolen bases consistently (though success rate varies). Defense has been reliable in limited samples.

Overall, Cuevas is a toolsy, athletic lefty bat with good plate discipline and speed, but he needs to improve contact consistency and power production to climb higher in the system. He's had some injury/rehab time in recent years but has shown resilience in full-season ball. Keep an eye on his performance in A+ for signs of breaking through.

Jonnhan Sanchez/DSL Blue - .400/.556/.600/1.156

Jonnhan Jose Sanchez is a young Venezuelan outfield prospect in the New York Mets' minor league system.

Born: May 8, 2007 (age 19 as of mid-2026) in San Carlos, Venezuela.

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Height/Weight: 6'0" / 160 lbs

Position: Outfielder (primarily right field, also left field; has seen some time at first base)

The Mets signed him as an international free agent to a minor-league contract in January 2024 (around age 16). He has played in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) for the Mets' rookie-level affiliates (DSL Mets Blue/Orange).

He is a switch-hitting style lefty bat with speed and developing power, though he's still very early in his professional development.

Minor League Stats

2024 (age 17, DSL Mets Blue): Limited action (7 games) — struggled initially with a .053 average in 19 AB, but showed some pop (1 triple).

2025 (age 18, DSL Mets Blue): Much stronger — .259 AVG, .373 OBP, .370 SLG in 20 games (54 AB), with 1 HR, 9 RBI, 6 SB, and improved plate discipline.

He dealt with injuries in 2025 (placed on the 60-day IL in July, activated in November).

Sanchez is a raw, toolsy prospect still in the very early stages (Rookie/DSL level). Left-handed hitters with speed who can play the outfield have upside, but he needs more consistent at-bats and development before climbing the ranks toward full-season ball.

Yadier Fuentes/DSL Orange - .400/.571/.500/1.071

Yadier Fuentes is a 17-year-old catcher (born September 4, 2008) from Panama who signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent in January 2026 for a $80,000 bonus.

Position: Catcher (C)