Reese Kaplan -- Bullpen Fixed But Now Mets Have Shaky Starters

Earlier in the year it was a matter of bullpen woes that condemned the Mets to the losing side of the results column for games they played.  Then some things started falling into place with Jose Butto, Dedniel Nunez, early season Reed Garrett, seldom healthy Sean Reid-Foley and Edwin Diaz put together enough solid outings that you didn’t necessarily break out into a cold sweat anytime the starting pitcher left the mound. 

Now it’s those starting pitchers who are often the ones causing agita for fans and the Mets front office.  We already praised the surprisingly effective pitching of David Peterson and Sean Manaea.  Luis Severino has been more good than bad but aside from his recent complete game he is not exactly a sure thing when he takes starts a game.  That, unfortunately is where the good news ends.

Still on the injury list is projected number one starter Kodai Senga and rookie call-up from earlier in the year, Christian Scott.  No one is questioning the ability of Senga to perform at an elite level when he’s healthy enough to do so.  Scott looked to be the very solid pitcher he appeared to demonstrate in Syracuse when he arrived, too, but when his health turned so too did the numbers her provided from the mound.  It’s doubtful Senga will return this year but Scott is in injury rehab now and has progressed to long tossing before taking to the mound. 

The problem is that the Mets need pitching now and the triumvirate of contenders for two open rotation slots are not exactly filling anyone with confidence.  Jose Quintana is going to pitch Sunday in San Diego after posting a nearly 9.00 ERA for the month of August.  There’s nowhere for him to go but up and his career track record suggests he is a far better pitcher than he’s shown lately.  He has a career 3.80 ERA and in an injury shortened 2023 he posted an even better 3.57.  Age and health could be issues here, but as a pending free agent his leash is probably pretty short.

Then you have newcomer Paul Blackburn.  In his career he owns a losing record and a 4.85 ERA but since his arrival in New York from Oakland via the late July trade over his five games started he hasn’t even been at that level with a 5.15 ERA.  Now his last game obviously inflated that number significantly as he wasn’t fooling anyone with his pitches.  He shows good control and moderate strikeout ability but he is most definitely hittable.  Overall he’s probably a better option than Quintana but the injury he sustained in his last start by absorbing a line drive on his pitching hand could make him miss a start to allow some time to heal.

The final in-house option (assuming Jose Butto stays in the pen where he’s shined) is yet another call-up for Tylor Megill.  As a major leaguer his record is a little shorter but pretty much on par with what Blackburn has done.  He owns a career ERA of 4.79 with a losing record.  He strikes out more people than does Blackburn but his control has always been an issue as he’s hovered close to a 5 walks per 9 inning rate.  He’s been a bit better in Syracuse while keeping his ERA below 4.00 but history and his health combine to suggest he’s an emergency starter but not necessarily an improvement.

The Mets may indeed want to see more of Megill because they have a tough decision at year’s end as he is out of options and cannot ride the Uber shuttle to and from Syracuse anymore.  By contrast, Blackburn is already earning $3.45 million.  He is signed just through 2024.  He’s arbitration eligible in 2025 and can be a free agent in 2026.

Next season the Mets should have Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Christian Scott locked into three spots in the rotation.  Extending Sean Manea would give them a fourth pitcher.  The decision on what to do with Luis Severino needs to be made as he, like, Quintana, is a free agent to be.  None of Mike Vasil, Blade Tidwell nor Dom Hamel are performing well enough to have any confidence in 2025 season starting promotions. 

David Stearns is going to have to work hard to earn his sizable paycheck.

Tom Brennan: Lindor MVP, Peterson Ace of Staff?

MVP?

2 HRs, including a slam, by Lindor.

MVP?

David Peterson 8-1.

Ace of staff?

Dedniel rocked it, too. 

Is he the Ace of the Pen? Perhaps.

Lastly, twin one hitters in Syracuse 1-0 win. Throwing the first dominant 4.2 IP was Tylor Megill. Draw your own conclusions, but my guess is he replaces Blackburn.  Remember that if that ball had missed Blackburn’s pitching hand and rocketed into CF, he would have been at 2 innings thrown, 11 hits allowed. Ugliness.

Mack's Top 10 List/Tranactions

 

Observations –           

And lastly, here is my Top 10 list:  

1

  - 10. OF/1B Ryan Clifford – Here is your only true first base prospect in the chain… unless Corey Collins develops. Hit: 45, Power: 60, Run 40, Arm 55, Overall:55. If you see someone with a 60 power rating, you scoop him up and teach him everything else. His negative is his whiff rate. Average speed. Could play in corners but lack of quickness moves him to first. Still, huge upside for this quality bat that is slowly developing. Let’s see how he foes next season in Syracuse.

ETA - for sure, 2026

9  - OF Carson Benge – 

The Mets first round pick this year. Was a two-way player in college, but the Mets will exclusively playing outfield. Strong plate discipline. Great contact ability. Above average raw power. Needs to learn how to pull. Will play center, but long range plan is to move him to one of the corners. Scouts had him as a first round hitter. Solid defender. It’s nice to see him playing for St. Lucie now. That should insure he opens up next season in Brooklyn.

ETA - have a notion they will fast pace him for a mid-2026 arrival

 

8 - SS Jeremy Rodriquez – All projection here. Huge hitting potential. Held his own in the FCL league this year as an 18-year old. Swings hard. Mi. d to opposite field contact. 7.60 runner. Also can play a decent outfield. Above average plate discipline. + bat-to-ball skills. Developing arm. It’s too early to project when or where he plays (my guess is second) but this is another trade steal by Stearns.

ETA - 2029

 

7- C/2B/3B Elian Pena – didn’t expect to see this name, did ya? Pena is going to sign in January for a $5mil bonus to begin playing for the Mets in 2026. That would give him as ETA to hit Queens after 2030. He is the top rated IFA prospect for the 2026 class, something the Mets have not ever come close to reaching. Someone projected him to wind up on third but I wonder how accurate it is to project someone this young. We’ll see, or, more accurately, you’ll see.

ETA - sometime next decade

 

6 - OF Luisangel Acuna – Now comes the other Acuna. Swings like him too. Has raw power for someone 5’8”. Projected to hit in the .250/.270 range. Excellent speed both with a bat and in the field. Base running machine. 

The potential of him and Jett hitting 1-2 would bring nightmares to opponent catchers. Plays excellent defense at short, second and center. Probably projects best at second and the Mets could play him there next season while working on him as a future centerfielder.

ETA - next season 

 

5 - OF Drew Gilbert – Mets stole this guy in the Verlander deal. Packs quite the punch for someone that only stands 5’9”. Excellent hand-to-eye. Already producing 110+ exit velo. Pull hitter. Strong sense of strike zone. Excellent defensive speed. Can play all three positions. I have him joining the Mets next season and a definite starter in 2026.

ETA - all-star break next season

 

4 - OF Nick Morabito – Now, here is another outfielder that is going to really stir the soup out there. IMO, the most talented one is Morabito. He possesses explosive raw power and speed that will play in any of the three outfield positions. Hitting on all cylinders since he has turned pro. 

ETA - I’ve got him starting in a corner position come 2027.

 

3 - SP Brandon Sproat – I’ve really grown to love this guy. Don’t worry about what he does this season in the dreaded International League. FB hits 100. Needs to work on BB/9 ratio. Sproat is a strikeout machine that will fit in nicely, sometime next season. Maybe in April.

ETA - 2026

 

2 - SS Jett Williams – I don’t have too many Mets prospects in the “can’t miss” category, but Williams is one of them. He’s a hit machine that can play both middle infield positions and center. My guess is that he will wind up on second. May be the fastest member of the team (but don’t tell that to Luisangel Acuna). 

ETA - Most probably your future leadoff hitter in 2027

 

1 -  SP Christian Scott – we can’t forget that Scott is still considered a  prospect. IMO, he has the top pitching ceiling in the organization. He also didn’t let the International League get in his way. My guess is he will stay a member of the parent Mets going forward and you will never read his name here again, but, until that happens, he heads my list. ++ FB (97)/slider combo. 

ETA - next month

New York –  

 

            OF Ben Gamel acquired by Houston

                        2024 Mets – 23-AB, .217

 

            Syracuse –

 

            RP  Huascar Brazoban optioned to Syracuse

                        2024 Mets – 0-1, 6.30-ERA, 10-IP, 10-K, 7-BB

 

            RP Jeffrey Colon released

                        2024 AAA – 2-G, 22.50-ERA

 

            Binghamton –

 

            RP Trey McLaughlin transferred from AAA-Syracuse

                        2024 AAA – 1-IP, 0.00

 

            Brooklyn –

 

            RP Gregori Louis promoted from A-St. Lucie

                        2024 Lucy – 22-G, 1.37, 50-K, 46-IP

Tom Brennan: THIS JUST IN!

Whoo Hoo!

Paul Blackburn wins the coveted Adrian Houser award!  

2.1 IP, 10 hits allowed, 5 runs, one big hole dug. Well earned award.

He took a hard liner off his pitching hand and left the game, otherwise he would undoubtedly have thrown a complete game 10 hitter.

Time for the return of that Tylor fella?  I say…..Go big or go home.

7-0 loss. 2 Mets hits after 17 the prior evening. Marte and Lindor.

The Mets got desperate and invoked a strictly enforced Braza-Ban, sending Hittable Huascar to AAA and recalling Dynamic Dedniel.

MINORS? 

Basically, 2 highlights.

5 scoreless, 5 innings, 8 Ks for Tong Terrific. 142 Ks in 99 IP in 2024. He got the W in a 4-1 win. The bottoms 3 hitters in Brooklyn’s line up, all hitting well in under .200, fanned 8 times.

Drew Gilbert heating up, 3 run shot, his 3rd, and 2nd in the past few days.

Oh, and Mike Vasil gave up 3 early runs, got off the ropes to allow just 4 runs over 6, and secure the win. Hitting was scarce, though, for Binghamton and St Lucie. 

The Parada Bifurcation continues:

Parada had 2 hits (yay!) and 3 Ks (ooh!) in 5 at bats. 131 Ks in 97 AA games in 2024 for the enigmatic catcher (career .234/.322/.395 and 277 Ks in 900 PAs). Including last season, KP has 154 Ks in 111 games at the AA level.  We’d of course prefer 111 Ks in 154 games.

His hitting stats remind me a lot of a former Mets 3rd round catcher, Blake Forsythe, who fizzled out in AAA in 2015 with a minors career slash of .226/.313/.378 and 456 Ks in 1,585 PAs.

Forsythe, though, gunned down 34% of base stealers, compared to Parada’s 20%.

Reese Kaplan -- Who Departs When Dedniel Nunez Returns?

For the final five weeks of the season the Mets have some difficult roster decisions to make.  Occasionally they are relatively easy such as the DFA of Ben Gamel when Starling Marte finished his injury rehabilitation.  No one could say that Gamel’s departure was shocking nor unexpected.

However, surprising relief contributor Dedniel Nunez is due to rejoin the club in San Diego Friday and this time around the change in the roster is a little less clear.  You could go with the up again and down again Danny Young, but that means you are making a righty heavy bullpen even more so.  Still, he has less of a club affiliation nor track record to warrant long term consideration to be a part of the playoff push roster.

Short term Mets Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton do have that longer term back of the baseball card that suggest they are unlikely to be purged in the attempt to create a roster vacancy.  While neither has been truly outstanding, right now average is all that’s required to make a home in the Mets bullpen. 

Obviously Jose Butto has been outstanding as a born anew relief pitcher and other than possibly shifting him back into the rotation if the need arises, it would be absolutely ludicrous to change what has been working so very well. 

Edwin Diaz is the closer and after a somewhat shaky transition back into the role after suspension, he’s already demonstrated how absolutely unhittable he can be when everything is working right.  An All Star level closer in the recent past, he’s not getting touched. 

Struggling reliever Huascar Brazoban didn’t do himself any favors by coughing up a couple of runs in the 9th inning in the lopsided victory the Mets had over the Orioles.  Still, prior to coming to New York from the Marlins he was incredibly effective with a now seemingly unfathomable .293 ERA with an eye popping .179 batting average against.  Given his late arrival to the majors and his less than spectacular record before his 2024 20 game stint with Miami, he does not necessarily project to be immovable.  On his positive side, however, is the prospect he could reacquire his 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio as he did under the Florida sun and his very inexpensive contract with long term control.

Now comes the perhaps smartest choice for the Mets to make and it is one that would show both great faith in Nunez and the end of the road for a veteran Mets player.  Setup man Adam Ottavino has been brutal of late and is on a contract expiring at year’s end.  Right now he’s pitching to a 4.57 ERA.  He’s striking people out and not giving up too many free passes, but 2022 saw him achieve a 2.06 ERA and in 2023 it was 3.21.  You see the big 38 year old’s output is moving in the wrong direction.  Still, as a veteran who started his career back in 2010 it would be a surprising cut to make.

The other player on a very short leash would be recently returned righty Reed Garrett.  Yes, we all saw his other worldly capability earlier in the year, but then the injury bug hit his pitching hard and he was not the same type of reliever anymore.  Now he’s back and for the unbalanced year he has a .238 BAA with a 3.91 ERA.  These are by far the best numbers of his injury-plagued career and it is not inconceivable for the front office to concluded they’ve already gotten the best out of him that they could hope.  He walks a few too many and is sporting a not too impressive 1.48 WHIP which makes keeping runners from crossing the plate.

Of course, there is no sign of a return from Sean Reid-Foley which could make the Nunez return the last bullpen option.  

Tom Brennan - Positives and Negatives in Metsville; Success at Age 26

METS HITTERS DID THIS TO SD PITCHERS LAST NIGHT

Metsville always has positives and negatives.

17 hits and 8 runs against a tough SD adversary last night: very positive.

But the 17 hits were shared by only 8 hitters. Francisco Alvarez was 0 for 5 and 4 Ks - negative. 

 - Just .155 since the ASB - negative.

 - the game winning jolt the other day aside, will he soon remember how he hit .296 pre-ASB?

Luis Severino fought his way to 5 innings of one run ball.  

Considering the much higher quality of San Diego's offense vs. that of the Marlins, I see this start as every bit as positive as his complete game shutout of the Marlins.

The pen in innings 6 through 8? Positive.

The Huascar Brazaban 9th? Negative.  

A 7 run lead, Braza giving up two runs, and the game ending with a couple of men on base on a sharp grounder wide of first that Pete Alonso did a great job on of preventing getting through for a single - a single there would have made this laugher no laughing matter.

Mark Vientos 3 RBIs?  Positive.  

He is on a 162 game pace of 40 doubles, 40 HRs, 108 RBIs, and .280s. 

My guess is he finishes up with 26 doubles, and 26 HRs, at least.

Good golly.

Winners of 3 of 4 against toughies Baltimore and SD?  POSITIVE.

But the Braves beat Phillies 3-2.  Since snatching the Wild Card from the Braves right now is the most realistic scenario for Mets' playoff dreams, and not the Mets overtaking the Phillies, an opportunity they most likely blew when they won just 6 of 13 in a recent stretch against weaker teams, that Braves win keeps the Mets 1.5 games on the outside looking in.  The Braves may not do much in the playoffs, but they are always laser-focused on getting there.

MINORS POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES

Tidwell (0-7, 5.46 in AAA after being promoted from AA to AAA earlier this year) was wild again, and is having a very tough year - but he is 23.  He'll be great when he turns 26.

23 year old Gilbert hit his first HR since opening day.  A future star at age 26, and hopefully sooner, if he can stay on the field.

Syracuse got trounced 7-1.  They gathered just 3 hits, the stingy fellas.  

The S-Mets are losers of 21 of their last 27, the White Sox pointed out to me.

Binghamton, though, won big and had lots of hits.  8 runs, 11 hits.

But 11th overall pick Parada (age 23)? 0 for 4 with 2 Ks, down to .209.

Parada's 26 year old teammate Drake Osborn also catches, and while not known as a hitter, the 2021 19th rounder is hitting .242 for Binghamton after a 3 hit night.  After 16 games of .347 hitting in Brooklyn early this year, Ozzie is hitting .267 overall for the season, better than Parada's.209, I must say. 

Is he better than Parada? 

Well, Osborn is 26, a magical age, as you'll see.  

Undrafted 26 year old Jonathan Pintaro started and pitched well, 7 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, and his ERA between Brooklyn and Binghamton is 2.80 this year.  55 innings, 1.08 WHIP. Who needs to be drafted, anyway?  You just need to be good.  

Pintaro is producing.  Job well done.

26 year old Matt Rudick is doing what he does well, getting red hot late in the season.  Last 5 games, 9 hits and 4 walks.  Maybe he can coach 22 year old Francisco Alvarez on how to get hot late in August, too.  

It must be a "26 year old thing."  

Boy, when Parada turns 26, in 2027, he ought to be dynamite, too.

Brooklyn blasted 10-1, but well-under-age-26 Nick Morabito had 2 hits.  The other hapless Clones hitters, though, had just 3 hits.  

All of the latter Brooklynites plan to be tearing it up at the dish when they, too, turn 26, although it might be for the LI Ducks.  

Brooklyn opponents had 10 runs and 18 hits. None of them are age 26. 

St Lucie specializes in losing and lost again 7-3.  

They are more than 26 games below .500, at 39-76.

If you are 26 or older, have a great day.  And stay positive.

Reese Kaplan -- Sometimes You Are All Alone Yet You Are Right

While many of us have in our baseball fan careers championed guys who simply never produced at the level we fully expected, every now and then we advocate for a player who doesn’t get the accolades from other fans and the media but inevitably we have a moment of baseball erudition that gets buried under the Johnny-come-lately crowds who now cheer the guy they’d long ago abandoned.  Our early enthusiasm for this athlete is long forgotten but inside we know we were right from the very beginning.

Back in 2022 one of the Mets’ most highly regarded prospects made his brief appearance in the majors for the first time and over his 42 plate appearances he hit 2 homers but managed just a .184 average.

Still, they saw enough and had a need so he made the return the following year and this time got 389 opportunities to swing and improved slightly with a final tally of 9 home runs and a .212 batting average. 

In 2024 it was a pretty much foregone conclusion that Brett Baty was “the guy” despite not having done much at the major league level.  He was given that third base role and while holding a reputation as a decent fielder was struggling.  What didn’t change was the offensive ineptitude.  In 179 plate appearances he did hit 4 HRs and raised the average to .229 but the front office apparently had seen enough and sent him packing to Syracuse.

The forgotten guy in all of this waiting for the next David Wright is named Mark Vientos.  Now he had gotten small chances in previous years, too, but people focused so much on his defensive awkwardness that he never got to play enough to see whether or not his bat was for real.  I’m probably a little more impatient when it comes to cultivating baseball talent but if someone is not getting it done on the field I have already looked for alternatives and am ready to test them out.  

While Baty was demonstrating that his adjustment to the majors was a major hill to climb, Mark Vientos remained either in Syracuse or on the bench not getting starting assignments.

Perhaps it was David Stearns who did not have the prospect investment nor playing history of Brett Baty, but at a relatively early extended trial he was ready to send Baty back to figure out whatever it was that was not working for him in Queens.  At the time he had not too many infield options and settled upon Mark Vientos and his questionable glove to see how he would handle major league pitching. 

Now to be fair, Vientos did struggle during his early trials in the majors just as Baty did.  In 2022 he hit just a single home run in his scattered 36 ABs.  Come 2023 he as again the odd man out until the August/September time frame when he began playing regularly.  

The season ending numbers overall were not great but in 218 ABs he hit 9 HRs and batted .211.  Bear in mind that his totals included his awful first part of the season when he played at best once a week.  When he started getting penciled in regularly his bat started to come alive in the last 6-8 weeks of the season.

This year after the failed Baty experiment they turned to Vientos and all you heard initially was his glove, his glove and his glove.  What people weren’t noticing is that like Francisco Alvarez who noticeably improved the more he played, Vientos slowly started making progress on his work as a fielder. 

What no one expected was what kind of hitter he would morph into when playing regularly.  Right now if we still consider Jose Iglesias a reserve, Vientos is leading all Mets regulars in batting average with a .280 mark.  He’s played in 79 games (about half a season) and already has delivered 20 HRs and 51 RBIs.  

Perhaps most surprisingly he leads the club (over both Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor) in OPS at .894.  He’s also leading in slugging at .564.  It’s no wonder that despite his defensive issues he still has proven himself worth 2.7 WAR, halfway to what Lindor has done while being a superlative defensive player and baserunner. 

Nowadays when I remind people I was advocating for more opportunities for Vientos in 2022 and 2023 folks claim I am front running.  I’ll accept their mistaken characterization because in my head and heart I know that I was right all along.  

Paul Articulates – Roster expansion time

September first is almost upon us, and with that date comes the MLB roster expansion.  Teams that have held 26 player active rosters can now expand to 28 players with up to 14 pitchers.  For the New York Mets, this year’s roster expansion comes with some interesting choices to be made.

The Mets are in a race for a wild card spot in the playoffs, currently down 1.5 games with 35 games to play.  This year’s “competitive” team as constructed by the front office needs to be very competitive over the next month to get in.  The roster expansion always provides an opportunity to gain an extra dimension – be that some more speed, a late-inning defensive specialist, or an extra arm for the bullpen.

The Mets have another rough stretch to endure before that September 1st milestone.  Having finished up with the Orioles, they now must travel to San Diego to face the hot Padres for four games, then go to Arizona to play the hot Diamondbacks for another three games.  Both of those teams are in the same playoff race for the three NL wild card spots, with the Padres and D-Backs in lead positions and the Mets just outside looking in.  Depending on their performance on the road trip, there are a few different trajectories that we may see as they add players during their series with the White Sox in Chicago.

Scenario 1: The Mets get hot on the road and head into September 1st holding a top 3 position in the wild card standings.  In this case, winning many of the remaining 22 games is paramount and any roster moves made with the expansion must give them an extra edge.  In this scenario, they certainly need pitching help.  There is not much opportunity to impact starting pitching because there do not appear to be MLB-ready starting pitchers in our development system.  If Christian Scott returns from injury that would be a plus.  So the most likely call-ups would be relievers to allow Carlos Mendoza more flexibility from the pen.

Scenario 2: The Mets hold their own on the road and remain at the edge of a wild card spot.  This looks very much like the first scenario because the call-ups will have to be players that are ready to perform in critical spots.

Scenario 3: The Mets get thumped by their playoff rivals and fall further behind in the playoff race.  In this scenario, there may be more opportunity to call up a player that needs to get some MLB experience but may not be a sure thing to perform in a critical spot. 

Given that the first two scenarios have a similar need from their call-ups, let’s group them together as “Plan A” and the third scenario will become “Plan B”.  We can then debate what David Stearns might do for each plan.

Plan A: The Mets currently have 13 pitchers on their active roster.  That includes the five starters Severino, Manaea, Quintana, Peterson, and Blackburn.  The other eight are relievers (7 righties and 1 lefty).  If Christian Scott returns (he started throwing last week), then he should be added to the roster as the 14th pitcher.  The bullpen is still shaky, as Huascar Brazoban has not impressed since his acquisition and Reed Garrett has not looked like his early season self since returning from the IL.  I could see those two being sent down if they have options and Dedniel Nunez (R) and Danny Young (L) coming back up.  The other roster spot on offense can be filled in a few different ways.  I would like to see LuisAngel Acuna come up to enhance the base running speed on this team.  He is a good defender, can play middle infield and outfield positions, and will change the dynamics of a game whenever he is on base.  The question is, can he get on base?  His .263 batting average and .310 OBP probably don’t translate very well to a MLB lineup.  If not Acuna, then who else?  It should be an infielder or DH because with Starling Marte’s return the Mets have a very strong group of five outfielders.  Acuna is the best bet amongst the AAA infielders.  There are no offensive standouts on the Syracuse team that plays in an offense friendly International League, so I don’t see a better option.

Plan B: This may be more amenable to the longer term strategy of evaluating and developing the younger talent.  In the bullpen, Ottavino and Garrett seem to be on their last legs as Mets.  Why not replace them now with some younger arms that need to prove what they can do against MLB bats.  Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel struggled earlier in the season but have come on stronger lately – I think they should be worth a look.  Send Brazoban down for some work and bring up Nunez as soon as he is ready.  On offense, I still think Acuna is the best bet.  He has not taken any reps at third base this season, but he has a skillful glove and a good arm.  If this is the last year for JD Martinez, then it is time to install Mark Vientos as the permanent DH and let Acuna man third.  Martinez has been great for the club this year as a teammate and has shared helpful batting tips, but frankly a .256/.342/.445 line is not going to propel the club to a championship from behind.  This change also sets up a healthy competition in the spring with Acuna, Baty, and Mauricio for the hot corner.

Time will tell which way this team will go, but time moves quickly and September first will be upon us very soon. 

Tom Brennan: DSL Mets' Season Recap; Jett Cleared for Take Off

The Two Mets DSL Teams’ Offense Were a Combined 

The 2 Mets DSL teams' schedules came to a close on Tuesday, August 20.  

The “Orange” went 27-27, closing with a 12-5, seven inning win with 5 runs in the 6th and 5 more in the 7th.  Neither were close to the top of the carts in the 50 team league.

And the “Blue” lost 5-3 to finish at 21-33.

There were no jaw-dropping stats from Mets amigos.

Blue? 23rd in runs, 289. Orange?  34th in runs, 266. League leading team? 418.

Pitching? Blue had a 5.04 ERA, Orange 4.98. League best? 2.95.

The two squads allowed 167 unearned runs in 108 games, too.

Combined, the two squads totaled 844 IP, allowing 538 walks and plunking 127 batters, while fanning 937. 665 walks and HBPs in 844 innings?  Averages out to roughly 7 per 9 innings.

Who did well individually, though, hitting-wise and pitching-wise?

2023 bonus baby Daiverson Gutierrez was probably the highlight of the Mets’ DSL season, from where I sit.  

The 18 year old did not play much in the DSL, nor much in the FCL, where he got promoted mid-season.  But just getting promoted mid season was good, and in 29 DSL/FCL games, he hit .309/.467/.506, which was more than good.

One might be concerned if he had hit .400 in the DSL and then scuffled and hit just  .200 in the higher FCL, but that was not the case.  

He actually hit slightly BETTER at the higher FCL level, and at both levels, he fanned just 9 times in 107 PAs, while walking 16 times. Strikeouts that low are frankly thrilling. 

The 5'11", 205 righty hitter drastically improved over his 2023 performance when he was a 17 year old.  

Catching-wise, he nailed only 11 of 73, but we will see how that improves as a 19 year old next season. A lot of that could be low-level steal-crazy opponents and pitchers poorly holding runners on.

The current year’s Big Bonus Baby, C  Yovanny Rodriguez, hit just .219, but sizzled in August (.341/.400/.568 in 11 games), walked 30 times in 44 games and drove in 25 runs.  My guess is he will do much better in 2025 as an 18 year old.

Rainer Reyes - already 21 year old, so he was old for the DSL, but he hit 6 HRs and drove in 30 runs in 48 games, so I imagine he will be assigned to the FCL. (Last year’s Mets DSL big 14 HR guy, Jeffry Rosa, had a bad stateside debut in 2024. Just .156 in 186 ABs).

Vladi Gomez - Gomez had a lot of “go”, with 28 of 32 in steals, and a .264/.399/.368 slash, with 40 runs scored in 43 games. Go, Mez, Go.

Edward Lantigua hit .263 with an OBP just shy of .400. Hopefully good.

Haniel German cracked 4 HRs in 40 games and hit .267.

Vladi Guerrero? Not like Daddy Guerrero. 

Vladi picked it up a bit at the end, but settled in at .195. He started 4 for 34, but was 21 for 94 thereafter. No HRs for the lefty slugger. Next year, we’ll see what lessons were learned.

Pitchers? 

Two seemed to have pretty good success: 

Jose Guevara was excellent, 3-2, 1.64, 0.84, and 52 Ks in 44 IP.

 - Top of the Mets’ DSL pitching heap of several dozen hurlers.

Also, Anthony Crespo sported a 3.25 ERA with 53 Ks in 50 IP. 

Few DSL pitchers ever reach the Mets’ Mother Ship in Queens.

Overall:

It seems there’s not much at all for drooling Mets fans to get excited about.

Except for the two catchers - Daiverson G and Yovanny R.

They should be ones to keep an eye on in 2025 and beyond. 

Buy don’t expect either to arrive until at least late 2027 in Queens. 

More like 2028 or so.

JETT ARRIVAL!!

On Wednesday Jett Williams showed up on the arrival boards.  He started for St Lucie at SS, ending his 4.5 month IL stay. He went 1 for 3 with a steal.  Good news.

When Jett plays, he is anything but Jett Blue.