Mets Minors Weekly Report: Clifford, Mauricio Break Out of Early-Season Slumps
Many of this week’s standout players in the Mets organization were guys who had been struggling to begin the season.
Ryan Clifford, Ronny Mauricio and Randy Guzman are a few of the bats who really turned it on this week. They helped Syracuse and St. Lucie to series wins, while Binghamton and Brooklyn are still looking to find their footing early on.
Ryan Clifford
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Triple-A Syracuse
The Syracuse Mets were only able to get in five games against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders due to weather, but they performed well, winning four of the five games. The Mets are 11-9, tied for first place in the International League East division.
Ryan Clifford had a breakout week, going 6-for-16 with two doubles, two home runs, and three walks. Clifford drove in five runs and also scored three runs. He had been off to a poor start to the season, but the slugging first baseman now owns a .767 OPS for the year.
Ronny Mauricio also broke out, going 5-for-17 with a double, two home runs, a walk and two stolen bases. Mauricio also drove in five runs to tie Clifford for the team-lead in the series, while scoring four runs. Mauricio has an .821 OPS through his first 50 at-bats.
Ji Hwan Bae and Yonny Hernández were a couple of other standout position players from the series. Bae went 5-for-12 with two doubles, a home run, three walks and a stolen base. He also drove in three runs and scored four runs. Hernández went 5-for-11 with a home run and two runs scored. Bae owns an .842 OPS, while Hernández owns a .717 OPS.
Jack Wenninger had another solid start, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings. He allowed six baserunners and struck out five batters. Wenninger now owns a 1.26 ERA through his first three Triple-A starts.
Christian Scott also performed well, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five, lowering his ERA to 5.27.
Aj Ewing
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Double-A Binghamton
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies had an extremely rough series against the Akron RubberDucks, losing five of six and getting shut out three separate times. Binghamton is now 6-8 and tied for fourth place in the Eastern League Northeast division.
A.J. Ewing was the only member of the Rumble Ponies lineup to show up in this series, going 6-for-19 with two doubles, two walks and four stolen bases. Ewing has been off to a scorching start to the season, owning a .962 OPS.
Chris Suero only went 2-for-12 with a double, not performing particularly well with the bat, but demonstrating fantastic plate discipline. He walked a whopping eight times while striking out just three times in the series. Suero has also been great to begin the year, possessing a 1.075 OPS.
Joander Suarez allowed just one run in 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts during his lone start of the series. Suarez’s successful outing was his first since returning from Triple-A, where he got roughed up in three outings.
Zach Thornton allowed two runs over five innings, striking out six with seven baserunners allowed. Thornton has a 2.61 ERA through his first two starts of the season.
Brendan Girton and Will Watson had similar starts, each allowing just one run over four innings. Girton struck out five batters while Watson struck out three. Girton owns a 5.06 ERA through three starts, while Watson has a 4.09 ERA through three starts.
Colin Houck. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
High-A Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Cyclones dropped four of their six games against the Greensboro Grasshoppers this past week. It has been a major struggle for the Cyclones early in the season, as they are now 4-10 and in last place in the South Atlantic League North division.
John Bay was one of the few standouts offensively, going 6-for-17. Bay recorded two doubles, a triple, a home run, two walks and a stolen base while driving in six runs. He also scored six runs, both team-highs for the series. Bay has been excellent to begin the season, owning a .948 OPS.
Daiverson Gutierrez also excelled at the plate, going 7-for-19 with a double, a home run and five walks. Guttierez raised his OPS with his stellar week to .748.
Former first-round pick Colin Houck went 8-for-20 with two doubles, two walks and a stolen base, while also driving in five runs. Houck had struggled prior to this series, and he now owns a .672 OPS.
Wyatt Hudepohl allowed a run over four innings in his lone start of the series. Hudepohl struck out six while allowing three hits and no walks. He owns a 7.71 ERA through three starts.
A.J. Minter made two rehab appearances, allowing no runs over 1 2/3 innings. Minter has now made four rehab appearances across two minor league levels without allowing a run.
Elian Pena. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Low-A St. Lucie
The St. Lucie Mets won four of six games against the Daytona Tortugas this past week, in a series characterized by offense: St. Lucie outscored Daytona 52-41 in the six games. The Mets are now 8-7 and in second place in the Florida State League East division.
Elian Peña had a solid week, going 9-for-27 with two doubles, five walks and three stolen bases. Peña drove in six runs and scored five of his own. He now has a .900 OPS through 14 games.
Randy Guzman launched three bombs against the Tortugas, going 6-for-24 while also recording a double and a triple. Guzman walked five times, stole two bases, drove in seven runs and scored eight runs of his own. Guzman broke out of an early-season slump, now owning a .784 OPS.
AJ Salgado went 7-for-24 with two home runs, also hitting two doubles and walking three times. Salgado drove in six runs and scored seven runs. He has a .943 OPS in the early going.
JT Benson also had a fantastic week, going 6-for-19 with a double, a home run, two walks and a stolen base. Benson recorded five RBIs and five runs scored. He has a 1.038 OPS through 11 games.
Jose Chirinos made two great starts, allowing two runs over eight innings with 10 strikeouts. Chirinos allowed seven hits and just one walk over the eight innings. He has a 2.70 ERA through three starts.
Nicolas Carreno also impressed, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in his start. He allowed just one hit and one walk, lowering his ERA to 3.38.
Christian Rodriguez was fantastic out of the bullpen, allowing no runs in 5 2/3 innings across two outings. He struck out eight while allowing just two hits and two walks. Rodriguez has yet to allow a run in 8 2/3 innings this year.
Organizational Leaders
Batting
- AVG – A.J. Ewing (BNG) – .356
- OPS – Chris Suero (BNG) – 1.075
- HR – Hayden Senger (SYR) – 5
- SB – Sam Robertson (STL) – 11
Pitching (min. 10 innings)
- ERA – Irving Cota (BRK) – 0.00
- SO – Jonah Tong (SYR) – 23
- WHIP – Irving Cota (BRK) – 0.84
Players of the Week
Offense – Randy Guzman, OF St. Lucie
Randy Guzman is coming off an excellent 2025 season in which he put up an .898 OPS between rookie ball and Low-A. Starting this season in Low-A, he had been struggling prior to this week, but he broke out with three home runs. The 21-year-old will look to keep his positive momentum going as the season continues.
Pitching – Jose Chirinos, P St. Lucie
Like Guzman, Jose Chirinos also impressed last year between rookie ball and Low-A. He had a 3.01 ERA in 19 games (13 starts). He’s now off to a fast start this year, aided by two strong performances this past week. Chirinos could see himself emerge as one of the Mets’ more exciting pitching prospects with another strong season.
Upcoming Schedule – April 21-26
- Triple-A Syracuse: @ Worcester
- Double-A Binghamton: vs. Erie
- High-A Brooklyn: @ Hudson Valley
- Low-A St. Lucie: vs. Palm Beach
The post Mets Minors Weekly Report: Clifford, Mauricio Break Out of Early-Season Slumps appeared first on Metsmerized Online.