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Mets Minors Players of the Week: Mauricio and Vientos Power Back

By Joseph Langan

June 22, 2021 No comments

Ronny Mauricio, Photo by Dan Fritz

Father’s Day went stellar for the New York Mets Minor League organizations, with three of the four affiliates earning a win. As opposed to last week, the quality of play was off the charts, with many prospects finding themselves on this installment of Mets Minors Players of the Week.

Triple-A Syracuse Mets

The Syracuse Mets fell short against the rival Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders in a hard-fought 4-3 Father’s Day loss. On the day, Travis Blankenhorn was 1-for-3, driving in two of the three Syracuse runs. Blankenhorn managed to have himself a career week despite splitting time with the rehabbing big leaguer Jeff McNeil. He slashed .375/.500/.1.000 with three home runs and an OPS of 1.500 throughout five games.

The lefty out of Pottsville, Pennsylvania drove in twelve on the week and came around to score five times. Blankenhorn was a third-round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2015 and was claimed by the Mets off of waivers this season. If he can continue working out the kinks in his swing, he could be a reliable depth piece for this New York Mets organization. 

Tylor Megill continues to impress scouts and analysts as he continues to produce at higher levels in the minors. The big lefty has made three starts for the Syracuse Mets after being promoted from Binghamton after only a month into the season. This week Megill earned his third no-decision for the Triple-A squad as he tossed five innings, allowing five hits, three runs, and striking out six batters.

More importantly, Megill’s fastball velocity continues to ramp up, hitting upwards of 94-96 MPH in his last start. While his fastball is his best pitch, he also features a sharp changeup to keep hitters off-balance at the plate. Between the two levels of the minors, Megill has accumulated 40 1/3 innings pitched, sporting an ERA of 3.35, a WHIP of 1.09, and has struck out 59 batters. 

https://twitter.com/MetsFarmReport/status/1406301543532478480?s=20

Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies

After a miserable outing last week, Mark Vientos seems to be getting back on track for the Rumble Ponies. The Mets’ No. 6 prospect, according to Baseball America, showed out by going 7-for-16 with two home runs and four RBIs throughout four games.

While the numbers are great, the most encouraging stat is his four strikeouts on the week. Vientos has 45 strikeouts through 32 games on the season, so limiting the k’s will be huge for his development going forward. After his excellent week, Vientos boosted his season slash line to .238/.296/.475 with seven home runs and a .772 OPS. 

Dan Goggin was lights out coming out of the pen for the Rumble Ponies this week, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Goggin has been flying through the rankings this year, starting with the Low-A St. Lucie Mets and now finding himself pitching at the Double-A level. Since joining the Rumble Ponies, he has struggled a bit, tossing just over sixteen innings and earning an ERA of 8.10. Goggin’s last outing was very encouraging, and fans can expect him to get better from here on out with more work at this advanced level.

High-A Brooklyn Cyclones 

After going 0-for-17 in his last homestand against Hudson Valley, top prospect Ronny Mauricio was red hot against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic went 10-for-26 and slashed an impressive .385/.429/.654 with an OPS of 1.082. Mauricio was able to limit his strikeouts and put the ball in play more during the series, leading to his success at the plate.

As the Cyclones prepare to play at home against the Jersey Shore Blue Claws this week, fans should keep an eye out for Ronny’s odd statistical quirk. His home vs. away stats are drastically different, with his home slash being .115/.179/.139 with an OPS of .313 and his away being .330/.364/.670 and an OPS of 1.034. While it’s an odd occurrence that a player hits that much better on the road, one thing is for sure, and that’s that Mauricio needs to step it up in Coney Island.

https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1405325791450308610?s=20

Justin Lasko‘s first two starts for the Cyclones after his promotion did not go as planned, giving up seven earned runs in just over ten innings of work. This week Lasko made two starts and reverted to his lights-out self, pitching 12 innings of two-run ball. The big righty from Bridgeport, Connecticut, allowed nine hits, two walks, and struck out eight while earning his first win at the High-A level this week.

He features a commanding fastball with a tremendous off-speed arsenal that’s highlighted by a devastating curveball. Lasko seems to be forming into one of the better pitching prospects for the New York Mets here in 2021, and he quite possibly can find himself cracking the top 30 sooner rather than later. 

https://twitter.com/MetsFarmReport/status/1403072818170970120?s=20

Low-A St. Lucie Mets

Matt Dyer had a powerful week for the St. Lucie Mets as he blasted three home runs against the Jupiter Hammerheads. The big right-handed bat slashed .286/.444/1.000 with an OPS of 1.444 throughout four games. Dyer hasn’t played much after being a fourth-round pick back in 2020, only accumulating 61 at-bats on the season so far. After a great week at the plate, fans could expect his playing time to increase along with his season numbers. After Dyer gets more time under his belt, we’ll truly be able to tell what he brings to this Mets organization.

https://twitter.com/MetsFarmReport/status/1406628171106168833?s=20

Oscar Rojas earned a no-decision in his solid start this week against the Hammerheads. The 22-year-old out of Mexico pitched 5 2/3 innings of work, only allowing one run on six hits and striking out six batters. St. Lucie is hoping that Rojas is turning a corner after a rocky 1-and-3 start to the season. If he can limit his walks and increase his strikeout rate like he did this week, Rojas can see that 5.08 ERA and the 1.46 WHIP dwindle. He certainly has the stuff; he needs to execute better. 

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Written by josephlangan

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