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2023 St. Lucie Season Recap: Reigning FSL Champions Struggle to Rebound

By Alexis Farinacci

October 11, 2023 No comments

Coming off of arguably their best season in 2022 that included winning the Florida State League Championship, St. Lucie struggled to find that same momentum in 2023 as they went from up on top to down at the bottom in both the first and second halves of the season. St. Lucie ended the first half with a 24-41 record and just a .369 win percentage. They finished the second half very similar: 20-43 with a .317 win percentage. Overall St. Lucie was 44-84 on the season with a .344 percentage putting them at the bottom of the FSL East at the end of the year.

TOP 30 PROSPECTS

Though there wasn’t much excitement surrounding their performance as a team in 2023, St. Lucie had numerous prospects come through their affiliate this season who made strong contributions to St. Lucie’s roster. A few of the Mets’ 2023 draft picks also made their professional debuts with St. Lucie this season. The Mets’ roster at various times throughout the season was highlighted by some of the Mets’ top 30 prospects, including:

No. 3 SS/CF Jett Williams

Jett was literally a ‘jet’ in 2023. The 2022 first round draft pick flashed his speed and power during his first full season in the minor leagues. In total he had 45 stolen bases between St. Lucie, Brooklyn, and Binghamton.

During his time with St. Lucie, Williams batted .249/.422/.410, with a .832 OPS. He hit for 12 doubles, six triples, six home runs, and had 35 RBIs. He also showed his poise and control at the plate with a massive 69 walks. He stole 32 bases with the Mets’ Low-A affiliate and had 25 runs scored. He was called up to Brooklyn at the end of July.

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At the conclusion of the season, Williams led the Mets’ minor leagues in wRC+ (200 plate appearance minimum) with a 145, and stolen bases with 45 total.

Williams was named the shortstop the All-MilB Prospect second team during the MiLB awards show. Williams, just 19-years old showed off his abilities between his time with St. Lucie, Brooklyn, and Binghamton combined this year. His OPS to end the season was .876.

Of players with a minimum 50 plate appearances, Williams led St. Lucie in triples (six), walks (69), stolen bases (32), and OPS (.832).

No. 13 3B Jacob Reimer

Reimer started the 2023 season with St. Lucie. He was active until June when he was placed on the injured list. Upon coming off of the injured list in July, the Mets promoted their No. 13 prospect to Brooklyn where he finished out the season.

During his time in Port St. Lucie, Reimer batted .280/.412/.392, with an OPS of .804. He had 10 doubles, six home runs, drove in 37, walked an impressive 44 times, and scored 48 runs in an impressive couple months in Low-A.

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Reimer at the end of 2023 across two levels (Low-A and High-A) ranked tenth in wRC+ for Mets minor leaguers with 200+ plate appearances.

No. 19 RHP Calvin Ziegler

Ziegler was drafted by the Mets with their second round pick in 2021. Ziegler’s career didn’t get off to the best start as he spent all of 2022 and almost all of 2023 on the injured list. He was recovering from offseason elbow surgery in 2022 when he tore his quad, setting him even farther back.

In September of 2023 the Mets activated the 20-year old off of t the injured list to make his season debut. In his September 9 debut, Ziegler struck out all three batters he faced and touched 96 mph. on his fastball. He threw 21 pitches in his debut (13 for strikes).

After getting off to an unfortunate start to his career, the Mets are hopeful that Ziegler will be able to rebound and have a strong season in 2024.

No. 20 C Ronald Hernandez

Hernandez was the second player the Mets acquired with Vargas in the July trade that sent Robertson to South Beach. He spent the last month of the season with St. Lucie. He only appeared in eight games. During those first few games in the Mets organization he hit two doubles, drove in seven, walked six times, and had three runs scored.

At the end of 2023 he was named a Florida Complex League All-Star and was one of 20 prospects that played in the FCL in 2023.

While he didn’t have too much time to contribute to St. Lucie in 2023, as a top 30 prospect, I felt it was important to still mention the catcher from Venezuela.

No. 21 RHP Luis Rodriguez

Right-handed pitcher Luis Rodriguez spent the middle of the 2023 season with Low-A St. Lucie. The 20-year appeared in 13 FSL games. He was 0-1, with a 4.30 ERA. He was 2-for-2 in save opportunities as well over the course of 23 innings pitched. He struck out 18 and had a WHIP of 1.17.

No. 23 Two-Way player Nolan McLean

It was an exciting year for Mets’ two-way player Nolan McLean, their No. 23 prospect, who was drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft, made his professional debut in early August for the FCL Mets and was then promoted to St. Lucie on August 31.

McLean made his professional pitching debut with St. Lucie on September 1. He threw 1 1/3 inning, gave up no hits, one run, one walk, and struck out one. His fastball topped out at 98 mph and his breaking ball hit 3151 rpms. That was against the Tampa Tarpons in Tampa.

His second outing came against Daytona. In two innings pitched he gave up one hit and one walk. He struck out one and had an ERA of 2.70.

McLean hit in five games for St. Lucie in his first few games with the club. He collected one hit, one RBI, was walked three times, and scored two runs  over the course of nine at-bats.

No. 24 SS Diego Mosquera

19-year old Mosquera spent August and September with Low-A St. Lucie after being with FCL in 2022 and the majority of the 2023 season.

While with St. Lucie he hit .229/.354/.284, with a .638 OPS. He had four doubles, a triple, five RBIs, and walked 17 times. He scored 16 runs with St. Lucie.

Scouts and analysts are talking a lot about Mosquera’s ability to make great plays in the field. His ability to act quickly, turn the glove around, and making jumping throws is impressing scouts and getting them talking.

 

No. 28 SS/OF Nick Morabito

Morabito was drafted by New York in round two of the 2022 MLB draft. The 20-year old shortstop’s first full season was 2023 and it was an impressive one for the young righty out of Gonzaga.

In 27 games with St. Lucie, Morabito hit .286/.403/.378, with a .781 OPS. He had four doubles, one triple, one home run, seven RBIs, and was walked 14 times. He stole 10 bases, and had 14 runs scored with St. Lucie.

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At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Morabito ranked sixth in minor league leaders with a wRC+ of 130 and was tied for sixth in stolen bases with 21 total across two levels, tied with Alex Ramirez. In a game on September 2, Morabito stole four bases. Through 23 games he had 10 stolen bases. With an OPS of .781 and his 10 stolen bases in Low-A, Morabito will be a threat on the base pads.

No. 30 RHP Kade Morris

Morris was another 2023 draftee, drafted at the No. 101 overall pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft.

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Morris made his professional debut in one game with the FCL and threw in one game with St. Lucie as well. In his one outing with St. Lucie he threw 2 1/3 innings, giving up one hit, one run, two walks, and struck out three. He had an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.29.

Wilfredo Lara, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

TOP OFFENSIVE PERFORMERS (OUTSIDE OF TOP 30)

Top 30 prospects aside, St. Lucie’s lineup was also bolstered by outfielder Rhylan Thomas, infielder Wilfredo Lara, infielder Junior Tilien, infielder Kevin Villavicencio, and catcher Vincent Perozo performed well at the plate in 2023 as well.

Thomas batted .303/.370/.434, with a .804 OPS. In 139 plate appearances he had nine doubles, two triples, a home run, and nine RBIs. He walked 14 times and had 13 runs scored. He started with St. Lucie in 2022 and spent the first month of the season in Port St. Lucie before being promoted to Brooklyn in June. He was then called up to Binghamton in August.

Thomas’ numbers between St. Lucie and Binghamton also put his as No. 4 on the Mets’ list of minor league wRC+ leaders (with 200 minimum plate appearances) with with a wRC+ of 132, per Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online.

Lara in 2023 batted .264/.362/.452, with a .814 OPS. He had 18 doubles, three triples, an impressive 14 home runs, and 50 walks. He drove in 49 RBIs and had 54 runs scored over the course of the season. His 50 walks rank in the top 20 among most walks in the FSL in 2023.

Of players with a minimum 50 plate appearances, Lara led St. Lucie in at-bats (352), runs (54), hits (93), doubles (18, tied with Vincent Peroza), home runs (14), RBIs (49), total bases (159), and SLG (.452).

Tilien was only with St. Lucie for the first couple months of the 2023 season, but was still a contributor to the team. He batted .251/.339/.417, with a .756 OPS over the course of April through June before receiving his call-up to Brooklyn. Tilien had 15 doubles with St. Lucie, one triple, six home runs, and drove in 32 RBIs. His patience at the plate drew him 27 walks and he also accounted for 28 runs scored.

Villavicencio in 2023 batted .240/.295/.306, with a .601 OPS. He had 11 doubles, three triples, and two home runs, but drove in 35 RBIs, and had 43 runs scored. He also flashed his speed for the Mets’ Low-A affiliate with 23 stolen bases which per Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online ranked him No. 6 on the list of Mets minor league stolen base leaders.

While Peroza’s average wasn’t as high as others in the Mets’ minor league system, he showed his ability to drive in runs. He batted .226/.322/.380, with a .702 OPS. While he had just 18 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs, he drove in 46 RBIs, walked 32 times, and 42 runs scored, showing his ability to contribute to the team and drive in runs.

Felipe De La Cruz, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

PITCHING

St. Lucie had a few notable pitchers: left-handed pitcher Felipe De La Cruz, right-handed pitcher Saul Garcia, and Elliot Johnstone.

De La Cruz had one of the stronger years among the 50+ pitchers that came through Port St. Lucie in 2023. He was 3-6 with St. Lucie in 2023. Over the course of 90.1 innings pitched he struck out 114 and gave up just 47 earned runs on 92 hits. He had a WHIP of 1.47 with St. Lucie.

Garcia in 2023 was 6-9 with a 5.04 ERA. Over the course of 67.1 innings pitched he struck out 96 and had a WHIP of 1.44. He gave up 40 earned runs on 49 hits.

Right-handed pitcher Elliot Johnstone spent all of 2023 with St. Lucie as a relief pitcher. He was 3-4 this season with five saves and a 6.32 ERA. Over the course of 47 innings pitched he struck out 52 and gave up just 33 earned runs on 48 hits in a solid season for St. Lucie. He had a 1.57 WHIP.

COACHING STAFF

Manager – Gilbert Gomez

Bench Coach – Yucary De La Cruz

Hitting Coach – Eduardo Nunez

Pitching Coach – Daniel McKinney

Development Coach – Regan Saulnier*

Performance Coach – Jake Allen

Athletic Trainer – Anthony Olivieri

* Saulnier represented the Mets’ second female coach in the history of the organization. She was with the Los Angeles Angels in 2022 and also spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins prior to joining the Angels. Saulnier follows Gretchen Aucoin as the second female coach. Aucoin was the development coach for the FCL Mets in 2022.

MMN TOP 30 PROSPECTS

27 – Nick Morabito, 2B/CF

Infielder Diego Mosquera received honorable mention, but just missed being ranked as a top prospect by our writers at Mets Minors at the end of the season.

TEAM BATTING LEADERS (minimum 50 plate appearances)

G: Kevin Villavicencio 102

AB: Wilfredo Lara 352

R: Wilfredo Lara 54

H: Wilfredo Lara 93

2B: Wilfredo Lara/ Vincent Peroza 18 (T 1)

3B: Jett Williams 6

HR: Wilfredo Lara 14

RBI: Wilfredo Lara 49

BB: Jett Williams 69

SB: Jett Williams 32

TB: Wilfredo Lara 159

OBP: Jett Williams .422

SLG: Wilfredo Lara .452

OPS: Jett Williams .832

TEAM PITCHING LEADERS (minimum 20 innings pitched)

W: Saul Garcia 5

ERA: Ramon Henriquez 2.96

SV: Elliot Johnstone 5

G: Elliot Johnstone 27

GS: Felipe De La Cruz 19

IP: Felipe De La Cruz 90.1

K: Felipe De La Cruz 114

WHIP: Layonel Ovalles 1.24

St. Lucie will look to rebound back strong in 2024 and get back toward the top of their FSL league standings.

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Written by alexisfarinacci

Alexis Farinacci is a freelance writer for MetsMinors.net and Metsmerizedonline.com. Follow Alexis on Twitter: @alexisfarinacci.

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