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Mets Minors Players of the Week: Baty and Cortes Find Their Power Swings

By Joseph Langan

June 8, 2021 No comments

Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

It was a good week for both offense and pitching to start the month of June for the New York Mets MiLB organizations. These are the Mets Minors Players of the Week! 

Triple-A Syracuse Mets

After spending some time in Queens, Mets number nine prospect Khalil Lee stood out in Syracuse this week. The 22-year-old prospect slashed .444/.583/.722 with an OPS of 1.306 throughout six games against Buffalo. Lee went 8-for-18 with five doubles, five RBI’s, and four runs scored to cap off a productive week.

After struggling to start the season, the Syracuse Mets have seemed to turn their game around, winning seven of their last twelve games. Sometime at the Triple-A will serve Lee well as he looked overmatched against big-league pitching. Fans can expect him back in Queens one day, as he has an above-average toolset.

Thomas Szapucki had a solid start for the Syracuse Mets this week, tossing five innings in a no-decision against the Bisons. The Mets number sixteen prospect gave up one earned run on two hits, striking out seven and only walking one in the contest.

Szapucki seems to be getting better each start he makes, improving his season ERA to 2.05 with opponents hitting .241 against him. At times, Szapucki ranked as high as number five in the Mets prospect rankings. If he can continue to elevate his velocity and limit the base on balls, scouts are encouraged he can make an MLB appearance in 2021. 

Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Carlos Cortes had a powerful week in Binghamton, stroking six extra-base hits over the course of five games. The Rumble Ponies left fielder slashed .391/.462/.826 with an OPS of 1.288 and two home runs. Cortes has emerged as a top thirty prospect for the Mets after showing off his incredible bat speed and increased ability to hit for power.

On the season, the 23-year-old has five home runs, 18 RBIs, and an OPS over over .900. 

Tony Dibrell made two solid starts for the Rumble Ponies this week, earning wins in both of his outings. Dibrell tossed twelve innings of work, only allowing four earned runs and striking out ten batters. On the season, Dibrell has accumulated an ERA of 3.20 over twenty-five innings pitched with a WHIP just above 1.1. Dibrell was a former fourth-round pick out of Kennesaw State who throws a four-pitch mix, including a deceptive changeup. He recently fell out of the Mets top thirty prospects list, but with a couple more good outings, Dibrell can find himself back there soon enough. 

High-A Brooklyn Cyclones 

There isn’t a hotter hitter than Brett Baty at the High-A level right now; the 21-year-old is making a serious name for himself after his monumental series against the Blue Claws. Baty slashed a gaudy .524/.615/1.190 with an OPS of 1.806 and four home runs throughout twenty-one at-bats. Baty also drove in ten runs in the series, scored seven times, worked five walks, and only struck out four times.

After his great week, Baty now leads all of High-A East in AVG (.369), OBP (.476), second in RBIs (27), and third in doubles (7). Brett has certainly been fun to watch along with his Brooklyn counterparts, who combined for eleven homers in the series. The future is bright for Baty if he can keep continuing to produce as he moves forward through the system.

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Alec Kisena had a masterful performance on Saturday, tossing five no-hit innings in his start against the Blue Claws. Kisena struck out five batters and only allowed one walk; unfortunately, he earned a no-decision in the outing, resulting in his 1-2 record remaining the same. Nevertheless, he’s emerged as a solid pitcher for this Brooklyn Cyclones team, only giving up six runs over 16 ⅔ innings pitched, suitable for a 3.24 ERA. Kisena has twenty-two strikeouts on the season with a 1.08 WHIP, solid numbers for a 15th round pick back in 2015.

Low-A St. Lucie Mets

The offensive numbers for the St. Lucie Mets were subpar at best. Outfielder Joe Suozzi had a solid week, though, despite the lack of production. He slashed .333/.368/.389 with an OPS of .757 throughout five games. Not much is known about Suozzi, as these are his first eighteen at-bats at the MiLB level. However, the 23-year-old is a product out of Boston College and certainly had a good week to start his professional career.

St. Lucie Mets pitcher Oscar Rojas received Low-A Southeast Pitcher of the Week honors after two lights-out performances. The 22-year-old from Mexico tossed ten scoreless innings, only allowing three hits and striking out six in the process. Rojas only walked two batters over the pair of stars, good for 0.50 WHIP while opponents were hitting just .100 against him. His start to the season wasn’t fantastic, but fans can begin to see his numbers even out with more starts like this.

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