John From Albany: 10 Years Ago - Pen Struggles in loss to Fish, 9/4/2015

 

Sean Gilmartin, 2015 Topps Baseball Card

2015, the last year the Mets made the World Series.  This daily post will detail the game by game journey to the Fall Classic.  Click here for More Mets History and Calendar Classics.

Year: 2015; Game #134; Friday;  Sep 4, NYM 5 @ MIA; 6; boxscore;   WP: Ellington; LP: Goeddel; Time: 03:49; NIGHT; Attendance: 24,763; Record: 74-60; Standings: 1; Games up/behind: up 5.0; L-wo; 

Curtis Granderson RF: 1 for 3; HBP; 1 run; 1 walk; Kevin Plawecki C: 0 for 1; 1 K; David Wright 3B: 0 for 5; GDP; 1 walk; 1 K; Yoenis Céspedes CF: 2 for 6; HR,3B; 2 runs; 2 RBIs; 1 K; Michael Conforto LF: 0 for 6; 1 RBI; 2 Ks; Travis d'Arnaud C: 2 for 3; 1 run; 2 walks; Juan Lagares PR-RF: 1 for 1; 1 run; Juan Uribe 2B: 1 for 6; GDP; 1 K; Kelly Johnson 1B: 2 for 5; 2 RBIs; 2 Ks; Rubén Tejada SS: 1 for 3; IW; 1 walk; Eric Young Jr. PR: 0 for 0; Wilmer Flores SS: 0 for 0; 1 walk; Jacob deGrom P: 1 for 2; 1 walk; Kirk Nieuwenhuis PH-RF: 1 for 2; Jacob deGrom: 6 innings; 3 runs; 3 ERs; 9 hits; 4 Ks; Sean Gilmartin: 0 inning; 2 runs; 2 ERs; 2 hits; Addison Reed, BS (3): 1 inning; no runs; 2 hits; 1 walk; 1 K; Hansel Robles: 1 inning; no runs; Tyler Clippard: 1 inning; no runs; 1 hit; 1 K; Erik Goeddel, L (0-1): 1.1 innings; 1 run; 1 ER; 2 hits; 1 K; Eric O'Flaherty: 0.1 inning; no runs; 1 hit; 

NY Post: Pen implodes as Mets fall to Marlins in 11, lead cut to 5. "Sean Gilmartin and Addison Reed stumbled through a seventh inning during which the Marlins scored twice to take a 5-4 lead before the Mets tied the game in the ninth and Erik Goeddel and O’Flaherty faltered in the 11th. The Mets (74-60) saw their NL East lead sliced to five games, as the Nationals rallied to beat the Braves 5-2 in 10 innings."

ESPN.com: "New York overcame an early 3-0 deficit to take the lead, and tied the seesaw game by scoring with a two-out rally in the ninth. But the Mets stranded 13 runners, including three in the eighth and three more in the ninth. They have scored 22 runs in the past three games but lost two of them."

Nationals beat the Braves 5-2 to pull 5 games within the 1st place Mets. 

NL East Standings 9/4/2015

Tm	W	L	W-L%	GB	RS	RA	pythW-L%
NYM	74	60	.552	--	555	502	.546
WSN	69	65	.515	5.0	584	539	.537
MIA	56	79	.415	18.5	505	557	.455
ATL	54	81	.400	20.5	482	649	.367
PHI	53	82	.393	21.5	525	690	.378

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/4/2015.

MACK - STUFF

 

So... was this was the 'bad' version of Nolan McLean?

"Only 6-IP", 3-H, 2-ER, 3-BB, 7-K

"Only" 56 strikes in 90 pitches.

Ernest Dove put it best to be during the game... "he wasn't getting ahead early and it was costing him."

For me, he simply was throwing too many balls in his early innings. Screw the two runs. That isn't going to be a factor playing for a team that is averaging over 10 runs a game lately. 

No, in my opinion, all McLean was attempting to do by the end of the second inning was get five innings under his belt and try to also keep his ERA down.

He finally did hit stride... especially with that 'three up, three struck out' inning. His last four innings produced no runs, six strikeouts, in only 49 pitches.

But after six innings, 90 pitches, and a million run lead, Carlos Mendoza did the right thing and pulled him so he could watch his fourth win in four starts eventually end.

For me?

If this is the worst, than this is a future superstar in this game.

Mets Analytics                  @MetsAnalytics

Brandon Nimmo tonight:

109.8 MPH lineout

110.3 MPH single

97.9 MPH single

112.2 MPH single

104.4 MPH groundout

Locked

 

Reminder than entering tonight, Luis Torrens was already the best catcher in baseball at catching base stealers.

He’s 1 for 1 tonight against Zach McKinstry, who’s 95th percentile in baseball this year for baserunning run value.

Mets Player Development                          @MetsPlayerDev

Jacob Reimer just keeps on raking.

He is the Mets Minor League Player of the Week!

 

Syracuse Mets                  @SyracuseMets

Following Last Saturday’s Start in Scranton- Brandon Sproat is your Player of the Week

 

Mets Player Development           @MetsPlayerDev

After another dominant start, R.J. Gordon takes home the Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Week award!

 

New York Mets                                 @Mets

These arms are ready to bring the heat

Join us at CitiField on September 13 for the Alumni Classic!

 

Codify                                   @CodifyBaseball

Batting Average, Last 24 Games:

.293 NYM

.274 MIL TOR

.271 PHI

.266 TEX

.259 COL

.257 KC

 

Jim Koenigsberger                          @Jimfrombaseball

Buddy Lewis broke into the big leagues at age 19, was a regular by age 20, and an All Star by age 21. When the infielder recorded his 1,000th career hit on June 4, 1941, he was just 24 years old. Only four players in MLB history reached the 1,000-hit plateau at a younger age. All are in the HOF, Ty Cobb, Mel Ott, Al Kaline, Freddie Lindstrom.

Then everything changed.

Buddy Lewis enlisted into the army to fight in WWII, flying a C-47 that he named “The Old Fox” in honor of Senators owner Clark Griffith, Lewis survived more than 350 missions.

When he returned to the game after a 3 ½-year absence, he was a different man, a different player.

"When I came back from the war, my philosophy of life was completely different. I had changed so much that baseball didn’t mean as much to me, as it did before the war."

When he left the game 51 days after his 33rd birthday, Lewis had 1,112 hits, 172 doubles, a .306 average and a .372 on-base percentage, at age 24.

After the war, he totaled 481 hits.

He never regretted his decision to serve his country.

HERO and Legend

MACK - My Wednesday Observations. - Minor League Coaches, Sept. Schedule, Jonah Tong, WAR, Umps

 

Morning Thoughts 

Question…

Who had the WORST OPS in baseball, in August?

Answer at the end of this…

Manny Gomez (@MannyGo3) wrote this past Sunday, just after the latest blow-up by Kodai Senga on the mound, about his stats this season BEFORE his hammy injury versus the stats AFTER it:

          Kodai Senga pre- and post-hamstring injury:

          Pre: 13 GS, 12 ER, 73 2/3 (1.47 ERA), 70 K, 4 HR

          Post: 9 GS, 26 ER, 39 2/3 (5.90 ERA), 39 K, 8 HR

The first question that came to my feeble brain is why hasn't anyone in the Mets organization figured out there might be a problem here?

And what did Senga have to say after this last poor outing:

          "There are some parts of my body that aren't moving the way I want it to.   At the same time, I'm out there and I'm competing. It's a fine line and it's tough for me, because I'm out there but I'm not able to perform."

You got to be shittin’ me. Even he knows he should be shut down.

What you definitely have is a pattern that needs to be addressed.

Why not place him on the long-term IL and call up someone like Brandon Sproat? 

You can then put Sproat on the 40-man. 

Easy peasy.

This ain't rocket science. Nor should you try to come up with new definitions of insanity. Sean Manaea joins Senga as two failed starters this season and I just don't understand why both of these remain in the rotation.

David Peterson is another fish to fry, but, for sure, Sproat and Tylor Megill should replace them before they start again.

Senga has an option left. Manaea can become a long man. That again, give him one inning for the rest of the season.

Also, you can't keep asking a team to score double figures every game. That just isn't fair.

David… Steven… you’re running out of time here…

 

Answer:

Pete Crow-

Armstrong 

0.452-OPS

Ernest Dove         @ernestdove

Random important note on Mets farm system

Not enough credit being given to the minor league coaching staff, hitting & pitching coaches when discussing the success of Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong & overall the new #1 ranked farm system.

The amount of work pitchers have put in while MANY of them have altered grips/pitches/arsenals as well as the Mets minor league bats altering swing/approach with guidance & never ending in-season tweaks at the watchful eyes of staff are having an impact.

Mack – this is so true. I remember the influence Frank Viola had on a young pitcher that arrived at Savannah with little fanfare. He molded the brash, long haired kid into the pitcher he is today… Jake deGrom.

  

Toughest road in September –

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6587549/2025/09/01/mlb-contenders-postseason-strength-schedule/

New York Mets

Record: 73-64

Playoff odds: 93.1 percent

Strength of schedule: .499

Early September schedule

Tigers       Sept. 1-3      3x      Road      .577

Reds         Sept. 5-7      3x      Road      .500

Phillies     Sept. 8-11    4x      Road      .581

Rangers    Sept. 12-14  3x     Home     .511

Key series: Sept. 5-7 at Reds

The Mets appeared to have found their footing last week, sweeping the Phillies. But losing three of four to the Marlins over the weekend was an awful way to set up for this next stretch — a 10-game trip to Detroit, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. 

The Mets currently hold a four-game lead over the Reds for the third NL wild-card spot. The Reds won their only other meeting this season, taking two of three in July. The Mets hope to handle business this time, then round out the road swing with another strong showing against the Phillies. 

 

Payton Tolle or Jonah Tong: Which top prospect had the more impressive MLB debut?

https://fansided.com/mlb/peyton-tolle-or-jonah-tong-which-top-prospect-had-the-more-impressive-mlb-debut

Jonah Tong was lights-out against the Marlins

Tong was plenty dominant, although he went about it differently than Tolle. The righty, whose Vulcan changeup has already made him a TikTok legend, basically uses the exact same extreme overhand windup and release as former Giants superstar Tim Lincecum.

Whereas Tolle has a power element to his game, Tong pitches to contact. He will pick up his share of strikeouts, but Miami put 17 balls in play on 97 pitches — a 17 percent rate. Tong generated half as many whiffs on more pitches than Tolle. He was in the strike zone less often. Both pitchers were nearly identical in terms of average exit velocity (86.3 MPH for Tong, compared to 85.4 MPH for Tolle), although Tolle never allowed a single hit above 100 MPH on the exit velo radar gun. Tong's max for the evening was a 111.1 MPH missile.

Tong did not stretch into the sixth inning. He gave up twice as many hits as Tolle, but also avoided walks and did not compound errors. If we want to nitpick, he gave up one run in five innings, whereas Tolle didn't get got until the sixth frame. Even so, Tong's ability to pitch out of jams and mitigate damage was extremely impressive.

It's only one game — and again, we can't say much definitively based on a single game — but Tong feels like an important part of the Mets' pitching staff moving forward. Whether he's starting in the postseason or picking up high-leverage bullpen spots in October, only time will tell.

Thomas Nestico          @TJStats

I have no issues weighing WAR heavily when deciding who to vote for awards. After all, WAR tries to capture the value of a player from their ACTUAL results. I don’t solely use WAR because I do believe context is important (like WPA and RE24)

WAR, in all forms, captures and estimates the value of a player better than any person could. It is consistent, unbiased, and systematic

Echoing Tom Tango (@tangotiger): “WAR: it may not be perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. It just needs to be better than the next best thing. Which is?

Tom Tango                          @tangotiger

There are MANY ways to calculate WAR, not just one. If you say "WAR says this" then you don’t understand WAR enough to criticize it (but enough to be on cable news)

WAR simply forces a systematic, unbiased, consistent approach

 

Are MLB umpires getting worse?

https://www.theblaze.com/fearless/mlb-umpires-worse-or-better

Using numbers from a recent Umpire Scorecards post, overall accuracy for umpires in 2025 is 93%. While this may seem low, it's a combination of called-ball accuracy averages (97%) and called-strike accuracy averages (88%).

Scoring the average accuracy rating of an umpire throughout the course of the season and weighing that against what is expected of them, we see that fewer umpires are dipping below the expected performance levels year over year.

In 2022, 35 umpires had an average accuracy rating below what was expected of them. In 2023, that number was 27, and in 2024, it was 21. In 2025, that number dropped to just 16.

Looking back through these years, not only are poor averages less abundant, but the MLB even seems to be getting less lenient about giving inaccurate umpires the go-ahead to call games.

CLICK ON LINK FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

Reese Kaplan -- There is Some Good Offensive News for the Mets

As bad as June was for the Mets when they went 12-16 against their opponents, believe it or not August was worse when they accrued an 11-17 record.  Ugh!  So instead of focusing on what’s gone wrong, let’s take a look at a few bright spots for this 2025 season.

When the Mets signed Juan Soto for the record setting contract, everyone who was a Mets fan was doing cartwheels and started hawking how the club was going to be fighting for a World Series berth in October. 

Well, things did not start off exactly as planned.  The batting average being significantly lower than his career mark was the first sign, but he also seemed to be having trouble coming up clutch to help the team score runs. 

Now the Mets are seeing the guy they hoped to see when they secured his long term future in Queens.  He’s already got 36 home runs (including a Grand Slam against the Tigers on Monday).  With his big day that tallied 6 RBIs he’s now up to 90 for the season on the first day of September. 

One thing that folks weren’t expecting from Soto was him becoming a dangerous baserunner.  He’s already got 26 stolen bases and the prospect of him having a 30-30 season is virtually a certainty. 

Now the Mets are not alone in these big number hitters.  Free agent to be Pete Alonso is on a pace for his best ever run production numbers.  On September 1st he’s hitting .267 with 31 home runs and 110 RBIs.  How many of each he’ll have by month’s end is anyone’s guess but that would be the second 30/100 player in the lineup. 

The one that might be a bit more of a stretch but entirely possible is the stat totals for Francisco Lindor.  As of September 1st he he’s already got 26 hme runs and 26 stolen bases, so the 30-30 season is eminently possible with 29 more days to get it done.  He is a bit low on the RBI total at 76 having spent much of the season leading off.  He would need to rally big time in RBIs for September to give the Mets a third 30/100 hitter in the lineup.

Not far off that pace but also a bit of a long shot is Brandon Nimmo.  He’s got 22 HRs and 77 RBVIs so he would need to hit home runs in clusters to get up to the 30 level.  If he does then those missing 23 RBIs would become possible if not probably. 

Unfortunately for the offense it pretty much ends there.  Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have shown more life in the last three weeks of August but there has been not much productivity out of center field, at catcher and from the bench.  Starling Marte was red hot for awhile but he’s coming off a few bad games.  Still, he leads the team in batting average but without much run production. 

Now if only the club could find some pitching...

MACK - DEEP DIVE - 3B Jacob Reimer - OF Sam Biller - IF Yonatan Henriquez

 

Farm To Flushing                             @FarmToFlushing

Jacob Reimer in his last seven games:

.417/.563/.833, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1.396 OPS

                A deep dive…

                Jacob Reimer

Position: Third Baseman/First Baseman/Left Fielder

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Height/Weight: 6'0", 205 lbs

Born: February 22, 2004, in Redlands, CA

Draft: Selected by the Mets in the 4th round (119th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft from Yucaipa High School, signing for $775,000, above the slot value of $507,700.

Status: Active, currently with Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies (as of August 2025).

Career Highlights:

2025 Season: Reimer has had a breakout year, showcasing significant offensive improvement. In 2025, across High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, he posted a .270 batting average, .374 on-base percentage, and .848 OPS with 15 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 382 at-bats. His performance included a historic three-home-run game on April 30, 2025, with High-A Brooklyn, earning him South Atlantic League Player of the Month honors (.318/.383/.659, 5 HR, 21 RBI in 21 games).

Career Stats (MiLB):

Over his minor league career, Reimer has a .263 average, .384 OBP, .799 OPS, 24 HR, 127 RBI, and 17 SB in 819 at-bats.

2024 Season: Limited by a hamstring injury, Reimer played only 25 games, slashing .218/.358/.282 with no home runs. He rehabbed and returned to High-A Brooklyn by July 31, 2024, showing resilience.

Prospect Rankings:

Ranked as the Mets' No. 6 prospect and No. 59 overall by FanGraphs, with an ETA of 2027. His scouting grades include Hit: 55, Power: 50, Run: 40, Arm: 50, Field: 45, Overall: 50.

Playing Style:

Offense: Reimer is known for strong swing decisions and a near-elite ability to make contact, with a high on-base percentage (.412 in Single-A in 2023). He’s improved his power output in 2025, slugging .502 in High-A and hitting 15 homers overall. His work in the Mets’ hitting lab has refined his approach, focusing on timing and hip rotation to handle velocity and increase flyball rates.

Defense:

Originally a shortstop in high school, Reimer moved to third base due to below-average speed. He’s also played first base and left field, with improved defensive skills in 2025, posting a .979 fielding percentage at third base (1 error in 47 chances).

Development:

Reimer’s ability to draw walks (more walks than strikeouts in some seasons) and his evolving power make him a promising prospect. His defensive versatility and recent improvements suggest he could stick at third base long-term.

Background:

Reimer was a standout at Yucaipa High School, where the Mets’ scouting team remained confident in his potential despite waning interest from other teams. His $775,000 signing bonus reflected their belief in his upside. A hamstring injury in 2024 delayed his progress, but his 2025 performance has put him back on track as a potential future contributor at third base for the Mets, though he’s likely a few years away from the majors.

Future Outlook:

Reimer’s breakout 2025 season positions him as a candidate for the Mets’ future at third base. The trading of Jesus Baez helps his case.

 If he maintains his offensive production and defensive improvements, he could reach the majors by 2027. His next steps likely involve a full season in Double-A and potentially Triple-A in 2026

                Mack –

Wow. I didn’t expect to find such positive things about his improving defense. Trust me, he’s never going to play a game at third in the majors unless he can defend there.

Still, I see no path for him on this team going forward.

Daniel Wexler                   @WexlerRules

The Mets have signed UDFA UConn OF Sam Biller. Biller hit .296/.415/.563 with 13 homers/23 steals for the 2025 Huskies

                A deep dive…

Sam Biller is a 23-year-old outfielder who signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on August 26, 2025, and was assigned to the St. Lucie Mets, their Single-A affiliate.

Born on July 7, 2002, in Los Angeles, California, Biller is 5'10" tall, weighs 180 pounds, and bats and throws left-handed.

Before joining the Mets, Biller played college baseball at multiple schools:

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (2021), Loyola Marymount University (2022-2024), and the University of Connecticut (2025).

At UConn, he had a standout 2025 season, playing in 58 games with 53 starts, hitting .296 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. He led the team with 19 hit-by-pitches and was named Perfect Game National Player of the Week after a remarkable performance from April 29 to May 4, 2025, going 12-19 with four doubles, five home runs, and 17 RBIs, including a three-home-run, six-RBI game against Villanova on May 2.

At Loyola Marymount, he played 116 games over three seasons, hitting .255 with 18 doubles, 17 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases.

His freshman year at Cal Poly saw him bat .253 in 45 games with 27 starts, recording five doubles and five RBIs.

Biller also played summer ball in 2024 with the Keene Swamp Bats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, hitting .250 with a home run in 13 games.

A 2020 graduate of Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City, California, Biller was a three-year varsity starter, hitting .486 in his senior year before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. He helped his high school team to a Mission League championship and a runner-up finish in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs as a junior.

 Biller, whose full name is Samuel Ethan Biller, majored in economics and aspires to play professional baseball or work on Wall Street.

Ernest Dove         @ernestdove

Was told this week by coaching staff that they absolutely love Mets super utility prospect 20 yr old Yonatan Henriquez. Staff feel he can more than adequately field ALL 6 of the positions he’s played this season.  He’s played all but 1B P C. Assume hit tool decides future MLB shot.

        A deep dive…

Player Profile: Yonatan Henriquez

Team: New York Mets (Minor Leagues, Single-A Affiliate, St. Lucie Mets)

Position: Shortstop (SS), Third Baseman (3B), with experience in other positions like Second Base (2B), Left Field (LF), Right Field (RF), and Center Field (CF)

Bats/Throws: Switch hitter (S) / Right-handed thrower (R)

Physical Stats: 5'10", 185 lbs

Age: 20 (Born October 12, 2004, in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic)

Status: Active

Contract: Signed a 1-year, $104,000 contract with the New York Mets

Current Level: Single-A (St. Lucie Mets, as of 2025)

Career Overview

Yonatan Henriquez is a versatile infielder and outfielder in the Mets’ minor league system, noted for his speed and utility profile. Henriquez is a position player who has shown promise as a prospect, particularly with his recent performance in August 2025.

Career Path:

Henriquez began his professional career in the Mets’ system, initially assigned to the Florida Complex League (FCL) Mets.

He was later assigned to the St. Lucie Mets (Single-A) and has moved between the active roster and the development list. For example, he was activated by St. Lucie, transferred to the development list, and reassigned from FCL Mets to St. Lucie.

In 2022–2025, he played across various minor league levels, with 2025 being a notable year for his offensive contributions at St. Lucie.

Henriquez has played multiple positions, including 3B (62 games), 2B (25 games), LF (16 games), SS (11 games), RF (11 games), and CF (10 games), showcasing his versatility.

Recent Performance (2025):

Henriquez had a standout August 2025 with the St. Lucie Mets, highlighted by a scorching-hot performance that included solo home runs and strong offensive contributions. For instance, on August 21, 2025, he hit a solo home run and contributed to a 7-1 lead in a game against Palm Beach, though the game went to extra innings.

His performance in August 2025 has been noted as potentially pushing him into the back end of Mets prospect lists due to his speed and utility profile.

In one game, he was part of a St. Lucie lineup where teammate John Bay went 4-4 with 5 RBIs, and Henriquez’s contributions helped maintain offensive momentum.

Prospect Status:

While not currently ranked among the Mets’ top 30 prospects, Henriquez is considered a player to watch, as noted in Baseball America’s 2025 prospect evaluations. His recent hot streak and positional versatility make him a candidate for climbing prospect rankings.

His speed and ability to play multiple positions (infielder and outfielder) are key attributes that enhance his value as a prospect.

Steve Sica - The Next Pitchers in the Mets Pipeline

By, Steve Sica

This last month, Mets fans have been treated to a couple of spectacular pitching debuts. None more so than Nolan McLean, who in his first three starts has an ERA of 0.89 and has shut down arch rival Atlanta and Philly’s offense. Jonah Tong made his debut to much fanfare and lived up to the hype, pitching five innings and allowing just one run in a win over Miami.

The Mets' system is still loaded with pitching talent across all levels. Brandon Sproat is the last of the big three pitchers that remain in Triple-A Syracuse, and he’ll likely have his chance before the end of this season. Here’s a look at some other pitchers further down the Met pipeline.

RHP Jack Wenninger (Double-A Binghamton)

Wenninger was the Mets’ sixth-round draft pick back in 2023 and has enjoyed a career year during his first season in Double-A Binghamton. In 24 starts, Wenninger has an ERA of 2.98 and currently leads the team in strikeouts with 138. While Tong was with the Rumble Ponies, Wenninger was not far behind him in most pitching stat leaders. 

August might have been Wennniger’s best month of the season. Pitching in 28 innings to the tune of a 2.86 ERA and totaled 28 strikeouts, including an eight-strikeout performance in six innings in a win over New Hampshire on August 16th. His control is impeccable for his experience level, as he’s only allowed 38 walks in 123 innings pitched. That control has allowed him to stretch out his starts, lasting five innings or more in his last five starts.

Wenninger has enjoyed a dominant season in the MiLB “prove it” league of Double-A. He’ll likely finish out the season there, and you can expect him with Syracuse next season, and perhaps in Queens by the end of 2026.

RHP Will Watson (Double-A Binghamton)

Drafted just last year, Will Watson has rocketed through the Minors all the way to Double-A. The 22-year-old USC product started this season in Low-A St. Lucie and, after an up-and-down couple of months, he earned a promotion to High-A Brooklyn, where his season took off.

Over 13 starts with the Cyclones, Watson put up a commanding 1.70 ERA over 63 innings pitched. He totaled 125 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.211. In his last three starts in High-A, he didn’t allow a run, and in his last start, he went a season high six innings pitched, allowing just two hits in a shutout effort over Aberdeen.

That was enough to earn his second promotion of the season to Double-A Binghamton. Watson made his Rumble Pony debut on August 29th, pitching four and one-third innings, allowing just one run with five strikeouts. 

Like Wenninger, Watson came to the Mets in the middle rounds of the MLB draft. A theme that’s carried over the last couple of drafts in the Steve Cohen era. A seventh-round pick in 2024, Watson has quietly put together some of the most dominant numbers in the Mets’ system in 2025. He’s particularly effective against left-handed batters who are hitting just .171 off Watson. Expect him to start 2026 in Double-A Binghamton, where he’ll likely spend most of 2026, with an MLB promotion expected at this pace by 2027.

Will Watson put up an ERA of 1.70 in 13 starts with High-A Brooklyn

RHP R.J. Gordon (Double-A Binghamton)

Another potential steal of a draft pick. Gordon was selected by the Mets out of Oregon University in the 13th round of the 2024 draft. 2025 was his first professional season, and he began his career with High-A Brooklyn.

Gordon started off strong in his first five starts, putting up an ERA of 2.14, a 3-0 record, and ringing up 24 strikeouts across 21 innings pitched. His most impressive start with Brooklyn came at home on June 27th, where he fired six shutout innings with six strikeouts over Jersey Shore. 

A couple of weeks after that, he was called up to Double-A Binghamton, where he continued to open eyes across the Mets system when, in his Rumble Pony debut, he pitched a career-high seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run and amassed eight strikeouts in a win over Altoona. Gordon would pitch seven innings in two more starts. He ended August on a high note with a 2.08 ERA in six starts (34.2 IP) and 42 strikeouts.

R.J. Gordon had 42 strikeouts in August with Double-A Binghamton

LHP Jonathon Santucci (Double-A Binghamton)

Drafted by the Mets in the second round of the 2024 draft (46th pick overall) out of Duke University, the 22-year-old Santucci has already found his way to Double-A Binghamton. It took Santucci about a month into his MiLB career to start to find himself as he struggled through most of April with High-A Brooklyn. His next two months were anything but a struggle. In nine starts from May 15th to July 5th, Santucci pitched to an ERA of 1.35 and struck out 54 batters in 46 innings pitched. His best High-A start was his last, where he fired six shutout innings and tallied up nine strikeouts.

After that, Santucci found himself in Double-A Binghamton, and his numbers have only improved at the next level. In 39 Double-A innings, Santucci has an ERA of 3.00, opponents are batting just .187 against him, and he has totaled 50 strikeouts, including an 11-strikeout performance on August 15th against New Hampshire.

At just 22 years old, Santucci is on the younger side for Double-A players. He’s put an ugly start to his 2025 campaign behind him and has established himself as one of the Mets’ best prospects, currently ranking at number 14 per MLB Pipeline. I’d imagine we’ll see him back with Binghamton to start the 2026 season, with a promotion to Syracuse at some point that summer.

RHP Noah Hall (High-A Brooklyn)

Another mid-draft find for the Mets. Noah Hall was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB draft out of the University of South Carolina. He spent most of 2024 on the injured list, pitching in just 13 innings. He’s been with High-A Brooklyn for all of 2025 and has bounced back nicely from injuries. 

In 108 innings pitched, Hall has an ERA of 2.42, a record of 5-6, and has 110 strikeouts. Control has been an issue for Hall as he’s also surrendered 60 walks. When Hall does have his control on point, he can be one of the best pitchers in the Met system. On July 12th, he went seven shutout innings against Wilmington, allowing just one walk while striking out four. On August 8th in Hudson Valley, he went six strong innings, striking out seven and allowing one walk.

At 24 years old, Hall is still a bit of a work in progress. The Mets seem to be in no hurry to move him through the system as he’s spent 2025 working on his craft and recovering from injury. The High-A season ends on Sunday, September 7th. The Cyclones have qualified for the postseason, which means Hall will see at least one more start after the regular season ends. Will the Mets choose to end his season once the South Atlantic League ends theirs, or will they promote him to Binghamton to get a taste of Double-A before 2026?

Honorable mentions:

Joel Diaz: 102.1 IP, 21 BB, 97 SO, 3.69 ERA, 1.182 WHIP

Zach Thornton: 6-2, 72.2 IP, 78 SO, .187 opp AVG, 1.98 ERA with High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton.

Camden Lohman: 8th round pick in 2025. High school stats: 0.80 ERA in 44 IP with 92 strikeouts