Mets Minors Weekly Report: A.J. Ewing and Brandon Sproat Shine (2024)

The Mets’ four affiliates combined to go 12-12 this past week, each of the teams splitting their series and going 3-3. For red-hot teams like the Syracuse Mets, it was a step back down to earth. For struggling teams like the St. Lucie Mets, it was a positive step in the right direction.

Among the best individual performers of the week wereA.J. Ewing in the Florida Complex League andBrandon Sproat in Double-A Binghamton. Both individuals shined whenever they were on the field and continue to show why they were selected in the 2023 draft. Read below for more notable individual and team performances from this past week in the Mets’ system.

Triple-A Syracuse

The Syracuse Mets split their six-game series against the Buffalo Bisons this past week. The two teams swapped wins and losses with neither team able to sustain any type of winning streak. It was a bit of a trip back down to Earth for the Mets, who had been scorching hot entering the week. Still, a series tie is nothing to complain about, especially considering the Mets still sit in first place in the International League East division with a 34-22 record.

Brett Baty played in just two games after his demotion to Triple-A, but he had a great couple of contests by going 3-for-10 with two home runs and three RBIs. Baty’s two homers led the Mets this week, tied withLuke Ritter who hit two of his own to increase his season total to 11 home runs. Ritter had an otherwise quiet week, lowering his season OPS to .871.

Luisangel Acuña didn’t have a great week at the plate based on his OPS, which was .629 for the week, but he did hit a homer and walked the same number of times he struck out. He also stole three bases to give him 20 on the year. Acuña’s season OPS is now .651.

Pablo Reyes andCarlos Cortes both had limited playing time this week, but both homered and sported an OPS above 1.000 for the week. Reyes is new to the club and has made a great first impression, while Cortes improved his season OPS to .794 with his 4-for-9 this past week.

Blade Tidwell had the best start of any Syracuse pitcher this week, throwing six scoreless innings. Tidwell did allow eight baserunners and only struck out two, but it was still a quality outing from the 22-year-old who lowered his season ERA between Binghamton and Syracuse to 2.20.

Joey Lucchesi also had a scoreless outing of five innings, but not before his first outing of the week in which he gave up six runs in six innings. Because of his rough first outing, Lucchesi increased his ERA on the season to 4.00.

Dom Hamel had a solid start, allowing two runs in five innings, to put a break to his recent struggles. Hamel’s performance lowered his season ERA to 6.91.

Double-A Binghamton

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies also split their most recent series against the Harrisburg Senators, 3-3. The split keeps Binghamton three games above .500 at 26-23, which is good for third in the Eastern League Northeast division.

Ryan Clifford andNolan McLean, the two newest Rumble Ponies, had the best weeks of any batters on the team. Clifford only went 2-for-10 on the week, but his two hits were a double and a home run. He also walked five times, displaying his elite eye at the plate. That gave Clifford an OPS over 1.000 for the week, raising his season OPS between Brooklyn and Binghamton to .695.

McLean only played in three games, but he had a great week at the plate. He went 4-for-11 with two doubles and a home run, also adding two walks. He also had an OPS over 1.000 for the week, giving him an .809 OPS on the year between Brooklyn and Binghamton.

McLean also contributed positively on the mound in addition to his prowess at the plate. In his lone start of the week, McLean allowed two runs in five innings of work. He now has a 3.16 ERA on the year.

Francisco Álvarez made his return to the field with Binghamton this week and he made an immediate impact. In three rehab starts, Álvarez went 2-for-8 with a three-run homer. He is set to rejoin the major league team sometime after the Mets’ series in London.

Brandon Sproat had, by far, the best outing of any Mets minor league pitcher this week. Sproat threw seven magnificent innings, allowing just two baserunners and striking out 10. He continues to be one of the best pitchers in the Mets’ system, and he now has a 1.23 ERA between Brooklyn and Binghamton.

Justin Jarvis continues to look great for Binghamton as well, and he went six scoreless in his latest outing. He allowed just one hit and struck out five, lowering his ERA on the season to 2.21.

High-A Brooklyn

In case you haven’t heard this before, the Brooklyn Cyclones also split their series 3-3 this week in their series against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Down 3-2 in the series, the Cyclones secured a tie with a 7-0 walloping in the final game of the series. Brooklyn is now 27-24 and in third place in the South Atlantic League North division.

Nick Morabito had a fantastic week as he continues to get settled in Brooklyn. Morabito hit two home runs with five RBIs while walking four times and stealing two bags. His OPS on the week of 1.014 improved his season OPS between St. Lucie and Brooklyn to .941.

Stanley Consuegra also added two home runs and five RBIs this week for Brooklyn. Consuegra also added three doubles and three walks. He hasn’t had the same success at the plate this year as Morabito has had, but he’s heating up and now owns a .749 OPS.

Wilfredo Lara went 6-for-20 in six games with a home run and five walks, striking out only three times. His impressive week at the plate raised his season OPS to .603.

Kade Morrismade two starts this week for the Cyclones and he allowed just one run in 9 1/3 innings of work. The 2023 third-round pick has been fantastic this year. He holds a 1.17 ERA with Brooklyn and a 2.88 ERA between both St. Lucie and Brooklyn this season.

Jawilme Ramirez also had a successful week on the mound. In his one start, he went five innings and allowed just one run. Ramirez gave up seven hits and a walk while striking out just one batter, but the run prevention gave him a good start to look back on. Ramirez now has a 3.86 ERA this year.

Another notable pitching performance comes fromJosh Hejka, who threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen this week. Hejka has been outstanding this year, holding a 1.61 ERA in 22 1/3 innings of work.

Low-A St. Lucie

Believe it or not, the St. Lucie Mets also split their series this week, giving all four Mets affiliates a series split. The Mets dropped the first three games against the Dunedin Blue Jays before winning the final three in a row. With the split, St. Lucie remains in last place in the Florida Complex League East division at 17-34.

Colin Houck has turned it on as of late, and he went 8-for-24 with three doubles, a home run, and two stolen bases this week. That gave him a .990 OPS on the week, raising his season OPS to .617.

Ronald Hernandez also had a really good week, going 9-for-21 with a home run. Hernandez hasn’t struggled as much as Houck this year, but he was still in need of a big week. Hernandez’s OPS on the season is now .762.

Another top prospect who had a good week for the Mets wasBoston Baro, who went 5-for-16 with a double, a triple, and a home run. He also walked three times. Baro’s OPS on the season sits at .799 as he inches closer and closer to .800.

The best pitching performance of any St. Lucie Mets pitcher came from Jack Wenninger, who pitched seven innings of two-run ball while striking out 12. Wenninger hasn’t had a great year, with his outing lowering his season ERA to 4.87.

Zach Thornton also had a really good start, pitching six scoreless innings and now owns an ERA of 3.93 on the year.

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets didn’t have a particularly good week, going 1-4 in their five games. Still, there were many individual performances worth noting, including fromA.J. Ewing andJeremy Rodriguez. Ewing went 6-for-17 with two doubles, three home runs, and seven walks in his final week with the team; Ewing was deservedly promoted to St. Lucie. Rodriguez was also great, going 9-for-23 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Ewing and Rodriguez both have an OPS on the year nearing 1.000.

The best pitching performance of the week for the FCL Mets was byBrayhans Barreto, who went seven scoreless while striking out nine. Barreto has a 4.20 ERA on the year but has struck out 21 in 15 innings of work.

Dominican Summer League Mets

The DSL Mets Orange, one of the Mets’ two DSL teams, had their season get underway on Monday. They won 2-0 with the help ofBohan Adderley, who homered in his pro debut, andYoralbert Cadiz, who threw three scoreless innings.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – .350

OPS –Ben Gamel (SYR) – .962

HR –Trayce Thompson (SYR) – 13

SB –Omar De Los Santos (BRK) – 25

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA –Jonah Tong (STL/BRK) – 2.01

SO – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK) – 63

WHIP – Jack Wenninger (STL) – 1.04

Players of the Week

Offense – A.J. Ewing, 2B FCL Mets

No Mets minor leaguer had a better week at the plate than A.J. Ewing. For his efforts, he was promoted to Low-A St. Lucie. The 19-year-old has been a bright spot for the FCL Mets alongside Jeremy Rodriguez and has a .993 OPS on the year including five home runs in 63 at-bats.

Given that he’s still 19, Ewing will likely spend a decent amount of time in St. Lucie where he might go through an adjustment period. Still, he’s been one of the better batters in the Mets system this year and will hope to keep that going at the next level.

Pitching – Brandon Sproat, P Binghamton

With Jonah Tong coming back down to earth, Brandon Sproat might be the next most exciting pitching prospect for the Mets. His latest outing of 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings has solidified him as a premier prospect in the Mets’ system and he looks as comfortable as ever in Binghamton. The 23-year-old could undoubtedly find himself in Syracuse by the end of this year if he continues to pitch at the level he’s been pitching.

Upcoming Schedule – June 4-9

Triple-A Syracuse: @ St. Paul

Double-A Binghamton: @ Bowie

High-A Brooklyn: vs. Aberdeen

Low-A St. Lucie: vs. Daytona