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.

Alex Rubinson - Mets Need to get Everyone onto One Timeline

Patience is a virtue…or so they say. That saying doesn’t really apply to sports anymore and hasn’t for quite some time. Owners across the sports landscape are growing more and more impatient by the year. 

Remember when owners were willing to give the people they hired a full opportunity to see their plans through? Gone are the days of the five-year rebuild. That used to be standard in baseball. Now, we have managers fired after making the postseason. 

Executives are under more pressure to win on a yearly basis than ever before, especially with three wild car spots in each league. We are used to seeing turnover in football, but just this past offseason, MLB saw a third of its league undergo a managerial change. 

As we enter July and are fewer than two weeks from the all-star break, three managers and one general manager have already been let go. Baseball used to be the game without a clock. The pitch clock changed that. For executives and managers, the pitch timer isn’t the only thing that is constantly ticking down. 

We are now one week into the Andy Green era as the New York Mets Manager. I don’t expect that time period to last past the early fall months. After a lot of speculation going back to the middle of April, the Mets relieved Carlos Mendoza of his managerial duties. The move wasn’t a surprise by any stretch. 

It was only a matter of time. Mendoza certainly wasn’t to blame for all of the Mets woes and should be able to find a job somewhere lower on the totem poll elsewhere. Having said that, it had become abundantly clear that Mendoza’s message was not registering with the rest of the team. 

The clubhouse was not responding and didn’t appear to play with a sense of urgency unlike what transpired back in 2024. Overall, I don’t have a huge problem with making midseason changes. It has become commonplace in sports in the year 2026. What is puzzling is what transpired in the offseason that may have led to this very moment. 

As I outlined last week, the Mets may have made a giant mistake letting go of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who has enjoyed success early in his tenure with the Atlanta Braves. Of course, Hefner was far from the only coach let go after a second half collapse last year. The Mets completely overhauled their coaching staff under Mendoza. 

I am not saying that Mendoza deserved to be fired this past offseason, as he was only one year removed from being two wins away from a World Series berth, but the key to an organization is alignment. Most people look at alignment between the top decision-maker in an organization (David Stearns in this case) and the manager, but it’s just as important to have alignment between the manager and the rest of the coaching staff. 

This isn’t to say that there was mixed messaging in New York’s clubhouse, but typically you want everyone on the same timeline. As soon as you part ways with the coaches but keep the manager, you are separating the timelines. 

When the Mets hire their next manager, I don’t expect any coaches to be forced onto his coaching staff. We should see the manager and coaches re-aligned next season, but where does that leave the current batch of coaches? Most of them will most likely be fired and be forced to seek employment elsewhere. Some might be able to return to their former organizations, but others will be on the outside looking in. 

If you’re a coach on another team and the Mets approach you about an opening as an assistant, would that job be appealing? The Mets won’t have any trouble filling their vacancies given the lack of supply in the market, but if you were an up-and-comer with multiple teams showing interest in your services, would the Mets be the dream destination? You just saw a whole bunch of people that the franchise targeted get let go a season later. 

Maybe I’m on an island, but I still believe David Stearns is a smart baseball man, sometimes he might even be too smart for his own good. I think there is a healthy debate to be had on if he should keep his job beyond this season. Although I would have no problem keeping Stearns, you would be running into the same problem outlined above. 

An incumbent head executive bringing in a new manager. Stearns and the new manager might share a similar philosophy, but the two timelines would not be aligned. 

As of now, what is the direction of the organization? A sinking team with a robust payroll and a mediocre farm system. Yes, Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing have shown they can be staples of a big league roster. Them along with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto should form a very good core, but the team needs more than that. 

Stearns came from an organization that could develop pitching like it was nothing. They could self-scout so well that they knew every member of their entire organization like the back of their hand. This Mets team has yet to show that. With everyone’s focus being on the future of Stearns (along with Mendoza before he was fired), not many have looked at what 2027 will look like…assuming we are playing baseball. 

If you keep Stearns, you are most likely trying to double down on a flawed roster with a brand new manager. Would Stearns get at least two years, or would you fire him and keep the new manager and have both men on opposite timelines? 

Stearns is more than qualified and competent enough to lead a big league organization, but the Mets need to get everyone on the same page, and more importantly, the same timeline. They need to pick a clear path and avoid being directionless, which is where the organization currently stands. Steve Cohen is entering a crossroads once the Citi Field lights shut off for the final time in 2026. His ensuing decisions will dictate the direction of the franchise for years to come. Forget about trying to win a championship in the next three to five years (of course that's still the ultimate goal), right now, it’s just about everyone’s three-to-five year timeline all on one level field.