Mets Minors Weekly Report: Ryan Clifford Enters Break on Tear

The Rumble Ponies pulled off an impressive six-game sweep in their series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this past week. Binghamton has been rolling; they are the winners of nine consecutive games and have one of the hottest minor league bats in baseball in Ryan Clifford. Clifford and Luis Moreno, among others, were pivotal to Binghamton’s sweep and were two of the standout players from the previous week.

For more on Binghamton and the rest of the Mets’ affiliates, check out the Mets Minors Weekly Report below.

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets defeated the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders 4-2 in their six-game series this past week. It was a close series, with three of Syracuse’s wins by run game and no game being decided by more than three runs. With the series win, the Syracuse Mets are 11-7 in the second half of the season, good for third place in the International League East division. Overall, the Mets are 57-35.

• Carlos Cortes led Syracuse batters with two home runs against the Railriders in five games. He also added a double and 5 RBIs. Cortes is having a solid season in Syracuse, where he owns an .833 OPS.
• Luke Ritter extended his lead among Mets minor leaguers by hitting a home run this week, his 19th of the year. Ritter went 7-for-21 in six games played and led the team with seven RBIs. Ritter owns an .844 OPS on the year.
• Pablo Reyes went 5-for-18 with a double, a triple, and a home run while driving in four batters and stealing two bases. He owns an .858 OPS on the year.
• Brett Baty had a really unusual week. While he only went 1-for-15 at the plate, his one hit was a three-run homer. He also walked a whopping nine times while only striking out twice. Still, his performance lowered his season OPS with Syracuse to .876.

Kodai Senga made two rehab starts in Syracuse this past week, and he looked fantastic. Over 7 1/3 innings, he allowed one run on four hits and four walks, striking out six. Senga has now made three rehab starts and could be joining the major league club not long after the All-Star break. He will likely make one more rehab start before doing so, but stranger things have happened.

Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil have been struggling most of the year in Syracuse, but each of them had a strong outing this past week. Hamel allowed one run in six innings while Vasil allowed two runs in six innings. Hamel owns a 6.66 ERA while Vasil owns a 5.94 ERA. Vasil, though, has a 3.86 ERA in his last six outings.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies achieved a rare six-game sweep over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and have won nine consecutive games. Binghamton outscored New Hampshire 28-13 in the six games, recording two shutouts. Binghamton is now 11-6 in the second half of the season which has them in first place in the Eastern League Northeast division. Overall, the team is 47-38.

Ryan Clifford continues to be the standout bat of the Mets minor leagues, and he showed why again this past week. Clifford went 7-for-20 with three doubles, two home runs, and three walks in five games. With his strong week, he raised his OPS with Binghamton to .928. Could he sniff Triple-A by the end of the year? He turns 21 this week.

• Jeremiah Jackson and Kevin Parada also clubbed two home runs for Binghamton this week. Jackson went 7-for-22, also adding three doubles, while Parada went 9-for-21. Still, both have struggled this year. Jackson owns a .643 OPS while Parada owns a .699 OPS.
• Alex Ramírez, another struggling prospect, also had a pretty solid week. Ramírez went 6-for-24 with a home run, four walks, and four stolen bases. With one of his better weeks in a while, he raised his OPS to .663 on the year.

Luis Moreno provided the best start of the week for Binghamton, throwing seven shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and three walks, striking out five. Moreno lowered his ERA on the year to 3.59 and has thrown two consecutive shutouts.

Tyler Stuart has also been pitching better lately, and he made two solid starts this past week. Stuart threw 10 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while not allowing a walk. He also struck out eight batters. Stuart now has a 4.15 ERA but his ERA in his last four starts is 2.14.

Jordan Geber also made an impressive start, throwing five shutout innings. He allowed just two hits, no walks, and struck out four. It was Geber’s first start of the year, and he now owns a 3.16 ERA.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones lost their series 4-2 to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Two of Brooklyn’s losses were by one run, and they pitched a shutout in the final game of the series. Brooklyn has struggled mightily in the second half of the season, and they’re in last place in the South Atlantic League North division at 7-14. Overall, they are 40-47.

• Karell Paz had a really effective week despite recording just 13 at-bats. He went 4-for-13 with a double and an RBI, but he managed six walks and five stolen bases. Paz now has a .618 OPS for the year and 10 stolen bases.
• Wilfredo Lara was Brooklyn’s best hitter this week, leading the team with eight hits in 24 at-bats. He had three doubles but didn’t drive in any runs. Lara raised his OPS to .696 on the season.

Jonah Tong continued his impressive run by throwing another quality start, allowing one run in six innings. Tong allowed just three hits, walked none, and struck out seven. His ERA with Brooklyn is 2.85 and he has been especially great lately; in his last four starts, he has a 0.82 ERA with a 32:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Kade Morris is another Brooklyn pitcher on a spectacular run. Like Tong, he also allowed one run in six innings during his outing this week. He only struck out two in the effort, but he lowered his ERA in Brooklyn to 3.56. In his last four starts, Morris has a 1.85 ERA.

Several Binghamton relievers did not allow a run this past week, but Jonathan Pintaro was the most impressive as he threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings over two appearances. In one of his appearances, he served as the opener of what turned out to be a shutout win. Pintaro owns a 3.00 ERA through seven games with Brooklyn.

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets split their series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, capping off the series with a resounding 17-0 victory. In the two games prior, Lakeland outscored St. Lucie 11-1. With their three wins and three losses, St. Lucie is now 8-13 in the second half, which puts them in last place in the Florida State League East division. Overall, the Mets are 30-57.

• Boston Baro led the team with nine hits, going 9-for-25 in six games played. Baro scored five runs and drove in four, also recording three walks. Baro raised his season OPS on the year to .736 with his performance.
• Ronald Hernandez also had a good week, going 7-for-21 with a home run and four RBIs. His home run was his first in exactly one month. Hernandez led the team with seven runs, and he also drew four walks. Hernandez owns a .760 OPS this year.
• Willy Fanas also recorded seven hits, going 7-for-17. Fanas scored five runs and recorded three walks and a stolen base. He’s had some trouble adjusting to St. Lucie, as he has a .595 OPS in his first 39 games played.

Franklin Gomez was St. Lucie’s best pitcher, allowing just one run in 10 innings over two starts. Gomez lowered his season ERA to 4.13 with his brilliant week.

Edgar Moreta had a really good start, too, going 4 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out two batters. Moreta has struggled, though, with St. Lucie where he owns a 7.98 ERA in four starts.

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets went 2-2 this past week, putting their record on the year at 21-27. They are currently in fourth place in the FCL East division.

Daiverson Gutierrez (1.018 season OPS) mashed two home runs and drove in five runs, while Simon Juan (.827 season OPS) went 6-for-15 with two doubles, two runs batted in, and a stolen base.

Lucas Gordillo (3.94 season ERA) looked great in two relief appearances, striking out 10 over 7 2/3 innings while allowing just two runs. Luis Alvarez (4.22 season ERA) was also effective on the mound, throwing four scoreless innings over two relief appearances.

Dominican Summer League Mets

The DSL Mets Orange went 1-4 this past week, putting their record on the year to 12-17. They currently sit in sixth place in the DSL South division. Justin Ramirez (.665 season OPS) went 4-for-11 with two walks and two RBIs, while Bohan Adderley (.654 season OPS) added a double and a triple in 13 at-bats. Alejandro Ramirez (0.00 season ERA) struck out 7 over 3 2/3 scoreless innings, while Elwis Mijares (9.27 season ERA) allowed one run in five innings, striking out six.

The DSL Mets Blue went 3-2 this past week, putting their record on the year to 11-18. They are in second-to-last place in the DSL East division. Alex Acosta (.713 season OPS) hit a home run and recorded three RBIs in nine at-bats, while Edward Lantigua (.857 season OPS) went 6-for-11 with five RBIs. Jose Guevara (1.72 season ERA) struck out five in five scoreless innings of work, while both Joel Lara (2.25 season ERA) and Luisner Lopez (4.58 season ERA) each pitched three scoreless innings.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

(Among Qualified Players)

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – .307

OPS – Rylan Bannon (SYR) – .867

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 19

SB – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – 38

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG) – 1.71

SO – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK) – 106

WHIP – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG) – 0.95

Players of the Week

Offense – Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF Binghamton

For the second week in a row, Ryan Clifford is the offensive player of the week in the Mets’ minor leagues. Clifford is simply on another planet right now, racking up hits while demonstrating both his power and his eye. The 20-year-old owns a whopping .928 OPS in Binghamton and is cementing himself as one of the premier bats in the Mets’ system.

Pitching – Luis Moreno, P Binghamton

Luis Moreno is a lesser-known name than Clifford, but he deserves recognition. He threw seven scoreless innings this past week and owns a fantastic 1.83 ERA in his last seven appearances. Moreno is 25 and has a career minor league ERA of 4.32, but he looks to be turning a corner and is currently pitching some of the best baseball of his career.

Upcoming Schedule – July 19-21

• Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Rochester
• Double-A Binghamton: vs. Erie
• High-A Brooklyn: vs. Jersey Shore
• Low-A St. Lucie: @ Jupiter

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