The Mets are finally letting the kids play at the big-league level, and it’s yielded good results so far. And when I say “the kids”, I’m referring to Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos. Ronny Mauricio is still waiting for his opportunity by hitting rockets on a nightly basis in Triple-A.
But are there any other players in the Mets’ system off to a good start at the plate? As it turns out, there is. Outfield prospect Matt Rudick ranks among the top five in the Eastern League for Double-A Binghamton in various offensive categories.
Metsmerized’s Mike Mayer provided details on exactly how much he’s crushing the game right now:
Mets outfield prospect Matt Rudick has been one of the best players in the Double-A Eastern League this season:
T/1st – 5.9 SwStr%
2nd – 175 wRC+
3rd – .308 avg
3rd – 1.26 BB-K
3rd – .989 OPS
T/4th – 9 2B
T/5th – 21 RBI— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 19, 2023
This looks like a pretty good way to start a baseball season.
The Mets selected Rudick out of San Diego State in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He proceeded to post a .852 OPS in 21 Rookie League games that year before his first full season in 2022.
He spent most of his time (83 of 90 total games) with the Brooklyn Cyclones, which included a .726 OPS and three homers in 366 plate appearances. Rudick also spent five games with Triple-A Syracuse, where he notched two hits in 15 trips to the plate.
Since he completely hopped over Double-A last year, starting his campaign with Binghamton was the most logical thing to do. And as it turns out, he’s adjusted to that level of play quite well. If he keeps going, maybe Rudick will find himself getting a midseason promotion to Syracuse.
The former Aztec hasn’t landed on any top prospect lists since becoming a professional. That’s not surprising given where he landed in the 2021 MLB Draft and his performance heading into 2023. But, there’s one universal truth when it comes to baseball. If you perform at a high level for long enough in the minor leagues, you’ll eventually get the attention of the right people who can help push you along in your journey to the bigs.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
