St. Lucie 5, Fort Myers 4

Remember when the Mets’ list of catching prospects included such underwhelming names like Jason Phillips and Vance Wilson? That group from the early to mid-2000s hardly made an impact following the departure of Mike Piazza, forcing the parent club to shuffle between veteran backstops en route to obscurity at the end of the decade.

But under the guidance of general manager Sandy Alderson, the farm system has experienced a notable rebirth, especially behind the plate. That tremendous progress continues to be evident in St. Lucie catcher Kevin Plawecki.

The 22-year-old, who was selected in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft, drilled a two-run homer in bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Mets to 5-4 win over Fort Myers in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday night at Tradition Field. Plawecki’s homer — his second with St. Lucie (64-49) — was the club’s only extra-base hit in the game, as he finished 2-for-4 to lift his average to .322.

Outfielder Kyle Johnson went 2-for-4 — his fourth consecutive multi-hit game — and second baseman T.J. Rivera added two hits, as the Mets’ Nos. 1-3 hitters finished 6-for-10 with two runs scored and four RBI. On the mound, starting pitcher Rainy Lara took a no-decision after allowing four runs on six hits in six innings. He tallied five strikeouts and did not issue a walk for the second time in his past three starts.

Still, Plawecki was the star on Tuesday as his game-winning blast sent St. Lucie to its fourth consecutive win and helped the Mets maintain their half-game lead on Charlotte in the FSL South Division. The organization is hoping Plawecki can follow the same track as fellow catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud — excluding the injury woes. d’Arnaud, who could rise to the majors before the end of the season, is hitting .327 with a .485 on-base percentage with Triple-A Las Vegas.

After the Miracle struck for three runs off Lara in the third inning, St. Lucie tied the score in the fourth on four singles, including one from Charley Thurber, who was playing in his second game since early July, and a sacrifice fly by Johnson. Fort Myers designated hitter Dalton Hicks then led off the sixth inning with a homer to give the visitors a 4-3 lead.

But it would be short-lived. Johnson led off the seventh with a single to left field. After a sacrifice bunt by Rivera moved Johnson to second base, Plawecki went deep for the first time since June 20 to put the finishing touches on the come-from-behind victory. He has now reached base in all 10 games in August for a .455 OBP — right on par with d’Arnaud.

Domingo Tapia is scheduled to take the mound for the second game of the series on Tuesday. He has dropped his past three starts and is 2-8 overall with  a 5.00 ERA.

Key Statistics:

Kyle Johnson: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-3, 1 RBI

Kevin Plawecki: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Matt Reynolds: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 SB

Robbie Shields: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Charley Thurber: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Rainy Lara: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 ER, 5 K

Cody Satterwhite: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 0 K

T.J. Chism: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K