A Look at the Mets Minors During May
With May all but complete and June just a calendar flip away, it’s time to turn attention away from the major leagues and to the minor leagues.
For the New York Mets, that means pivoting from Queens to Double-AA Binghamton and Triple-AAA Syracuse to analyze how their top prospects are faring two months into the year.
The best place to start with the Mets minor leagues is the organization’s pride and joy, catcher Francisco Alvarez. Since being signed out of Venezuela, Alvarez has excelled at every stop. His ascent has taken him from High-A Brooklyn to Double-AA Binghamton and into the top ten of MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus prospect rankings.
In his first 10 games in Binghamton this season, the catcher was the bell of the ball. He had slashed .290/.378/.711 for a 1.088 OPS, uncorked four home runs, and knocked in 12 RBIs. His next ten games, however, brought a dropoff. His power disappeared, bat cooled, and his average dropped to .227.
The catcher has reclaimed his promise and his power since. Over his last 15 games, Alvarez has a .333 average, a .905 OPS, three home runs, and seven RBIs. With an MLB ETA of 2023, according to MLB.com, it’s unlikely Alvarez will get a chance to find out if his success carries over to the big leagues this season. But thus far, he’s done everything possible to accelerate his timeline and execute his potential.
While Alvarez has ascended prospect rankings, shortstop Ronny Mauricio has done the opposite. In 2021, Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus ranked Mauricio as the 65th, 67th, and 42nd best prospect in baseball respectively. Currently, the three sites have knocked him down to 92nd, 78th, and 51st.
After closing out last season with a .323 average with Binghamton, Mauricio’s drop in the rankings initially seemed odd. But so far this season, he’s proved his doubters right. Through 39 games, the 21-year-old touts a .252/.281/.448 slash line and a .729 OPS.
It’d be nice to see Mauricio dominate more, especially when it comes to plate discipline, yet his contributions have made him one of Binghamton’s best bats. His 26 RBIs and 73 total bases lead the team in both categories, while his seven home runs and seven stolen bases are second-best on the team.
Joining Alvarez and Mauricio in Binghamton is third baseman/outfielder Brett Baty. The 2019 first-rounder is the organization's second-best prospect behind Alvarez and the #27 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com.
With a .297 average in April, Baty earned his place. May, however, has been a different beast. Through 18 games, the 2019 first-rounder has a .206 average with an OPS of .678. This latest stretch has been especially cruel for Baty. Over his last five games, Baty is 0-16 with nine strikeouts.
After being placed in the IL on March 28, Baty will have to wait to break his cold streak. While the team has yet to announce what the injury is or the severity of it, Baty missed three-straight games last week and has not played since March 25.
One player that’s continued to climb the Mets minor leagues is third baseman Mark Vientos. According to MLB.com, the 22-year-old is the organization’s fourth-best prospect. When examining his numbers in May, it’s easy to understand why.
After a down month of April that saw the 2017 second-rounder hit a staggering .175, Vientos has rebounded nicely. In 17 games this month, Vientos has hit .302/.380/.635 for a 1.015 OPS with Triple-AAA Syracuse to raise his numbers significantly.
Slow starts seem to be a standard for Vientos. Last season he hit .231 with a .598 OPS in the month of May with Binghamton before hitting .297 with a 1.014 OPS with 22 home runs and 51 RBIs from June to October.
If 2022 follows a similar trajectory, don’t be surprised if chatter of a big-league call-up comes out of Queens.
Photo from USA TODAY Sports/Treated by SNY
