Mets Minors Weekly Report: Alex Ramírez Dazzles for Binghamton

This past week, the Syracuse Mets and Binghamton Rumble Ponies won their respective series 4-2, while the Brooklyn Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets lost their respective series 4-2. It’s now the halfway point of the minor league season, with the second half fully underway in High-A and Low-A.

There were many standout performers this past week in the Mets’ system, but none more than Alex Ramírez in Binghamton and Gregori Louis in St. Lucie. Ramírez looked like the superstar prospect the Mets expect him to be, while Louis showed what he can do by putting together two hitless outings.

For the rest of the news around the Mets minor leagues from this previous week, here’s the Mets Minors Weekly Report.

Alex Ramírez. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets won their series against the Rochester Red Wings this past week 4-2. Syracuse easily won the first four games of the series before dropping the final two. The team scored 34 runs in their six games, only allowing 23 runs. They officially finish the first half of the season in first place in the International League East division at 46-28, only trailing the 49-24 Omaha Storm Chasers for the best record in the league.

Luisangel Acuña stood out in a major way for the Mets this week. He went 8-for-19 in five games and recorded four RBIs. He also walked three times without striking out and stole three bases without being caught. Acuña has been red-hot at the plate as he now has his OPS over .700 at .702. He carries a 10-game hitting streak into the second half of the season.

Ben Gamel also had a strong week for Syracuse. He also went 8-for-19 and though he only drove in one run, he scored four runs himself. Gamel has been one of the Mets’ most consistent hitters this year, and he now has a .961 season OPS.

Brett Baty only hit .190, but he hit two home runs and walked four times to put up a steady .822 OPS in six games played against Rochester. Baty continues to show off his power since his demotion to Syracuse, and he sports a 1.066 OPS in 14 games. Could he be recalled in the wake of Starling Marte’s injury?

José Buttó and Blade Tidwell were the two starters to turn in quality starts against the Red Wings. They both went six innings, with Buttó allowing one run and Tidwell allowing three. Buttó continues to be really good for Syracuse, as he now has a 3.13 ERA on the year. Tidwell is still trying to settle in since his promotion from Double-A as he has a 5.00 ERA with Syracuse.

Mike Vasil, who has been brutal in Triple-A this year, had a good start where he allowed two runs in five innings. He now owns a 6.75 ERA on the year as he continues to try to turn his season around.

Out of the bullpen, Max Kranick did great work by throwing four scoreless innings across three appearances. He has a 3.25 ERA on the year. Josh Walker (1.69 ERA) and Matt Festa (2.03 ERA) each threw two scoreless innings across two separate appearances as they continue their dominance on the season.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies won their series against the Akron RubberDucks 4-2 this past week. Binghamton won the first three games of the series before dropping two of the last three. The last game of the series was called 4.5 innings due to rain, which resulted in a 1-0 Binghamton loss. Still, Binghamton will take the series win. They end the first half of the season in second place of the Eastern League Northeast division at 35-32.

Rowdey Jordan had a phenomenal week against Akron, recording three home runs and nine RBIs in six games. Overall, he went 8-for-20 and had a 1.300 OPS for the week. His OPS on the season now sits at .754.

Alex Ramírez actually had a great week following a significant cool stretch. Ramírez went 10-for-24 in his six games with a double and a triple. He walked four times, striking out just once, and stole four bases without being caught. Ramírez now owns a .679 OPS this year.

Kevin Parada, another high-profile prospect not having the best year, also had a really good week against Akron. In five games, he went 6-for-14 with two doubles and a home run. His 1.215 OPS for the week raised his season OPS to .653.

Jeremiah Jackson showed off his power, hitting a home run and recording three doubles in five games played. He went 6-for-19 and raised his season OPS to .632.

Joander Suarez had the best start of any Rumble Ponies pitcher this week, throwing seven innings and allowing just one run. He allowed seven hits but didn’t walk anyone and struck out five. Suarez lowered his ERA on the year to 4.39.

Tyler Stuart also had a good week, making two starts although one of them was cut short due to the rainout. Stuart threw a total of nine innings and allowed three earned runs. He also struck out eight batters. Stuart sports a 4.72 ERA on the year.

Justin Jarvis made one appearance this week, a three-inning outing of the bullpen. He didn’t allow a run, allowing just two hits and no walks. He also struck out five batters. Jarvis continues to look solid for Binghamton, now sporting a 3.28 ERA with the club.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones lost their series to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws 4-2. It was a low-scoring series, with Brooklyn being outscored 24-13. The series concluded the first half of the season but also began the second half of the season. Brooklyn finished in fifth place in the South Atlantic League North division at 33-33 in the first half, and the team now sits at 1-2 in the second half. In total, they are 34-35.

Given the team only scored 13 runs in six games, it’s natural that there weren’t many notable offensive performances from the Brooklyn Cyclones this week. Nick Lorusso, though, continued his strong season by going 8-for-20 with two doubles and a home run in five games played. Lorusso’s OPS on the year is now .864.

William Lugo also had a really good week, going 4-for-17 in five games. He also walked three times, giving him a .938 OPS for the week. On the year, he has a .646 OPS.

Unlike the offense, there were several great pitching performances from the Brooklyn staff. Jonah Tong looked great, throwing five shutout innings while striking out seven. His ERA since being promoted to Brooklyn is now down to 3.68.

Felipe De La Cruz also looked really good. He made one start, allowing two runs in 4 1/3 innings, before making a relief appearance of 2 2/3 scoreless innings. In total, he allowed just two runs in seven innings and lowered his season ERA to 3.81.

Jonathan Pintaro has made just three appearances for Brooklyn, but he has made a great first impression. His latest effort was a quality start where he threw six innings and allowed two runs. In 15 innings with Brooklyn this year, he has a 3.60 ERA.

Kade Morris had a similar start, also allowing two runs in six innings. It was one of his better starts since being promoted to Brooklyn, as he now owns a 4.85 ERA.

Low-A

The disaster that is the 2024 St. Lucie Mets’ season continued this past week as they lost their series to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 4-2. They actually won the first two games of the series convincingly (outscoring Fort Myers 13-4), but then dropped the final four games in uncompetitive fashion (outscored by Fort Myers 33-7). St. Lucie finished the first half of the season in dead last in the Florida State League East division at 22-44 and are now 0-3 in the second half of the season. In total, they are 22-47.

Jesus Baez had a great week, earning a promotion to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. Baez went 5-for-19 with two home runs, raising his season OPS to .782.

Ronald Hernandez also stood out, going 8-for-20 with three doubles. He had a .979 OPS for the week to raise his OPS on the season to .777.

A.J. Ewing went 6-for-20 in six games, recording a double and a home run. He’s still adjusting to this next level past the Complex League, as he has just a .675 OPS on the year with St. Lucie.

Franklin Gomez had a fantastic start for the Mets, allowing just one run in six innings pitched. Gomez has been one of the bright spots for St. Lucie this year, as he owns a 3.95 ERA.

Ernesto Mercedes also looked solid this week, allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings. Mercedes has not been as successful as Gomez this season, as he owns an 0-7 record and a 5.19 ERA.

Perhaps the best pitcher for St. Lucie this week, though, was Gregori Louis. The lefty made two appearances out of the bullpen and threw 6 2/3 hitless innings. He walked one batter, hit one batter, and struck out five. Louis has been phenomenal in nine games for St. Lucie this year, as he owns a 2.05 ERA.

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets went 3-3 this past week, bringing their record on the year to 16-19. They currently sit in third place in the FCL East division.

The two standout bats for the FCL Mets this week were Simon Juan and Yonatan Henriquez. Juan went 7-for-19 two doubles, a home run, four walks, and two stolen bases. His season OPS is .913. Henriquez went 6-for-12 with two doubles, four walks, and three stolen bases. He’s also been good this year, owning an .810 OPS. Jeremy Rodriguez continues to struggle as he now owns a .751 OPS.

Among the pitchers, Estarlin Escalante, Lucas Gordillo and Layonel Ovalles all pitched really well. Escalante threw four scoreless innings, striking out seven. His ERA is now 2.08. Gordillo allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings to lower his season ERA to 3.32, while Ovalles threw 5 2/3 shutout innings, maintaining his 0.00 ERA.

Dominican Summer League Mets

The DSL Mets Orange went 3-2 this past week, improving their record on the year to 7-8. They’re tied in fourth place in the DSL South division. Diover De Aza (.757 season OPS) and Yovanny Rodriguez (.684 season OPS) were two of the standout hitters of the week, while Emilio Obispo (1.50 season ERA) and Deivy Paulino (3.27 season ERA) led the pitching staff with scoreless efforts.

The DSL Mets Blue had a rough week, going 1-4. That dropped them down to 5-10 and in seventh place out of eight teams in the DSL East division. Rainer Reyes (1.140 season OPS) and Daiverson Gutierrez (.980 season OPS) were the two best hitters on the week, while Jose Guevara (1.65 season ERA) and Wilmer Lugo (3.68 season ERA) looked great on the mound.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – .330

OPS – Ben Gamel (SYR) – .961

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR), Trayce Thompson (SYR) – 16

SB – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – 32

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG) – 1.77

SO – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK) – 81

WHIP – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG) – 0.95

Players of the Week

Offense – Alex Ramírez, OF Binghamton

Luisangel Acuña had a great week, but Alex Ramírez edges him out for Player of the Week. Ramírez had a great start to the year but has otherwise been disappointing once again. This past week, however, he finally looked like the exciting prospect the Mets believe they have. His OPS on the week was over 1.000 and he had a 4:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio and stole four bases while not getting caught.

Ramírez has been underwhelming for the second year in a row, but he’s still just 21 years old and he certainly flashes star ability every now and then. This past week was one of those weeks where he looked like he could become a superstar; he just needs to find consistency.

Pitching – Gregori Louis, P St. Lucie

It’s hard for a reliever to be named pitcher of the week, but Gregori Louis more than deserves that recognition. He didn’t allow a single hit while recording 20 outs for the St. Lucie Mets this week. Louis is more of an under-the-radar name, though the 21-year-old has a 1.75 ERA in 25 2/3 innings between the FCL Mets and St. Lucie Mets this year. In his professional career, he has a 3.36 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.

Upcoming Schedule – June 25-30

Triple-A Syracuse: @ Buffalo

Double-A Binghamton: vs. Portland

High-A Brooklyn: @ Aberdeen

Low-A St. Lucie: @ Palm Beach

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