With the minor league season in full swing, let’s take a look at how some of the Mets‘ top prospects have been doing lately.
SS/CF Jett Williams, Double-A Binghamton
After a rare 0-for-5 on Friday night, Williams roared back on Saturday with a three-hit performance while playing center field for just the eighth time this season.
The 21-year-old went 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored from the leadoff spot to raise his batting average to .298. Williams also boasts a .404 on-base percentage and a .928 OPS while still maintaining his elite speed with 18 steals.
He’s really begun to heat up lately as Williams has multiple hits in six of his last eight starts, hitting two home runs, two triples and five doubles during that stretch.
Following a lost season last year due to injuries, Williams is back to doing what he did in 2023 which earned him the Minor League Player of the Year award for the Mets.
C Kevin Parada, Double-A Binghamton
Another player on fire at the dish is Parada who went 2-for-4 with two doubles in Saturday’s 8-2 win.
It hasn’t always come easy for the former first-round pick, but lately the catching prospect has begun to figure things out with three straight multi-hit games.
Through 35 at-bats in June, Parada is slashing .371/.439/.800 with four home runs and 10 RBI. Over the least three games, the 23-year-old has raised his batting average from .190 to .219.
1B/OF Ryan Clifford, Double-A Binghamton
With another two hits on Saturday, Clifford extended his hitting streak to eight games and is 12-for-30 during that time. The lefty-swinging first baseman hit his 12th double and added two RBI which gives him a team-high 38 RBI this season.
Since joining the Mets organization, Clifford has been known as a power threat and has hit 30 home runs and 33 doubles in 158 games for the Rumble Ponies.
Still just 21 years old, it’ll be interesting to see if New York promotes him to Triple-A sooner rather than later with this kind of production.
OF Carson Benge, High-A Brooklyn
Down a level, Benge continues to shine in his first full season in the minors.
Locked in a scoreless tie through the sixth inning with the Asheville Tourists, the Houston Astros’ High-A affiliate, Benge knocked in the game’s only run with a single to give the Cyclones a 1-0 win. He finished 1-for-4 and is hitting .302 over 54 games.
The game-winner improved Brooklyn’s record to 42-20, good for first in their division.
RHP Nolan McLean, Triple-A Syracuse
The closest to a major league call-up, McLean had another solid outing despite a 5-1 loss for Syracuse. The right-hander went six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out three and threw 90 pitches (55 strikes).
McLean has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in five straight starts and has a 2.56 ERA in seven games (five starts) since his promotion to Triple-A.
After getting off to dominating start in Double-A this season (3-1, 1.37 ERA in five starts), the 23-year-old owns a 2.08 ERA (1.17 WHIP) overall.
The Mets will surely like to see more of the same from McLean this season before they even think about calling him up to the big leagues, but his continued success is nipping at the heels of teammate and fellow top prospect Brandon Sproat who has had a tough time transitioning to Triple-A, owning a 5.31 ERA (1.42 WHIP) in 13 starts.
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