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| Bruin Agbayani and Boston Baro take in the AFL game |
The Arizona Fall League is already about two weeks into its season, or at the halfway point. Eight Met prospects have been playing with the Surprise Saguaros. Surprise is 8-3 and tied for first place in the six-team league.
The Mets sent three hitters to the desert. Cole Mathis, Boston Baro, and Bruin Agbayani.
Mathis, ranked at #13 on Pipeline, was the top prospect the Mets sent to Arizona. After coming over in June in the David Peterson trade, Mathis spent most of the season on the IL. His AFL season has been a bit of a struggle.
He's gone 4-for-24 with five walks and, on an encouraging note, he's only struck out three times. He also has a home run and four RBIs. Mathis, though, has been dealing with off-the-field issues. His mother passed away earlier this month at the age of 52. Some things are bigger than baseball.
Boston Baro, like Mathis, spent most of 2026 on the IL. He's been on and off the field this season, going 2-for-14 in limited AFL games. This could be to protect his health as he eases back into more regular playing time. He does however, have an impressive BB/K ratio. He's walked eight times and struck out five times. He's also coming off his best performance of the season on Saturday night, when he scored three runs and stole two bases.
Bruin Agbayani, at age 19, is the youngest Met in the AFL this season. He doesn't quite have the power numbers of his father, going 2-for-22 so far. But he's been getting regular playing time at second base, and that is invaluable at his age, going against some of the more elite talent in MiLB.
While most of these stats are disappointing, it's important to remember that the Mets opted to send players who need reps due to injuries this summer. The fact that these players are seeing consistent playing time and staying off the IL is encouraging in itself.
3 comments:
My condolences for Cole Mathis on his mother’s passing.
The three Mets hitters have been quite disappointing. Walks are an epidemic in the AFL. I SAW THE Mets’ team (no Nets pitching) walked 14 last night, and the team’s hitters walked 20 times over two games on Friday and Saturday. Let’s start hitting, guys.
The Mets use the AFL experience as a healing moment. Not fun for the fans and, judging by this year's results, not that fun for the players either
None of these three have played higher than A+ ball, and they are facing some of the toughest competition they have seen. It is not a surprise that none are hitting .300, but they seem to be showing good plate discipline and are seeing pitching that they will have to adjust to in their development path.
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