On Sunday, there was a lot of excitement leaving the Mets camp.
During the first round of cuts at the Mets spring training, there were many prospects rather than any surprises. Starting pitchers Christian Scott and Mike Vasil, outfielder Drew Gilbert, and infielders Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña were sent to minor league camp.
Overall, ten players were either optioned or reassigned; the remaining players were lefties Kolton Ingram and Danny Young, righties Eric Orze and Cam Robinson, and catcher Kevin Parada.
The Mets are happy with what they believe will be the team’s future, as their farm system has grown to be a primary priority since the trade deadline that brought Acuña and Gilbert to town last year.
Regarding his assessment of the potential, manager Carlos Mendoza declared, “It was great.” Excellent chance to get to know a lot of these young people, merely observing them as they go about their lives both on and off the fields. The conversations I had with some of our more seasoned guys in the clubhouse, it was incredibly nice to watch them go through their training and routines.
“Obviously the game, the actions, being able to watch some of the tools that they bring to the table — it was fun.”
This season, Williams, a natural shortstop who will also play center field, displayed his skills with two infield hits and a steal in just six at-bats.
After making it to Double-A Binghamton in the previous season, the 20-year-old is expected to start this year there.
Center fielder Gilbert, who spent last season divided between the Astros and Mets at Double-A, flourished in 95 games.
Gilbert, the major acquisition acquired in the Justin Verlander trade, has demonstrated a strong outfield arm and gone 1-for-9 with a walk in 10 spring plate appearances.
The Braves superstar’s brother, Acuña, spent his whole season at Double-A and may start the season at Triple-A Syracuse.
Acuña, who will turn 22 soon, had a strong day in the Grapefruit League going 3-for-8 with two hard-hit singles that were stroked to the opposite field.
Before being demoted, two of the team’s top starting pitcher prospects, Scott and Vasil, had successful one-inning outings on Sunday.
Acuña was in the major league clubhouse shooting baskets with colleagues in the hours following his relegation.
“The relationships, the connections,” Mendoza said of what he hoped prospects would take from this experience. “Watching the veteran guys go about their business, how they prepare the routine, how they develop those routines.”
While the other eight (technically reassigned) players might still play in spring games, Acuña and Ingram, who were optioned due to their 40-man status, might not be called up again for Grapefruit League games.
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