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MMN Recap: Francisco Álvarez Blasts Grand Slam

By Daniel Muras

July 24, 2022 No comments

Mets top prospect Francisco Álvarez has struggled over his first ten games with Triple-A Syracuse but hopefully had something of a breakout at bat on Saturday night. He gave the Mets a lead that they would not relinquish with a long grand slam home run to left field, his first home run since his promotion.

AAA: Syracuse Mets (42-50) 7, Worcester Red Sox (47-45) 3  Box Score

The Mets were shut out for the first four innings in Saturday’s game, but that changed in a major way with one swing of the bat by Álvarez. With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, Álvarez blasted his first Triple-A home run, a no-doubter to left field. That hit would provide all the offense that Syracuse needed, although extra base hits by Lee and Deven Marrero brought home three insurance runs in the later innings. Vientos has hit well in July (.315/.321/.537), but he has walked just once in comparison to 20 strikeouts for the month. Lee has taken his three-true-outcomes approach to an extreme in July (nearly 60% of his plate appearances have ended in a home run, strikeout, or walk) and has a .234/.362/.574 line to show for it.

Grey recorded just one out in his previous start but fared quite a bit better on Saturday. His last start bloats his ERA for July to an unseemly 6.08 ERA, but Grey has given up two runs or less in three of his four starts this month. Otanez’s walk rate has ballooned to 6.75 per nine innings, and his ERA has suffered as a result.

AA: Hartford Yard Goats (55-33) vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (33-55)

Binghamton’s game against the Yard Goats on Saturday was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on September 14.

A+: Brooklyn Cyclones (43-46) 9, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (31-57) 7  Box Score

Francisco Álvarez was not the only top prospect to hit a grand slam on Saturday night; Ramirez added one of his own, and this one was particularly dramatic. Down to their final out in the top of the ninth inning, the Cyclones were down by two runs, but Ramirez put them in front by that same margin with his second home run in as many days. After struggling in his first couple week with the Cyclones, Ramirez has been on fire over his last four games: he is 10-for-17 with two homers and a double over that span. Consuegra has also been excellent since his promotion, and 11 of his first 15 hits with Brooklyn has gone for extra bases.

Hamel was not as sharp as he was in his previous start and ran a fairly high pitch count (70 pitches in four innings), preventing him from going deep in the game. However, he kept the team in the game and continued to post big strikeout numbers with Brooklyn (14.14 K/9 through three starts). Moreno pitched just a one-inning relief appearance in order to limit his innings this season, but he has been one of the most consistently good pitchers in the Mets organization this year. During the month of July, he has a 1.89 ERA and 18:1 K:BB ratio.

A: Jupiter Hammerheads (46-41) 4, St. Lucie Mets (51-37) 1  Box Score

Lugo was responsible for the entirety of the Mets’ runs and half of their hits in Saturday’s game. He his hitting .265/.316/.500 so far in July, as he continues to have a solid, if unspectacular, season. The rest of the lineup combined for just two singes and one walk; as a whole, the team had just one at bat with runners in scoring position.

Sanchez was perfect in two innings of work; it was his longest appearance since returning from the injured list in early July. His blazing fastball was working in this game, averaging 97.3 MPH and topping out at 98.2 MPH. His cutter remains his only secondary pitch and darts into the zone at 91.5 MPH with a 2600 RPM. After going nearly two months without giving up an earned run, Gomez has now given up runs in two straight appearances. With a fastball that averages 97.8 MPH, he remains one of the hardest throwers in the Mets organization.

FCL: FCL Mets (18-13) 4, FCL Nationals (23-9) 3  Box Score

The Mets fell behind 3-2 in the 10th inning, Luis Castillo hit a walk-off single in the bottom half of the inning.

A high walk rate (7.23 BB/9) has hurt Orellana’s ability to limit runs throughout this season, but it did not come back to hurt him on Saturday.

DSL: DSL Mets 1 (19-15) 6, DSL Cubs Blue (13-22) 1  Box Score

The Mets made the most of their opportunities in Saturday’s game by going 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Lopez has a 1.00 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitch so far in July.

DSL: DSL Cubs Red (13-24) 12, DSL Mets 2 (13-23) 11  Box Score

  • Yoandy Perez SS: 2-for-3, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, K, .161/.297/.226

The Mets had plenty of help from the Cubs in Saturday’s high-scoring affair: due to four errors, just three of the Mets’ runs were earned, and the Cubs also walked eight batters in the game.

Sanchez has been a two-way player throughout his time in the Dominican Summer League but has been significantly better as a pitcher (3.12 ERA) than as a hitter (.544 OPS).

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Written by Daniel Muras

I fell in love with the Mets during the 2006 playoff run and became obsessed with the Mets minor league system while looking for a brighter future during the 2009-2014 era. I hope to provide interesting analysis of the minors and am excited to have the opportunity to write for MMO and MMN.

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