After a week of baseball in the books, ESNY takes you through which New York Mets prospects separated themselves from the rest.
The New York Mets farm system may not rank on MLB Pipeline’s list of top-ten systems in the sport, but they still have some of the most intriguing names in minor league baseball.
While young studs like Amed Rosario, who just clinched ESPN’s Keith Law’s title as best prospect in baseball, Robert Gsellman and Dominic Smith get most of the attention, there are plenty of others who are making a name for themselves.
Who stood out this week? ESNY highlighted two prospects who stood out as top performers for the week of 4/15-4/22:
Offensive Player Of The Week: Jeff Diehl
Diehl is tearing it up for the St. Lucie Mets. On April 15, Diehl went 2-for-3 with four RBIs in a 9-5 victory over the Florida Fire Frogs. His two-run homer in the third inning put the Mets up 3-1. Diehl then capped the Mets scoring with a two-run double in the eighth inning that made it 9-2.
Diehl was the Mets 23rd round pick in 2011 and is currently 23 years old. At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, Diehl has played exclusively in the corner outfield positions this season but has 85 career minor league starts at first base under his belt. On Aril 11, he even pitched a scoreless inning in relief during the 13th inning of an extra inning game.
Diehl is on a seven-game hit streak that started on April 15. During that span, he is batting .458 with eight RBIs. Overall, Diehl is 13-for-39 (.333) with two home runs and two doubles.
Pitcher Of The Week: Merandy Gonzalez
Gonzalez picked up his third win of the season on Friday night in a 5-0 Columbia Fireflies win over the Lexington Legends. Gonzalez pitched seven innings and recorded seven strikeouts while allowing only three hits.
The 21-year-old Dominican Republic native has been impressive this year, going 20.2 innings without allowing a run. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Gonzalez has been able to dominate on the mound, already striking out 18 batters compared to just one walk.
Gonzalez has emerged as the Fireflies ace and the team is off to a great start. The Fireflies sit at 10-6 and are one game back of first place in the South Atlantic League Southern division.