By Tim Britton and Will Sammon
May 18, 2023
It didn’t take long for the Mets to reap rewards from their promotion of Mark Vientos on Wednesday. In his season debut, Vientos smashed a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh inning — the first of three late-game home runs that lifted New York to its best win of the season.
In the third week of May, the Mets have already dipped into Triple A for Brett Baty, Francisco Álvarez and Vientos. But there still are others in the upper levels of the minor-league system who could help in the majors at some point this season — or even this week.
Advertisem*nt
Let’s take a quick tour of some of the more important names in the minor-league system.
Gary Sánchez
• The veteran Gary Sánchez’s minor-league deal with the Mets includes a May 19 opt-out date, according to a league source. It’s unusual for a player to sign a contract and be able to opt out 10 days later, but Sánchez’s credentials as a two-time All-Star make a different kind of case. Also, he drew major-league interest from other clubs, including the Angels, according to league sources, so it’s conceivable that he’d land a deal elsewhere in a similarly good if not better situation.
• The Mets have monitored Sánchez closely for the last week and expect to continue to do so leading up to Friday. In addition to the potential help he provides for the catching depth, the Mets like Sánchez for his power, an area of weakness for the club.
• Tomás Nido’s recovery from dry eye syndrome is taking a bit longer than initially expected. Nido is going to be sent out on a rehab assignment soon, but this does provide the Mets a window to swap Sánchez with current backup Michael Pérez to see if his bat can further supplement the lineup in the short term.
Gary Sánchez's first home run for Syracuse! pic.twitter.com/sMSFyKP94H
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 11, 2023
Ronny Mauricio
• While Ronny Mauricio’s stats are right in line with those Vientos had posted at Triple A, he’s a good bit farther away from a promotion. For one, unlike Vientos, this is Mauricio’s first go-round in Triple A, and the organization would like to see him continue piling up good results as he faces the same teams multiple times. Syracuse starts to repeat opponents on Memorial Day weekend and will spend the entire month of June playing its second series of the season against teams.
• Second, while Mauricio’s bottom-line results have been consistent really since the start of winter ball, the Mets view the underlying process as being more up and down. Specifically, Mauricio’s plate discipline has wavered at times, and the Mets fear that will be exploited time and again at the major-league level in its current state. According to Down on the Farm, Mauricio’s chase rate sits at 36 percent as of Thursday morning, which ranks in the 92nd percentile in the league. (For context, Starling Marte’s chase rate has sat around 36 percent during his tenure with the Mets.)
Advertisem*nt
• For now, Mauricio is seeing most of his time at second base (with some days back at short). The Mets haven’t ruled out expanding on that defensive profile this summer, including the chance he gets some time in the outfield. At this point, they’re taking Mauricio’s development in two-week chunks, reevaluating at the end of each fortnight to see what else can be added to his plate. The early returns at second have been promising.
Mike Vasil
• In a farm system devoid of tantalizing arm options in the upper levels, Mike Vasil stands out. In his first season with Double-A Binghamton, Vasil has produced a 2.70 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in 30 innings while improving his walk rate (3.5 percent, his best in affiliate action) without sacrificing his strikeout numbers (36.3 percent, also his best in affiliate action). While it remains his fourth pitch, Vasil’s split-change has improved; he’s attacking hitters with it more in the zone and it is generating more swing and miss. However, based on how the front office has operated in the past, it would be surprising to see Vasil get called up before some kind of stint in Triple A.
(Photo of Ronny Mauricio from spring training: Reinhold Matay / USA Today)
