Mets Minors: Jeremy Vasquez and Quinn Brodey keep St. Lucie relevant

How many people, besides me and Brian, tune in to see the results of each minor league outing? My guess is that a few of you check in from time to time but that most readers don’t dive into each boxscore, each game. The Mets minor league system is strange this season.

We traded away two of our top players in the Winter (Jered Kelenic and Justin Dunn), Franklyn Kilome is on the DL, Pete Alonso is already in the majors and Andres Gimenez’s numbers don’t jump off the page. For that reason the minor league analysts, like myself, have few reasons to check in on the AAA team and essentially no marquee prospect to follow (at all) in the Florida State League.

That is why Jeremy Vasquez and Quinn Brodey are so refreshing. With the inevitable early season failures of Desmond Lindsay, it is Vasquez and Brodey who are the reasons to check up on the team.

I’ve written about the Mets former 28th rounder before. In 2017 and 2018 Vasquez has stood out as playing heads and tails above expectations. The first baseman earned a mid-year promotion to Brooklyn and managed to avoid a full offensive collapse and then he advanced steadily through Columbia and into the Florida State League in his Sophomore campaign. Take a look at his stats by the level:

League	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	HR	BB	K
APP	136	.296	.394	.511	.905	7	22	26
NYP	102	.225	.333	.324	.651	2	15	34
SAL	284	.289	.383	.437	.820	6	43	65
FSL	249	.269	.414	.394	.808	5	36	46

There is a lot of consistency for his on base percentage and slugging percentage despite a lack of big home run numbers and his numbers, overall, suggest a player who can someday make an impact.

Brodey was a higher pick, 3rd round, in the same draft but wasn’t as early a success. He began his career in Brooklyn and failed to show “breakout” numbers there or in Columbia but in 2019 the Mets started his season in St. Lucie and it has made all the difference.

Thus far, Brodey is hitting .311 with 11 extra base hits in his first 27 games. This seems to be caused by a new ability to get the ball into the air. Prior to 2019 he was known as a groundball hitter but his GO/AO has dropped below 1.00 and that seems to make a world of difference.

Add to this that he can play all three outfield positions and brings some speed into play and it may not matter too much that the majority of the St. Lucie team isn’t particularly newsworthy.

AAA:
Syracuse Mets

Luis Guillorme has AAA well in hand – He looks like a star in AAA but will likely never hit enough in the majors to be a major league regular. With Lowrie healthy there is no role for him on the major league Mets.

Rajai Davis wishes he was a lefty – He is playing well and would offer the Mets a lefty option in lieu of Keon Broxton or Juan Lagares but Davis winds up being just a 3rd righty outfielder who plays excellent defense with speed.

Danny Espinosa playing like a stud – Once upon a time people thought Espinosa could be a .250 hitter with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases but that player never quite came together. This year he is hitting .279/.344/.477 with 3 homers and 2 stolen bases. It will not translate to the majors, sadly.

Carlos Gomez starting to get going – He started ice cold but now that he’s warmed up I can see him moving Broxton off of the MLB roster. Gomez gives the Mets more power and speed than either of the other 4th/5th OF options.

Chris Flexen and Corey Oswalt look great in AAA – Flexen has 3 6.0 innings starts with 29 strikeouts for Syracuse. Meanwhile, Oswalt just provides steady and consistent starting pitching in each AAA start. It makes me wonder why these results can’t seem to translate in the majors.

AA:
Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Patrick Mazeika fans will be glad to see him hitting – He needs to show more power and the fact that he’s playing fewer games at catcher do not bode well for his overall career.

Will Toffey is climbing out of the cellar – Toffey started the season poorly but over the last 10 games he’s hitting .321 and has more walks (10) than strikeouts (8) to his credit.

Anthony Kay is living dangerously – He’s getting wins and looking pretty good but he’s walking too many batters per 9 innings. If he can get the BB/9 back below 3 I’ll have more faith in him being ready for the next level.

David Peterson has a fine outing – 5.2 innings pitched on Saturday were among his best of the year. While he scattered 9 hits and a walk he only allowed 1 run and struck out 9.

Stephen Villines is a quality reliever – The Mets may soon be forced to give him a shot with so many arms spent over the last couple games the Binghamton Closer might look pretty appealing to Mickey Callaway.

A+:
St. Lucie Mets

Luis Carpio is looking revived – He’s hitting .344 over his last 10 games with a home run and 5 walks. He’s also seen some time at 3rd base and shortstop.

Tony Dibrell will earn his way to Binghamton before the summer’s end – He’s been the best pitcher for St. Lucie and shows enough upside to last as a mid-rotation pitcher.

A:
Columbia Fireflies

Simeon Woods Richardson stumbles – He gave up 5 runs in his last outing but that will be quickly forgotten if he can bounce back.

Thomas Szapucki back with the team – Someone with the Mets needs to explain to me the plan with this talented pitching prospect because it all seems random right now.