The Mets MiLB organizations seem to be off to a slow start when fans look at their affiliate’s records. Wins and losses are essential at the minor league level, but the statistics and development of their players mean more. In this installment of the Players of the Week, Mets Minors will highlight the stellar play of individuals around the organization in week number two.

AAA Syracuse Mets (2-10) 

For the second consecutive week, Syracuse middle infielder Jake Hager will receive Player of the Week honors. In the last seven days in the minors, Hager played in three games receiving 13 at-bats and providing somewhat of an offensive spark for the struggling Syracuse Mets. During the week, Hager went 6-for-13, recording two doubles and a solo home run, only driving in one and scoring twice. On the MiLB season, Jake’s slash line is .405/.436/.703, with an OPS sitting at 1.139 over nine games.

His hot start to the season didn’t go unnoticed by the New York Mets, as Hager got the call to the bigs and made his MLB debut on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Congratulations to Jake on the call-up, and good luck in Queens!

19,991st player in MLB history: Jake Hager

– born & raised in Las Vegas; travel ball teammates at age-12 w/ Bryce Harper & Joey Gallo
– 1st round pick by TB in '11
– spent '18 & '19 w/ MIL
– signed w/ NYM in Jan. '20
– 796 career MiLB games
– can play all 4 infield spots pic.twitter.com/H7mBUPE2NU

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) May 15, 2021

Jordan Yamamoto, another individual who hopes to find himself in Queens soon, had a solid start on Friday. Yamamoto pitched four and ⅓ innings for the Mets, only allowing one earned run and striking out eight in the process. He was hit with the no-decision as Syracuse ended up losing in extra innings. Yamamoto has made two starts in the minors accumulating a 4.70 ERA with nine strikeouts on the season.

Jordan does have one big league appearance this season, earning his first win as a Met out of the bullpen tossing two and ⅔ innings of one-run ball. In the future, Yamamoto could potentially be a great arm out of the pen for the New York Mets.

AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies (1-10)

The Rumble Ponies achieved their first win of the season on Sunday due to the consistent play of Yoel Romero. In the contest, he went 2-for-5 with a double, driving in a run, and scoring once, aiding in Binghamton’s 7-4 victory over the Altoona Curve. Over the past week, Romero has slashed .467/.556/.667 with an OPS of 1.222 over a four-game span. The utility player from Venezuela got bumped to the Double-A squad after playing with St. Lucie to start the season. Romero has a lot of room for improvement, but his hot start in Binghamton could be a good step in the right direction for the 23-year-old.

https://twitter.com/MetsFarmReport/status/1392591758207430666?s=20

Tylor Megill will get the honors on the pitching side for the Rumble Ponies. With, being a pivotal contributor to the win on Sunday, Megill tossed six innings of one-run ball, limiting the Curve to only four hits. Tylor has been the only reliable starter for Binghamton this season, accumulating sixteen innings pitched over three starts; he’s limited opponents to only two runs, eight hits and has struck out twenty-two batters. 

A+ Brooklyn Cyclones (4-7)

The Brooklyn Cyclones may be one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the minors, and one of those many reasons is number two prospect, Ronny Mauricio. Over the past week, Mauricio has played in five games against the Greenville Drive and has torched the baseball. In twenty-two at-bats, he’s recorded seven hits, two homers, and seven RBI’s, accounting for a good chunk of the Cyclones offense.

After his fantastic week, Mauricio now has a hit in every game played this season and brings his season slash line to .341/.386/.732 with an OPS of 1.118. Ronny currently sits in the top five rankings in the East in OPS, SLG, RBI’s (12), Runs (9), and home runs (4). His slugging counterpart, Brett Baty had a solid week as well, bringing his slash to .355/.488/.484 with ten RBI’s on the season.

END 3 Greenville 1, Brooklyn 0

Antoine Duplantis, starting in CF tonight, turns a nice double play the flashy way to end the frame. pic.twitter.com/2cP665MCet

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) May 13, 2021

The leadoff hitter for the Cyclones, Antoine Duplantis, will receive co-Player of the Week honors along with his teammate Mauricio. Duplantis hit the ball all over the place this past week, showing off his power and speed. The center fielder from Louisiana went 10-for-23 over his last five games, hitting two doubles, a triple, and scoring eight times. Duplantis is the perfect leadoff hitter for this Cyclones team and his season slash line goes to show, .310/.370/.500 with four walks and two stolen bases in forty-two at-bats. If Duplantis can keep his production up, it’s only a matter of time we see a promotion for the twenty-four-year-old. 

As for the pitching duties, Mitch Ragan, the right-handed pitcher from Nebraska, has been great out of the bullpen for the Cyclones this week. Ragan appeared in two games for Brooklyn, totaling four innings, only allowing four base runners and striking out four over the span. After his solid work this week, Ragan improved his season ERA to 1.04, his WHIP to 1.15, and earned his first save of the season.

A St. Lucie Mets (8-4)

After a scary collision at the plate that had Mets fans holding their breath, Francisco Álvarez turned out to be just fine. The nineteen-year-old catcher from Venezuela had another solid week for St. Lucie despite being banged up. Throughout four games, Álvarez hit .333/.385/.333 with only one strikeout. After having a power surge in his first week, Álvarez didn’t record an extra-base hit in week number two, primarily due to the limited at-bats (12). Despite the low power numbers, Alvarez still managed to be the best hitter this week for this St. Lucie Mets team, bringing his season number .448/.575/.655.

Cam Opp, the United Kingdom native, has been nothing short of Amazin’ for the St. Lucie Mets this week. Opp got the win in Sunday’s nightcap against Daytona, hurling five scoreless innings and holding the Tortugas to only five base runners over the span. Opp earned another win out of the bullpen earlier in the week, bringing his season record to 2-0 and his ERA to 0.79. Fans could expect Opp to get more stars for the Mets as the season progresses as he continues to be lights out.