Mets Minors Recap: Kevin Parada Launches First Pro Home Run

Although top draft pick Kevin Parada was known for his power, his first six hits with the St. Lucie Mets were all singles. However, his impressive power was on full display on Sunday, as he smacked two extra-base hits, including a very long double and his first professional home run.

The regular season is over for both the St. Lucie Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones, they will start their playoff series on Tuesday.

AAA: Rochester Red Wings (59-76) 7, Syracuse Mets (56-79) 2  Box Score

• Francisco Álvarez DH: 0-for-4, K, .174/.331/.365
• Jake Mangum CF: 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .310/.348/.425
• Luis Guillorme 3B: 1-for-2, .417/.462/.417

The Mets went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position in Sunday’s game and did not score until Mangum’s two-run home run in the eighth inning. The home run was Mangum’s first since his promotion to Syracuse earlier in the season. Álvarez returned to the lineup as a designated hitter after missing nearly three weeks with an ankle injury. Guillorme played five innings at third base in the fourth rehab game of his return from a groin injury.

"He just made a catch like Willie Mays!"

Say hey to @Mets prospect Jake Mangum's supreme defense for the @SyracuseMets. pic.twitter.com/rIsiy5RHUo

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 12, 2022

• RHP Harol Gonzalez (L, 0-4, 9.00 ERA) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K
• RHP Stephen Nogosek (2-0, 1.40 ERA) 1.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, ER, K
• LHP Locke St. John (2-5, 6.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, BB

Gonzalez worked efficiently in his start, needing just 36 pitches to make it through three innings of work. Unfortunately, he also allowed a couple of RBI hits in the third inning, leading to a deficit which proved to be too much for Syracuse’s offense. After a dreadful first few starts in Triple-A, Gonzalez has settled in a bit recently, as he has a 3.55 ERA through three September starts. The home run given up by Nogosek to lead off the fourth inning was just the second he has allowed all season in the minors.

AA: Portland Sea Dogs (71-61) 8, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (51-79) 5  Box Score

• Ronny Mauricio SS: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 CS, .254/.291/.464
• Wyatt Young 2B: 2-for-4, R, RBI, .261/.354/.391
• Matt Winaker RF: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, K, SB, .168/.321/.277

The Rumble Ponies were aided by three Portland errors – two of which allowed a run to score – but still came up short in Sunday’s game. Mauricio walked for the second straight game, giving him walks in back-to-back games for the first time since the end of June. He was also caught stealing twice; he has been caught stealing eleven times in 29 attempts this season. Young continues to be outstanding for Binghamton and is now hitting .316/.409/.579 so far in September. This is the second month in a row in which his OBP is over .400.

• RHP Jose Chacin (4-8, 5.71 ERA) 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, K
• LHP Joey Lucchesi (0-1, 6.75 ERA) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 K
• RHP Grant Hartwig (L, 0-2, 1.27 ERA) 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, ER, 3 K

Chacin struggled mightily with his control and averaged more than three baserunners per inning in Sunday’s start. Lucchesi worked around a few hits but got his pitch count up to 31 and didn’t allow a run in his sixth rehab appearance of the year. Hartwig had a rare poor outing, giving up an earned run for the first time since August 21. He still was able to strike out three batters in just over an inning of work, bringing his K/9 for the season up to an even 13.0.

A+ (Game 1): Winston-Salem Dash (57-74) 5, Brooklyn Cyclones (70-61) 4  Box Score

• Alex Ramirez RF: 2-for-4, R, RBI, K, .278/.329/.427
• Jose Peroza 3B: 3-for-4, R, RBI, E, .271/.356/.399
• Matt Rudick LF: 2-for-4, K, .243/.366/.360

The Cyclones were able to record an impressive eleven hits in the first seven-inning game of Sunday’s doubleheader. All of their hits were singles, however, so they could only score four runs, which were not enough to secure the victory. The Cyclones also made three errors in this game, leading to two unearned runs scoring, a figure which ended up being the deciding margin.

• RHP Junior Santos (L, 8-13, 4.47 ERA) 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, BB, 3 K
• RHP Benito Garcia (0-0, 7.71 ERA) 2.0 IP, H, K

Santos had plenty of poor defense behind him, but he was also nowhere near his best in this start. This rocky performance was a regression from his previous two starts, in which he allowed zero earned runs. Garcia has a poor ERA for the season (5.40 across three levels), but his 41:8 K:BB ratio indicates that he may not have been as bad as that ERA would indicate.

A+ (Game 2): Winston-Salem Dash (58-74) 4, Brooklyn Cyclones (70-62) 3  Box Score

• Alex Ramirez CF: 2-for-4, R, K, CS, .278/.329/.427
• Jose Peroza DH: 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB, .271/.356/.399
• William Lugo 3B: 2-for-4, RBI, .267/.347/.448

The Cyclones had seven hits in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader and all but one of them came from the trio of Ramirez, Peroza, and Lugo. The latter two were part of a series of back-to-back-to-back RBI singles in the sixth inning that got the Cyclones on the board and briefly tied up the game. Ramirez has been quite hot recently, picking up multiple hits in his last three games and hitting .359/.390/.462 for the month of September. The only person hotter than Ramirez in the lineup has been Peroza. Peroza has had multiple hits in his last four games and is up to .351/.405/.486 for the month.

• RHP Mike Vasil (1-1, 5.13 ERA) 2.0 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• LHP Daniel Juarez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, K
• RHP Christian Scott (0-0, 3.80 ERA) 3.0 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Vasil lasted just two innings in this start after running up a high pitch count (41 pitches) as a result of poor control. Control has not been an issue for him since his return from injury, however, and this is the first time he has walked a batter in the four starts since his return. Juarez has not allowed an earned run since his promotion to Brooklyn, but, with a 3:3 K:BB ratio, he has not been quite as dominant as he was with St. Lucie.

A: Fort Myers Mighty Muscles (69-59) 9, St. Lucie Mets (73-56) 1  Box Score

• Kevin Parada DH: 2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, K, .276/.463/.414
• Oscar Campos C: 2-for-3, .625/.625/.625
• Kevin Kendall CF: 1-for-3, 2 K, .111/.111/.111

St. Lucie’s offense was lifeless on Sunday afternoon with the exception of the mighty bat of Parada. Parada made an attempt at his first professional home run with a 104 MPH, 385 foot double in the fourth inning, and then would accomplish the feat with a 102 MPH blast in the eighth inning. Kendall missed most of the season with an undisclosed injury but has made three rehab appearances in recent days. It is interesting to see the shortstop getting time in center field, as he has never played the outfield before as a professional.

• RHP Joander Suarez (0-2, 7.20 ERA) 0.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB
• RHP Jace Beck (0-1, 2.37 ERA) 0.2 IP, 2 K
• RHP Kolby Kubichek (1-0, 2.93 ERA) 2.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K

Suarez had a nightmarish start on Sunday as he allowed the first four batters to reach base and exited the game after throwing 20 pitches without recording an out. Beck was the hardest thrower in this game: he averaged 94.6 MPH and topped out at 95.7 MPH on his fastball.

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