Minors Weekly Report: Brandon Sproat Makes Best Start of Season

Brandon Sproat twirled a gem in his lone start of the week for the Syracuse Mets, pitching seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. He allowed just three hits and two walks. It was arguably Sproat’s best start of the year, directly following one of his more disappointing starts of the year.

Still in Triple-A with the Mets’ other top pitching prospects in the majors, Sproat now owns a 4.24 ERA.

Triple-A

The Syracuse Mets split their six-game series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The Mets are now 36-21 in the second half of the season and 67-65 overall.

Jared Young, who has been so solid for the Mets all year, had a fantastic week at the plate. Young went 8-for-22 with a double and a triple, also recording four walks and a stolen base. Young had a team-high five RBIs and scored three runs. With the strong week, Young raised his season OPS with Syracuse to .964.

Luisangel Acuña was also a standout at the plate, tying Young for the team lead with eight hits but in 20 at-bats. Acuña recorded two doubles, a walk, and three stolen bases while driving in three runs and scoring two. Acuña has hit the ball well in Syracuse this year with an average of .303, but he still has just a .732 OPS in Triple-A. He was called up to the Mets Monday as the team gained more roster spots in September.

In addition to Brandon Sproat’s masterful outing, the Mets also received solid bullpen contributions out of the bullpen from Austin Warren (2 G, 4 IP, 0.00 ERA), Richard Lovelady (2 G, 3 IP, 0.00 ERA), and Dylan Ross (2 G, 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA). Warren (5.06 ERA) has struggled all year in Triple-A, while Lovelady (1.74 ERA) and Ross (2.25 ERA) have had much more success.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies won four of six games against the Somerset Patriots to end August, putting them at 37-20 in the second half. The Rumble Ponies are 82-42 overall.

Jacob Reimer had a rollicking week at the plate as he continues to mash for the Rumble Ponies. Reimer went 9-for-19 with five doubles and a home run, walking twice and stealing a base. He also led the team with seven RBIs and tied for the team lead with six runs scored. With most of the Mets’ top prospects in Syracuse, Reimer has really shined in Binghamton and now owns a .916 OPS in 51 games with the team.

A.J. Ewing also had a good series, going 7-for-19 with a double, three walks, and three stolen bases. Ewing drove in three runs and also scored three runs as he now has an .879 OPS in 17 games in Binghamton.

A couple of lesser prospects, JT Schwartz and D’Andre Smith, were big contributors on offense. Schwartz went 6-for-17 with three doubles, three walks, and three RBIs, while Smith went 8-for-21 went a double, a triple, two walks, five stolen bases, and three RBIs. Schwartz (.611 OPS) has had a rough year, while Smith (.754) has been solid all year for the Rumble Ponies.

High-A

The Brooklyn Cyclones split their latest series with the Hudson Valley Renegades, moving them to 25-35 in the second half and 71-55 overall.

Ronald Hernandez recorded just 12 at-bats in this series but he was easily the most effective Brooklyn hitter. Hernandez went 7-for-12, recording three doubles, four walks, and three stolen bases. He drove in a run and scored five, tying for the team lead in the series. He’s struggled all year with a .671 OPS, but he has a five-game hitting streak and a .923 OPS in his last 13 games.

Marco Vargas, who was traded with Hernandez from the Marlins when the Mets dealt David Robertson in 2023, also had a good week for the Cyclones. Vargas went 5-for-18 and recorded two triples, three walks, and three stolen bases. Vargas drove in four runs and scored two as he raised his OPS to .643. Like Hernandez, Vargas has been swinging the bat better lately and has a .782 OPS in his last 17 games.

Yohairo Cuevas was another contributor, having his best week in High-A. He went 8-for-26 with three doubles, a triple, a walk, and three stolen bases. Cuevas also drove in three runs and scored three runs, raising his OPS to .512 through 26 games in High-A.

Brooklyn’s best start came from Noah Hall, who wasn’t spectacular, but he got the job done. Hall went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Hall has shined all season, owning a 2.42 ERA in 24 appearances (20 starts).

Joel Díaz also had a decent start, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Díaz allowed four hits and two walks, striking out four. He lowered his season ERA to 3.69.

Austin Troesser was the team’s best arm out of the bullpen, pitching three scoreless innings over two appearances. He allowed just two baserunners on a couple of hits and struck out five batters. Troesser owns a 6.00 ERA in 10 appearances with Brooklyn.

Low-A

The St. Lucie Mets took four of six games from the Lakeland Flying Tigers in their latest series. With the series win, the Mets are now 41-19 in the second half and 75-50 overall.

Randy Guzman excelled at the plate in this series, going 8-for-18 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. He drove in three runs and scored three runs. Guzman has been phenomenal for St. Lucie, owning a 1.021 OPS in 21 games.

Antonio Jimenez had a pretty good week, going 7-for-17 with a team-high five RBIs. The Mets’ third rounder this year has just a .642 OPS in his first 22 games, but an .845 OPS in his last six games.

Jonathan Jimenez delivered the team’s best start of the week, tossing four scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Jimenez has shined with a 1.77 ERA in six appearances (five games).

Out of the bullpen, the Mets got contributions from Christian Rodriguez (3 G, 4.1 IP, ER, 7 K), Ernesto Mercedes (2 G, 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 K), and Jose Chirinos (1 G, 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 K). Rodriguez (4.58 ERA) has struggled since being elevated from rookie ball, while Mercedes (3.46 ERA) and Chirinos (3.27 ERA) have been great all year for the Mets.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

AVG – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – .317

OPS – Carson Benge (BRK/BNG/SYR) – .909

HR – Ryan Clifford (BNG/SYR) – 26

SB – A.J. Ewing (STL/BRK/BNG) – 68

Pitching

ERA – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 1.43 ERA

SO – Jonah Tong (BNG/SYR) – 179

WHIP – Zach Thornton (BRK/BNG) – 0.812

Players of the Week

Offense – Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B

Jacob Reimer has been in the shadow of many of the Mets’ other top prospects this year, but that shouldn’t take away from how good he’s been. The 21-year-old, who was the Mets’ fourth-round pick in 2022, has established himself as a borderline top-100 prospect in baseball this year and has a .286/.386/.513/.899 slash with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs in 112 games across High-A and Double-A.

Pitching – Brandon Sproat, P Syracuse

Brandon Sproat hit a bit of a bump after a stretch of really good starts in a row, but his latest start may be his best one so far this season. With Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong making the jump to the majors, Sproat is still making his case for a call-up and could be a factor down the stretch for the major league team.

Upcoming Schedule – September 2-7

• Triple-A Syracuse: @ Buffalo
• Double-A Binghamton: @ Akron
• High-A Brooklyn: @ Jersey Shore
• Low-A St. Lucie: @ Fort Myers

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