I love it when our players get hot at the plate - don't you?
The great thing about a player, who's done well or struggled, is when they get HOT. FUEGO!
If you've hit well already and then get hot, it reaffirms that you have something noteworthy going on.
If you were struggling but then get hot, it shows perhaps that you've overcome a hurdle and are operating at a higher level.
Let's list 10 such Mets hitters, most notable of them (to me) the first 3 being my top 3 hottest hitters:
JAYLEN PALMER - Back in 2019, when he was 18, Palmer showed good pop for Kingsport, but did little by way of speed and fanned a lot. Skip 2020, and in 2021, he jumps 2 levels to St Lucie, and starts out slowly. On June 9th, an 0 for 4, 4 K game dropped him to .204. Since then, though? 37 for 106 (.349) with 15 walks - AND 15 steals. No homers this year, which I think is a good thing - he has the size (6’4”, 210) to clock HRs, but he needed to cut down on Ks coming in to 2021 and hit and get on base. Mission accomplished, as his season .383 OBP demonstrates. Versatile, multi-position player, turning just 21 this July 31.
MARK VIENTOS - While Baty, Mauricio and Alvarez got lots of publicity as the Brooklyn triumvirate and future treasure trove of the Mets, Vientos struggled in higher AA, having jumped there from Columbia in 2019. Lots of Ks, and not much doing with the bat early on. He bottomed out at .211, about the same time as Palmer bottomed, on June 8. Then, the light switch turned on.
He hit 9 HRs over the last 3 weeks of June and has added 4 more in July, along with 30 RBIs, in a 5 week span, and has raised his average to .275, with 16 HR and 43 RBIs in 189 at bats this year. Clearly a major league bat in development for this 21 year old.
KHALIL LEE - He got called up too soon in May, as the Mets' rash of injuries hit, and went just 1 for 18 with 13 Ks as a Met. Ouch. But he has been hot in AAA pretty much all year but, after a mid June slump that had him down to .243, he has occupied bases with incredible frequency over the last 4 weeks.
Starting June 23, he is 17 for 53, with a staggering 21 walks and 3 HBP. That adds up to an amazing 41 times on base in 77 plate appearances. May he stay hot the rest of the way.
PAT MAZEIKA - in 2018 and 2019, Pat was stuck in the .240s in Binghamton. He seemed to have plateaued.
Then he got some memorable 2021 moments in as a Met, and it seems to have translated over to his AAA play: 27 for 87 (.310) with 5 doubles, 5 HRs, and a .540 slug %. He has stayed hot, especially of late, and is just waiting for another call up opportunity.
ALBERT ALMORA - clearly in a special category, as he is a still-young major league vet; after not hitting in 2020, and not hitting in 2021, then getting sent to AAA and hitting just .179 in AAA on July 10. Would he ever hit again?
Seems the answer is yes: over the last 6 AAA games, 5 walks and 11 for 26. On base SIXTEEN TIMES in 6 games. Keep it up, Uncle Albert.
DREW JACKSON - a AAA 2nd baseman, he had a miserable June, hitting .155. But still managed somehow to accrue a .354 OBP that month! In July, he’s heated up with .364/.462/.591. Keep it up, Drew.
WAGNER LAGRANGE (AA) - he hit just .216 in May, but .312 in 30 games since, albeit with low power and just 7 walks. But that is a long stretch of good hitting. May Wagner hit like Honus.
HAYDEN SENGER - a catcher who has hit .296/.364/.496 all season? Impressive. Thrown out 36% of steal attempts this year, too? A fine season so far.
JOE SUOZZI - signed late, he has since played for St Lucie and Brooklyn, and checks in at a strong .278 with a .352 OBP and 13 steals in 34 games, with 19 ribbies. Keep it up, Joe.
RONNY MAURICIO - after a deep slump knocked him down to .216 recently, he has gone 11 for his last 27, and his 10 HRs and 35 RBIs are impressive, even more so considering that in his hitter-challenging home park, he has just 2 homers and 10 RBIs and a .176 average. Go, Ronny, go.
Before I go....Guys who are hot offensively in another way:
Cole Kleszcz and Matt O'Neill of St Lucie are a combined 27 for 152 (.179) with 69 strikeouts. You might ask: How the heck is THAT hot?
Well, the two have also walked a combined 48 times! Amazing. Giving them an OBP of .391.
Next time around - I will see if I can find 10 hot Mets minors pitchers. Maybe 11 if I try hard enough.
But before then, which of these hitters catches your attention?
By the way, two straight gritty wins - tons of offense, very exciting. The hitters are in gear, let’s do some damage.
15 comments:
GM all. I've been waiting to post this but now is probably the right time. I've been long tossing with my grandson and recently switched to the mound and think I'll drive over to St. Lucie and get some inning in to get ready for the "show". My fastball ain't what it used to be but my slider and curve are pretty good so what do you guys think?
Maybe when the hot Florida weather wind starts blowing out a little more we shall see a few Jaylen Palmer dingers.
Great post Tom. Lots of great info and analysis on a number of hitters.
Gary, refine the change up and they'll ink you immediately.
Howdy, Ernest, homers or no, I am thrilled to see Jaylen Palmer breaking out. I know McNeil hit few homers until he hit AA. Palmer is doing the right thing - getting on base a LOT.
John, my initial instinct when the minor league teams are playing combined .400 ball is that there are few guys of interest. I think that is untrue. Note that this list did not have Cortes and Baty, who've cooled lately, so there are more fine prospect hitters than just the 10 in the article. Hope for the future, and chips for trades.
Before the draft, Keith Law had the Mets system 16th. They are trying to improve and that’s why I hold at the trade deadline on my top 15-20 prospects. I still say to trade for Jose Quintana. Angels will not want much to get him off the books. Gilliam or even less.
Gus, I don't disagree with Law's assessment. Lots of weak players in the system, but also a good number of players with real MLB potential. Maybe with Kumar, they edge up to around # 10.
Speaking of Kumar, when/where is he expected to start pitching?
Nice article.
It is a nice article.
Tom, the Mets spoke about wanting to give him the summer off before in college pitchers are treated like urinal at a ballpark. I don’t follow the need to sign so quickly or for so much, like he would turn down $5.5MM, but, whatever. If Rocker is supposed to go directly to AA, can’t he be an emergency arm in September out of the pen at least?
Last thing from me, I have never seen so many pitching injuries in my Mets following years. Why isn’t Tropeano up yet?
*before he signed…
Ray, thanks.
Gus, I have no doubt he was heavily used. Still, if I am him, I would want to break the ice this year. No reason he can’t pitch for the Mets next year. Megill had 145 pro innings when he joined the Mets. 3 years at Vanderbilt should be at least High A equivalent experience.
Gus - Tropeano pitched Sunday. He gave up a run in 2 or 3 innings - sorry cab't remember
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