Minors Weekly Report: Ryan Clifford Keeps Mashing in Binghamton

For the first time since the beginning of June, the Syracuse Mets did not win their series. In fact, each of the Mets’ top three affiliates split their series while St. Lucie dropped their series 4-2. Still, there were plenty of brilliant individual performances worth noting. Ryan Clifford continues to mash in Binghamton, while both Shintaro Fujinami and Kodai Senga shined in their rehab appearances in Binghamton and Brooklyn, respectively.

For the rest of the news from this past week, check out the Mets Minors Weekly Report below.

Triple-A

After losing the first two games of their series against the Worcester Red Sox, the Syracuse Mets managed to split the series 3-3. Syracuse won three consecutive games following their back-to-back losses but were shut out in the series’ final game. In the second half of the season, the Mets are 7-5 and in third place in the International League East division. Overall, the team’s record is 53-33.

Luke Ritter had a strong week at the plate, going 6-for-18 with a home run in five games played. Ritter also hit a triple, his first of the year, had three walks, and scored four runs. Ritter has been slugging all year for Syracuse and he leads all of the Mets minor leagues in home runs. His OPS on the season is .842.

Yolmer Sánchez had a big series against Worcester, a team he used to play for in 2022. He recorded just 12 at-bats but had six hits including a home run and seven RBIs, which led the team in the series. Despite the big week, Sánchez has struggled to the tune of a .666 OPS this year.

Pablo Reyes stood out as well against the club he played for earlier this year. Reyes went 6-for-19 with a home run and five RBIs in five games. Reyes continues to be a solid depth pickup for David Stearns as he now owns an .847 OPS with Syracuse.

Joey Lucchesi shined on the mound with an outing allowing just one run in seven innings. He allowed six baserunners and struck out five. Lucchesi is back on track after a rough couple of starts, and he owns a 2.03 ERA in his last two starts. On the year, his ERA is 4.20.

Mike Vasil also recorded a quality start and is pitching better of late. Vasil allowed three runs in six innings and struck out eight. Vasil now owns a 6.18 ERA.

Out of the bullpen, Josh Walker (three scoreless innings) and Cole Sulser (two scoreless innings) were the standouts against the Red Sox. Both have pitched marvelously for Syracuse this year, as Walker owns a 1.42 ERA and Sulser owns a 1.71 ERA. Look for both to be MLB bullpen options soon as the team continues to try to patchwork a solution.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies had an unusual week against the Hartford Yard Goats. Binghamton dropped the first three games of the series at home before going on the road and taking each of the last three games to earn a split. Binghamton outscored Hartford 36-32 in the series and is now 5-6 in the second half of the season. That puts them in fourth place in the Eastern League Northeast division. Overall, they are 40-38.

The talk of the town in terms of Mets prospects lately has been Ryan Clifford and for good reason. He had yet another stellar week, going 10-for-21 in five games. He recorded a home run, three doubles, four RBIs, and six runs, as well as three walks. His OPS in those five games was 1.304, which raised his OPS with Binghamton to .886.

JT Schwartz, Binghamton’s best hitter behind Clifford, went 7-for-20 with two doubles and four RBIs. He also scored four runs and stole a base. He had a solid .800 OPS for the week, which actually lowered his season OPS to .822.

Jaylen Palmer has been right there with Schwartz this year, and he went 6-for-14 with three doubles this week. His six runs scored tied Clifford for the team lead in the series, and Schwartz also added a stolen base as well. His OPS for the year is .813.

Another Binghamton player who has earned himself recognition as one of the Mets’ most exciting young prospects is Brandon Sproat. Sproat had a fantastic start against Hartford, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings. Sproat also struck out nine. With his effort, Sproat’s ERA with Binghamton is now 2.05.

Luis Moreno had a better start for Binghamton, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out six. Moreno has been solid, and he lowered his ERA on the year to 4.09.

Nolan McLean had his second solid start in a row for Binghamton, allowing one run in five innings. McLean struck out five but did allow 10 baserunners. He owns a 5.45 ERA on the year.

One performance of note out of the bullpen was Shintaro Fujinami, who spent time in Binghamton on a rehab assignment. Fujinami was spectacular, striking out five in two perfect innings across two appearances. Fujinami has struggled mightily in Syracuse this season but could potentially join the Mets’ major league bullpen soon as they seek reinforcements.

High-A

Like its two superior affiliates, the Brooklyn Cyclones also split their series against the Hudson Valley Renegades. It was an up-and-down series, as the first four games each featured a shutout, twice pitched by each team. Brooklyn then won the fifth game of the series 8-3 before dropping a one-run affair to close out the series. Brooklyn is now 5-10 in the second half of the season, which puts them in last place in the South Atlantic League North division. Overall, the team is 38-43.

Wilfredo Lara was far-and-away Brooklyn’s best bat in this series, going 7-for-17 with a home run and five RBIs. Lara also recorded a double and two walks. Lara has just a .682 OPS for the year but has been better as of late. Over his last 11 games, Lara has an .878 OPS.

Junior Tilien and Karell Paz both went 5-for-15 in four games, with Tilien recording a home run and Paz recording two stolen bases. Tilien raised his OPS to .661 while Paz improved his to .574.

Kade Morris and Jonah Tong both pitched excellently in their starts against Hudson Valley, with neither allowing a run. Morris went 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven, while Tong allowed one hit in five innings and also struck out seven. Both pitchers were promoted from St. Lucie this year and have started to settle into Brooklyn nicely—Morris has a 3.86 ERA including a 1.96 ERA in his last three starts, while Tong has a 3.02 ERA including a 0.56 ERA in his last three starts.

Kodai Senga also made a significant rehab appearance as he looks to make his way back to the Mets. Senga was fantastic, striking out six in 2 2/3 perfect innings. Senga will make another rehab start on Tuesday, this time for Triple-A Syracuse.

Ben Simon (four scoreless innings) and Justin Lawson (three scoreless innings) were the standout relievers for Brooklyn this week. Simon has struggled this year with a 4.98 ERA while Lawson has been better, sitting with a 3.46 ERA.

Low-A

Unable to follow suit, the St. Lucie Mets dropped their series to the Daytona Tortugas 4-2. St. Lucie is 5-10 in the second half of the season, sitting in last place in the Florida State League East division. Overall, the team is 27-54 as they continue to be on pace to have double the number of losses as wins.

Yohairo Cuevas was St. Lucie’s best bat against Daytona, as he went 6-for-15 with three doubles, five walks and four RBIs. Cuevas compiled a 1.124 OPS in five games but still owns a .576 OPS for the year.

Boston Baro didn’t have a particularly notable week, but he was one of the better bats in what was a poor offensive week for the Mets. Baro went 3-for-13 with two doubles, and he also recorded three walks. Baro’s OPS on the year currently sits at .731.

Jack Wenninger had his best start of the year, and it ultimately earned him a promotion to High-A Brooklyn. Wenninger went seven innings and gave up one run on seven hits and two walks. He also struck out five batters. Wenninger finished his stint in St. Lucie with a 5.02 ERA but dominated in his latest start.

The rest of the rotation had pretty short, ineffective outings, but much of the bullpen looked strong. 10 relievers made at least one appearance and didn’t allow a run, including Jeremy Peguero and Layonel Ovalles, who each went three innings. Peguero owns a 3.10 ERA on the year while Ovalles has a 6.75 ERA.

Florida Complex League Mets

The FCL Mets went 2-2 this week, putting them at 19-25 on the year. They’re currently in fourth place in the FCL East division.

Jeremy Rodriguez (.768 season OPS), the Mets’ most notable name in the FCL, has finally turned it on. He went 7-for-16 with a home run and three walks, striking out just twice. He also stole three bases. Daiverson Gutierrez (.974 season OPS) went 4-for-12 with two doubles, walking four times and striking out just once.

Christian Rodriguez (4.11 season ERA) was fantastic by striking out nine and allowing two hits in seven scoreless innings over two relief appearances, though he did walk six batters. Irving Cota (4.24 season ERA) and Francisco Mercado (1.80 season ERA) both had scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.

Dominican Summer League Mets

The DSL Mets Orange went 1-3 this past week to put their record on the year at 11-13. They currently sit in fifth place in the DSL South division. Bohan Adderley (.664 season OPS) went 3-for-11 with a double and a triple, recording two RBIs and a stolen base, while Anthony Delgado (.703 season OPS) had just five at-bats and went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Meanwhile, Fredayan Figuera (1.38 season ERA) threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings and Nehomar Turmero (7.71 season ERA) went 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

The DSL Mets Blue went 2-2 to put them at 8-16 on the year. They’re currently in second-to-last place in the DSL East division. Roybert Herrera (.837 season OPS) was stellar, recording 10 hits in 14 at-bats and three stolen bases, while Yensi Rivas (.744 season OPS) went 5-for-13 with nine RBIs. Jose Guevara (2.05 season ERA) threw six shutout innings and continues to look fantastic, and Johan Moreno (3.00 season ERA) also allowed no runs but in five innings.

Organizational Leaders

Batting

(Among Qualified Players)

AVG – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – .316

OPS – Rylan Bannon (SYR) – .857

HR – Luke Ritter (SYR) – 18

SB – Nick Morabito (STL/BRK) – 36

Pitching

(Among Qualified Players)

ERA – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG) – 1.71

SO – Jonah Tong (STL/BRK) – 99

WHIP – Brandon Sproat (BRK/BNG) – 0.95

Players of the Week

Offense – Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF Binghamton

Clifford has played in just 31 games with Binghamton and he’s already tied for the team lead with 10 home runs. What’s even more impressive is that he’s just 20 years old, while many of his Double-A counterparts are much older than him. Clifford continues to hit for power, something that was hard to do in Brooklyn’s stadium. The proof is the difference in his slugging percentage (.304 in Brooklyn vs. .511 in Binghamton).

Clifford has all the makings of a future major leaguer who can hit for power while showing excellent plate discipline. As long as he can continue to mash in Double-A, he’ll continue down that path with no problem.

Pitching – Kade Morris, P Brooklyn

Morris was excellent in St. Lucie to start the year, earning a promotion after recording a 3.63 ERA in seven starts. Morris had a fantastic first three starts in Brooklyn, recording a 1.17 ERA but then stumbled in his next two starts with a 13.50 ERA. Now, he has a 1.96 ERA in his last three starts. All have been quality starts, including his most recent outing in which he didn’t allow a run in 6 1/3 innings.

Morris is 22 years old and was a third-round pick in 2023. So far, he’s shown at every level including now at High-A that he has a ton of potential as a future option for the Mets.

Upcoming Schedule – July 9-14

Triple-A Syracuse: vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Double-A Binghamton: @ New Hampshire

High-A Brooklyn: @ Wilmington

Low-A St. Lucie: vs. Lakeland

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