The Mets’ four full-season minor league affiliates experienced tremendous success this past week, combining for a 21-2 record. Three of these four affiliates now sit in first place in their respective divisions, with Binghamton and Brooklyn especially playing at an extremely high level.

Jett Williams. Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets went 5-1 against the Iowa Cubs, winning a lot of close games but also recording a blowout 12-3 win. The series win gives the Mets some positive momentum as they now sit at 27-30 on the year.

Ronny Mauricio led the way for the Syracuse offense as he continues to be a force. Mauricio went 7-for-15 with a home run, three walks, and two stolen bases. Mauricio, who is still waiting for his call back to the big leagues, has an absurd .515/.564/.818/1.382 slash in nine games with the Triple-A squad.

Veteran Donovan Walton also had a solid week, leading the club with two home runs. Walton went 5-for-19 and added three walks as he raised his season OPS to an even .700.

Luke Ritter, who has struggled this year after being one of the most notable Mets minor league bats a year ago, broke out in a big way. Ritter went 6-for-17 with three doubles and a triple while adding five RBIs. Ritter, who surprisingly has just one home run in 150 at-bats this season, now owns a .691 OPS.

And for the pitching:

Blade Tidwell shined in his outing, allowing just two runs in 5 2/3 hitless innings while striking out 11. Though he didn’t allow a hit, he walked four and hit a batter, which allowed the two runs to come across. Tidwell continues to look good in Syracuse, now owning a 3.97 ERA through 10 starts.
Nolan McLean continues to look comfortable in Triple-A, as he allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his latest outing. The top prospect struck out five and now owns a 2.31 ERA with Syracuse and a 1.81 ERA overall.
Paul Blackburn made his final start for Syracuse last week, too, before joining the Mets on Monday night.

Ryan Clifford. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies swept the Chesapeake Baysox in six games, outscoring the Orioles’ affiliate 25-7. The pitching staff was the highlight of the week, allowing just seven runs in six full games. The Rumble Ponies are now 33-17 and own a five-game lead in the Eastern League Northeast division.

Ryan Clifford had a big week, going 5-for-18 with a double, a home run, and five walks. Clifford still leads the club with eight home runs and owns a .771 OPS.

Kevin Parada also found success, going 4-for-15 with a double, a home run, and two walks. It’s still been a massive struggle for the former first-round pick this year, as his OPS is still just .551.

Nick Lorusso and Nick Morabito recorded the most hits in the series, with Lorusso getting nine hits and Morabito getting eight. Lorusso had two doubles while Morabito had three and also added three stolen bases. Both share a .764 OPS on the season.

The Rumble Ponies recorded three starts of six innings, with each pitcher thriving and allowing either one or zero runs. Zach Thornton (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K), Jonah Tong (6 IP, ER, 7 K), and Jack Wenninger (6 IP, ER, 7 K) all continued their massively successful seasons. Thornton lowered his ERA between two teams to 1.56, Tong lowered his ERA to 2.25, and Wenninger lowered his ERA to 2.56.

In addition to those three impeccable starts, Binghamton received a fantastic performance from Irving Cota, who made just one appearance out of the bullpen and struck out five over five one-hit innings. It was Cota’s first appearance in Binghamton after recording a 1.57 ERA in nine appearances for Brooklyn. In total, he now owns a 1.34 ERA.

Jacob Reimer. Photo by James Villani, MMO

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones also swept their competition this past week, taking all six games from the Aberdeen IronBirds. It was also a low-scoring series, with the Cyclones outscoring the IronBirds 26-13. Brooklyn is 36-15 and owns a 1.5 game lead in the South Atlantic League North division.

Chris Suero led the way for the Cyclones offensively, going 5-for-14 with a double, a home run, and six RBIs which led the team. Suero has cooled down a bit after a scorching start to the season but still owns an .856 OPS.

Jacob Reimer continues to make his case for a promotion as he went 6-for-20 with a home run, four walks, three stolen bases, and nine runs. Reimer’s OPS has dipped below 1.000 but is still a sparkling .993.

Jonathan Santucci, the Mets’ second-round pick from last year’s draft, appears to be rounding into form. Santucci delivered another great outing this past week, striking out six over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Through his first six starts of the season, Santucci owned an 8.14 ERA but his ERA in his last three appearances is 0.59. In total, his ERA is 4.95 and dropping quickly.

Brendan Girton showed great swing-and-miss stuff, striking out eight over 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his start. The 10th-round pick from a year ago has a 3.27 ERA in nine appearances (seven starts) so far this season.

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets only played five games this past week against the Palm Beach Cardinals due to weather, but they still took four out of the five games and outscored Palm Beach 33-16. The Mets are 28-22 and own a 4.5 game lead in the Florida State League East division.

Colin Houck broke out with a huge week, going 6-for-17 with a double, a triple, two home runs, and four walks. Houck’s six hits led the team for the series and his two home runs were tied for the team lead. He raised his OPS 70 points to .765.

Trace Willhoite matched Houck with two home runs and he also added a double and three walks without striking out. Willhoite has been fantastic this year and owns a .903 OPS.

Nick Roselli continues to look better as he recorded a double, a home run, and two walks in just three games played. The 11th-round pick from a year ago has a .619 OPS between St. Lucie and Brooklyn this year, but he has an .873 OPS with 14 RBIs in his last 12 games.

Wellington Aracena was nearly untouchable in his start this week, striking out 10 over five scoreless innings. Aracena allowed just one hit and two walks, and lowered his season ERA to 3.77.

Edgar Moreta and Channing Austin each tossed five scoreless innings in their starts, with Moreta striking out six and Austin striking out four. Moreta now owns a 3.52 ERA while Austin owns a 4.50 ERA with St. Lucie.

FCL Mets

The FCL Mets dropped all three games they played this past week, lowering their record on the year to 6-12. Their -43 run differential is the second-worst in the FCL.

Branny De Oleo (.679 season OPS) led the way with the highest OPS for the week despite going 2-for-7 with a triple. Jeffry Rosa (.803 season OPS) recorded the second-highest OPS for the week, going 2-for-7 with a double.

On the mound, Jose Chirinos (2.35 season ERA) allowed two runs in four innings but struck out six, while Christian Rodriguez (1.04 season ERA) struck out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

DSL Mets

The Dominican Summer League got underway Monday, with the DSL Mets Orange winning 8-5 and the DSL Mets Blue losing 7-1.

The big story of the day was Elian Peña making his professional and Mets organizational debut after becoming one of the biggest international signings in the team’s history. Peña went 0-for-2 but reached twice on a catcher’s interference and a hit-by-pitch. He stole a base and scored two runs in the DSL Mets Orange team’s victory.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – .364

OPS – Jacob Reimer (BRK) – .993

HR – Jon Singleton (SYR) – 10

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK) – 37

Pitching

ERA – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 1.56

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG) – 72

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.731

Players of the Week

Offense – Colin Houck, IF St, Lucie

Colin Houck was considered a steal when the Mets nabbed him with the 32nd overall pick of the 2023 draft. He hasn’t lived up to his expectations to this point, but he sure played like a former first-rounder this past week. He showed off great power and plate discipline and is hoping this could be where he really turns it on. He has been playing a lot better lately, owning an .858 OPS over his last 24 games (105 plate appearances).

Pitching – Wellington Aracena, P St. Lucie

Wellington Aracena is not a well-known name in the Mets system, but the 20-year-old just delivered what might be the best outing of his professional career. Aracena has not experienced much success in his pro career, owning a 5.37 ERA over 49 total games, but his ERA is down to 3.77 this season.

Upcoming Schedule – June 3-8

Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Buffalo
Double-A Binghamton: vs. Somerset
High-A Brooklyn: @ Wilmington
Low-A St. Lucie: vs. Dunedin