Mets Down on the Farm – Weekly Round-Up, April 21

Another week of Minor League baseball is in the books. We’ve seen some of the top prospects as usual, but we’ve also got to see some Major League Baseball rehab stints as well. So without further ado, let’s take a look at what happened down on the farm this week for the New York Mets.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets

As usual we will start at the top of the Minor Leagues, with the Syracuse Mets. The Mets traveled to Charlotte to take on the Knights this past week, where they didn’t fare too well, winning just 2 of 5 games, with Sundays contest being cancelled due to rain. This puts the Syracuse Mets at 10-9 on the season, 2.5 games back of the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders (yes, we cover that team too, you can read about them here) for first place in the International League East.

Unfortunately, just like the last edition, the highest ranked prospect in Syracuse, Drew Gilbert, still hasn’t played a game since April 6. It had looked like Gilbert was going to make his return to the lineup on Sunday, but with the game being cancelled, we will have to wait until Tuesday to see what the team does with the 23 year old prospect.

The Mets 3rd overall prospect, Luisangel Acuna had another rough week. Acuna went 3 for 13 (.231 average) with a triple and a run batted in. This brings Acuna’s slash line to .211/.253/.310 for the season. The youngster is still struggling through his first 17 games in Triple-A, but give him some time, the 22 year old has a lot of potential and he’s going to start showing it sooner rather than later.

Christian Scott, the Mets 5th overall prospect, also calls Syracuse home at this point of the season. In his third start of the season, Scott improved his record to 2-0, and lowered his ERA to 3.77. Scott pitched 5.1 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 7 and walking just 2. Scott is pitching great so far in this young season, I am a bit concerned about the amount of home runs that he has given up so far this season (5).

Up Next: After a rough week in Charlotte, the Syracuse Mets return home to historic NBT Bank Stadium where they will play host to the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies were at home this past week, playing host to the Reading Fightin Phils, and they split the 6 game series. The record of 3-3 for the week puts the Rumble Ponies at 6-8 on the young season, sitting 3.5 games behind the Portland Sea Dogs for first place in the Eastern League North East.

The Mets number one overall prospect Jett Williams is still playing his games in Binghamton. Unfortunately for the 20 year old prospect, it was another tough week for him. Williams went 2 for 12 (.167 average) with a double and a run driven in, while drawing 5 walks and not striking out at all. This brings Williams slash line to .179/.360/.308 on the season. While his struggles continue at the plate, I am pleased to see the strikeouts being cut down. The kid has only played in 11 games this season, give him some time to adjust, and let the weather warm up and then I’ll really be interested in what he can do.

The Mets number 9 overall prospect, Kevin Parada, has been talked about quite a bit this week, with the injury sustained to the Mets starting catcher Francisco Alvarez. (In fact, you can read more about that here.) Parada played in all 6 games this week going 3 for 19 (.158 average) with a double and two runs batted in while drawing 5 walks and striking out 7 times. Parada might not be in his groove yet at the plate, but playing in all 6 games in a week is pretty impressive, shows the durability of the young prospect.

Finally, the Mets 10th overall prospect, Blade Tidwell, pitched in two games this week, despite not starting either. Tidwell posted a 1-1 record while pitching 9 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned runs, while striking out 13 and walking just 4. Tidwell now has 18 strikeouts on the season, while posting a 1.84 ERA.

Up Next: After the home stand, the Rumble Ponies will travel to New Hampshire to take on the Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones

Just like the Rumble Ponies, the Brooklyn Cyclones also split their 6 game series this week with the Jersey Shore Blue Claws. The record of 3-3 for the week puts the Cyclones at 7-8 for the season, sitting 4 games behind the Wilmington Blue Rocks for first place in the South Atlantic League North.

The highest ranked prospect residing in Brooklyn is the Mets 4th overall prospect, Ryan Clifford. Clifford played in all 6 games this past week going 7 for 27 (.259 average), with 2 doubles and 4 runs batted in while striking out 8 times and drawing 7 walks. Clifford’s slash line for the 15 games he has played in this season is now .240/.415/.380. Clifford easily has the honor of the best week of the Mets prospects, in my opinion. Clifford also has the honor of being the only Mets top 10 prospect on the team.

Up Next: The Brooklyn Cyclones enjoyed their time on the beach, and now its time to come back home and host the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets

Last but not least, the St. Lucie Mets had the best overall week out of the entire Mets farm system, posting a 4-2 record against the Tampa Tarpons, moving them to 7-8 on the season, and sitting just 3 games behind the first place Palm Beach Cardinals in the Florida State League East.

The Mets number 7 overall prospect, Colin Houck played in 5 of the teams 6 games this past week. In those 5 games Houck went 4 for 19 (.210 average) with 2 doubles, a triple, and one run batted in, while walking 4 times and striking out 7 times. Houck’s slash line in 13 games this season now sits at .176/.317/.294. Houck has played in just 22 games of affiliated ball, I expect some big things from the 19 year old, who was drafted 32nd overall in the 2023 draft.

Joining Houck in St. Lucie, is the Mets number 8 overall prospect, Marco Vargas. Vargas was placed on the Injured List on April 20, retroactively to April 19.

Up Next: The St. Lucie Mets will travel to Dayton to take on the Tortugas, the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

Looking Forward

The Mets Minor League teams struggled a bit last week. With a trend seeming to be two teams at home, and two teams on the road, lets see how this upcoming week treats the future of Flushing. Like always, if you are interested in watching the “Baby Mets” you can do so with a subscription to MiLB.tv, or by utilizing the Bally Live Mobile App.

By Brian Handzel

Photos courtesy of MiLB