It’s been over a year since we’ve seen regular season minor league baseball and it returns like a long missed friend. With the Mets big league club failing to play with offensive consistency and the early returns on the Francisco Lindor trade looking dismal, it feels like the minor leagues can be a good source for positivity.

With under a week under our belts there is still a lot of season to play and we may see aberrations in performance.

Speaking of aberrations, we need to talk about Patrick Mazeika. Brian Joura and I have been joking about the Mets catching “prospect” for several years now with Brian ridiculing my fondness of Mazeika, who has made appearances on my Top 50 prospect lists. Ultimately, I have to admit that I, too, have come down on my overblown opinions but Friday night’s ending still felt sweet.

Even should Mazeika never have another relevant at bat for the Mets, his single hit being an impactful one puts him in fairly esteemed company. It is rare enough for any player to survive through the minors and reach the majors and rarer still for a player to make a visible positive impact for their team.

AAA: Syracuse Mets

The Big Story: The Pain Goes On and On

Mets360 has condemned and bemoaned the fateful trade that sent Jarred Kelenic to Seattle for a closer who cracks under pressure and a washed-up steroid user. You have heard this all before and yet, it has to be said again. With the Mets’ AAA squad made up of AAAA players and MLB depth pieces seeing Kelenic debut in AAA with two homers stings all the more. For anyone that follows the Mets minor leagues, Kelenic looked like a budding superstar and was traded by a rookie GM. It has been years since this deal and the Mets farm system is still feeling the sting. Consider that the headlining talent on the AAA team didn’t even make a formal start. There are almost no reasons to watch the Syracuse team and the fact Kelenic is every bit as good as we expected stings unendingly.

Other News:

• Khalil Lee, CF: It is early but the hopes of Lee becoming a starting caliber CF seem to be dimming quickly. Even bolstered by a game with four walks he doesn’t seem to hit enough to be a viable option.
• Thomas Szapucki, LHP: If the Mets wanted to start Szapucki in AA instead of AAA I wouldn’t have cared. What is difficult to understand is how the Mets seem to be burying their better pitching prospects behind mediocre depth pieces in the early going. He managed 3.2 IP in relief but the WHIP and Opp Avg shouldn’t make anyone happy.
• Franklyn Kilome, RHP: Not the start we wanted to see. Kilome’s control is his major hurdle to overcome and his first outing should do little to assuage concerns.
• Sam McWilliams, RHP: His first outing was very good but his second outing was awful. The book is still out.

AA: Binghamton Rumble Ponies

The Big Story: Mark Vientos as Headliner

One prospect who shined brightly in his Spring Training appearances for the Mets with Mark Vientos. He seemed to be the most primed prospect to face MLB level competition and the Mets have rewarded him with an assignment to AA where he will be the only offensive player from the Mets Top 10 prospects.  As for this spring he put together an absurd .500/.700/.833 batting line with an unrealistic 4 walks and 1 strikeout in only 8 games. It will be interesting if this portends a return to the better plate control he displayed in 2018 in Kingsport where he walked 37 times and struck out 43. In 2019 that discipline did not make itself seen with the Fireflies as he walked only 22 times and stuck out a whopping 110 times.

Other News:

• Mark Vientos, 3B: Clearly emerging as a star for Binghamton, he’s the biggest bat in a lineup with more experience. He doesn’t have a lot of protection in this lineup but he continues to look like a legitimate Top 10 prospect.
• Wagner Lagrange, RF: Continuing to look like a prospect, Lagrange doesn’t profile as a starting outfielder but his stock keeps bringing him closer to the Top 20.
• Carlos Cortes, 2B/LF: It seems the Mets have shifted Cortes from second to the outfield but it remains to be seen if his offensive production will keep him relevant.
• Luis Carpio, 2B: Beyond pushing Cortes off of second, Carpio hasn’t managed to do anything of note thus far.
• Tylor Megill, RHP: One of the brightest spots for Binghamton was the start of Megill who pitched 5.0 gorgeous innings and struck out 10.
• Tony Dibrell, RHP: Dibrell is another pitcher who made his first appearance in relief. Overall, his peripherals for his 2.1 IP aren’t bad.
• Desmond Lindsay, OF: Surprising nobody, Lindsay is off to another dismal start.

A+: Brooklyn Cyclones

The Big Story: Matt Allan’s Early Departure

The expectation was to write something about Allan beginning the year in Advanced A after his limited minor league experience. Unfortunately, we have to write about Allan’s Tommy John surgery that will further delay the date he might make a major league impact with the Mets. It is a shame to see any player be hurt but with the limited pitching prospects showing much success, a lot was riding on Allan’s arm. He will likely hold onto a spot in the Top 10 prospects based on reputation while he recovers.

Other News:

• Ronny Mauricio, SS: The news for the Mets Top prospect is pretty rosey. Mauricio has a 1.323 OPS to start the year and is having no problems against his Advanced A competition. I know his buddy Vientos would love some company in AA.
• Brett Baty, 3B: Not to be forgotten, Baty’s Advanced A debut has gone well with the slugging third baseman hitting .462 in the early going. His power hasn’t shown itself much yet and he is behind a logjam at his position.
• Scott Ota, RF: Nothing jumps off the page but so far so good on Ota, who looked good back in 2019.
• Hayden Senger, C: Another player who might be looking for early advancement is the Mets backstop, Senger. He’s just as hot as Mauricio and Baty in the early going.
• Adrian Hernandez, OF: While he hasn’t made an appearance as of yet, the Mets have aggressively assigned Hernandez to Brooklyn which shows a lot of faith.

A: St. Lucie Mets

The Big Story: The Kids are Alright

Two of the Mets Top 5 prospects are sitting in the St. Lucie batting order and both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Francisco Alvarez look like they belong there. Both of these prospects have come out of the gate firing on all cylinders and look like they will be earning mid-season promotions to the next level. Alvarez, in particular, looks like the superstar that scouts loved so much, some ranked him ahead of Mauricio in their prospect rankings.

Other News:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF: What isn’t to like about a .450 batting average from the Mets top outfield prospect? His on base percentage is aided by his 4 BB, 1 HBP game but the question will be if he can produce power or stolen bases to go with it.
• Shervyen Newton, SS: I ranked Newton outside my Top 20 Met prospects before the season and he’s only proving to be worth even less. The physically gifted shortstop has never proven an ability to put those gifts to use. It is time to face facts, that his star will never rise.
• Francisco Alvarez, C: In 6 games Alvarez has a .529/.667/.882 batting line with 9 walks 4 extra base hits and a stolen base. If Mauricio hadn’t also started so strong Alvarez would have taken his #1 spot back.
• Jaylen Palmer, SS/CF/DH: With Newton and Palmer on the same team I would have expected Palmer’s prospect status to force the Mets to make him their starting shortstop. Instead it appears the Mets view Palmer as a future “Super Sub” utility guy. He’s not on fire like other players just yet.
• Warren Saunders, 1B: Not currently on my Top 50 rankings and too old for this league but Saunders has an Edgardo Alfonso quality to his at bats that I dearly love. He seems to extend each at bat beyond 5 pitches.
• Matt Dyer, C/1B: Only 12 AB into the season his 1.333 OPS should not be overlooked.
• T. Ginn, RHP: Listed on the 7-Day injured list.