Here's the latest on some of the Mets' top prospects...
INF Ronny Mauricio, Triple-A Syracuse
Mauricio continues making an extremely strong case to get the call for his MLB debut. He was on base two more times in Friday night’s win, including a clutch RBI double in the bottom of the ninth.
The 22-year-old also drew a walk for the eighth time this month and added another stolen base to his ledger.
After a bit of a rough stretch, Mauricio has gotten back into his groove. He’s reached base in all but two games this month and is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak. He’s now hitting .286 with a .868 OPS, three doubles, a triple, five homers, and six stolen bases in August.
Mauricio has shown it’s well past time for him to get his shot at the big-league level. He’s now hitting .291 with a .842 OPS, three triples, 21 homers, 29 doubles, 23 stolen bases, and 68 RBI on the season.
3B Brett Baty, Triple-A Syracuse
Since his demotion from the big leagues in early August, Baty has used the time in Syracuse to do nothing but continue to hit. He's reached base in all but three games dating back to Aug. 10 and he’s driven in 14 runs over that span.
Baty finished 1-for-5 on Friday night, but his lone hit was a big one late in the game. After Mauricio doubled in a run, the sweet-swinging lefty singled him home to even things up and send the game to extras.
Prior to his promotion, Baty was lighting it up in the International League and the rookie hasn’t missed a step since his return to the minors. It’s encouraging to see the 23-year-old look like his old self after struggling mightily in the majors, especially right before getting sent down.
With Danny Mendick and Jonathan Arauz not providing much to the big-league club, you have to figure it’s only a matter of time before Baty makes his return, but only time will tell.
OF Carlos Cortes, Triple-A Syracuse
Cortes is one of the lesser-known prospects who deserves a shot to show what he can do in the big leagues.
The 26-year-old is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at the end of the season, so why not see what you have in him while playing for nothing down the stretch?
Cortes has always been a relatively streaky hitter throughout his minor league career, and right now, he's riding a hot stretch.
He's coming off a three-hit performance on Friday night and is hitting .328 with a 1.105 OPS over his last 18 games. Cortes also has three doubles, six home runs, and 12 RBI over that span.
He is a bit of a utility man in the field, having spent some time at both corner infield spots, second base, and left field during his career. Cortes is someone who could, and certainly should, receive a September call-up.
OF Drew Gilbert, Double-A Binghamton
Since being acquired from the Astors in the Justin Verlander trade, Gilbert has been showcasing why he’s one of the top prospects in baseball.
Through 19 games with the Rumble Ponies, he’s hitting .343 with a .988 OPS, three doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 15 RBI. The 22-year-old has drawn seven walks over that span which has helped his stellar .402 OBP.
Gilbert’s been an absolute force out of the second spot in the order for Binghamton. He’s reached base in all but four games since joining the team and is currently riding a four-game hitting streak, including a long ball on Friday night.
OF Ryan Clifford, High-A Brooklyn
Brooklyn is currently in the midst of a two-week road trip to Asheville, bringing Clifford back to where he began his season.
The return has brought some success for the slugger, as he's homered in back-to-back games to push his hitting streak to four games. The 20-year-old now has 22 long balls on the season to go along with 72 RBI and a .876 OPS.
Clifford has struggled thus far as a Cyclone, hitting just .189 with 35 strikeouts through 19 games. He does, however, have three doubles and four home runs over that span.
Perhaps this little hot streak back in Asheville will get him going.
SS/OF Jett Williams, High-A Brooklyn
Since being promoted from Low-A, Williams has continued his scorching hot stretch with the Cyclones. The 19-year-old is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak.
He's hitting .350 with a .480 OBP, 1.118 OPS, eight doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI and nine stolen bases through 22 games in Brooklyn. With another long ball on Friday, he now has four homers and ten RBI over his last six games.
Looking even further, the speedster has posted a scorching .350 average with 12 doubles, seven homers, and 15 stolen bases over his last 35 games. Williams is showing exactly why he's one of the top prospects in the organization.