Ryan Clifford Shows Off Power with Booming Homer

The Mets shut out the Houston Astros on Thursday by a score of 5-0. New York’s five runs came on two home runs, one of which came from slugging first base prospect Ryan Clifford against the organization that selected him in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Clifford’s homer, which drove in two and came off Miguel Ullola in the sixth inning, stood out as the hardest-hit ball of the game at 110.7 mph, providing a glimpse of the raw power that has made him a player to watch in camp and in the team’s farm system.

Clifford’s bomb was likely no surprise to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Before the game, he offered praise for the first baseman.

“The power is real,” Mendoza said. “Very limited right now as far as game action goes, but I’m excited to continue to watch him develop and play.”

The 21-year-old Clifford was acquired alongside outfielder Drew Gilbert at the 2023 trade deadline in the deal that sent Justin Verlander back to the Astros less than eight months after he originally signed with the Mets.

After the trade, Clifford logged time at first base for High-A Brooklyn. His 2024 numbers with the affiliate weren’t eye-catching (.216/.412/.304 in 136 plate appearances), but Coney Island’s Maimonides Park is notoriously hard on left-handed hitters. The Mets would later promote him to Double-A Binghamton just to get him out of that environment, and it seems as though that move paid off, as Clifford hit .231/.359/.456 with the Rumble Ponies across 404 PAs.

While he is still early in his development, his performance at the plate is giving the Mets a closer look at his potential and ability to provide power from the left side. With game opportunities scarce, swings like Tuesday’s only strengthen his case for more at-bats this spring. He’s still too raw to crack the big league roster in 2025, except perhaps as a call-up when rosters expand in September. Expect him to start in Binghamton, with a realistic hope of reaching Triple-A Syracuse before the season’s end.

Nobody has emerged as the Mets’ first baseman of the future — yet. In a world where Pete Alonso moves on and plays elsewhere down the line, however, Clifford could surely make a run for the job.

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