It was a tale of two seasons for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate.
First Half Record: 46-28 (1/10, International League East)
Second Half Record: 32-43 (9/10, International League East)
In 2013, when the Buffalo Bisons ownership group, Rich Products Corp., refused to re-sign a player development contract, citing the team’s lack of interest in investing in the franchise or the city of Buffalo, the Mets were forced to sign a deal with the only team remaining Triple-A affiliate available: the Las Vegas 51s. During this period, which lasted from 2013 until 2018, ungodly ERAs were the norm, as the Pacific Coast League was an extremely hitter-friendly environment.
The 2013 51s had a cumulative team ERA of 4.65, with D.J. Mitchell leading all starters who made at least 10 starts with a 7.71 ERA in 81.2 innings. In 2014, the 51s had a cumulative team ERA of 4.64, with Carlos Alvarado leading the team among all starters who made at least 10 starts with a 7.29 ERA in 84.0 innings. In 2015, the team’s cumulative ERA was 4.45, with Tyler Pill and his 7.45 ERA in the lead; in 2016 Rafael Montero (7.20 ERA), in 2017 Donovan Hand (7.60 ERA), and in 2018 Cody Martin (7.03 ERA), with cumulative team ERAs of 5.32, 5.40, and 5.83, respectively.
In 2019, when the Mets returned to the International League (or “Triple-A East” as it was in 2021) following the purchase of the Syracuse Chiefs and their rebranding into the Syracuse Mets, the Syracuse Mets had second-best in the league cumulative ERA in the league (4.51), with Drew Gagnon leading all starters who made at least 10 starts with a 2.33 ERA. Multiple Syracuse pitchers had strong ERAs that year in fact, as Corey Oswalt posted a 2.91 ERA, Walker Lockett posted a 3.66 ERA, Chris Mazza posted a 3.67 ERA, and Chris Flexen posted a respectable-if-you-squint 4.46 ERA.
Since minor league baseball resumed following the cancelled 2020 season and the subsequent changes in Minor League Baseball due to Major League Baseball taking over all operations, only a single Syracuse Mets pitcher starter who threw at least 50 innings has posted an ERA below 3.50: Thomas Szapucki and his 3.38 ERA in 64.0 innings in 2022.
With a plethora of highly-regarded pitchers either starting the year in Syracuse this year or projected to spend a decent amount of time there, there was a good chance that others would join Szapucki, but unfortunately things went sideways. As a team, Syracuse posted a cumulative 4.99 ERA, and the majority of the players we thought would shine unfortunately were a reason why.
Dom Hamel posted a 6.79 ERA in 124.2 innings. Mike Vasil posted a 6.04 ERA in 134.0 innings. After opening the year in Binghamton and dominating, Blade Tidwell was promoted to Syracuse and subsequently posted a 5.93 ERA in 85.0 innings. Admittedly, the trio of Tylor Megill, Jose Butto, and Christian Scott likely would have accomplished the feat if they had a little more innings under their belts, as they posted ERAs of 3.68, 3.05, and 2.76 but came in under that innings pitched minimum.
On the hitting side of things, things also went sideways. Hopes were high for Drew Gilbert after he hit .325/.423/.561 following his acquisition by the Mets at the 2023 trade deadline, but he injured his hamstring in early April, missed a few months, and hit an underwhelming .214/.315/.401 in the two months or so remaining after returning to the field in late July.
Hopes were also high for Luisangel Acuña, who was also acquired at the 2023 trade deadline, but he didn’t perform particularly well, hitting.258/.299/.355 in 131 games—though he did steal 40 bases in 54 attempts. Brett Baty regressed while with Syracuse, as well. Losing his major league roster spot to the emerging Mark Vientos, Baty was sent back to Triple-A after hitting an underwhelming .225/.304/.325 in 49 games and he really wasn’t able to kick things back into gear in the 62 games he played in Syracuse, hitting .252/.349/.504.
Due to league rules, despite ending the first half with a 46-28 record, first place in the International League East, the Syracuse Mets did not move on to the International League playoffs. Triple-A playoff procedures state that the team with the best record overall in the first and second halves meet in a best-of-three League Championship Series to determine the International League representative in the winner-take-all Triple-A Triple Championship Game between the IL and the Pacific Coast League. Because the Omaha Storm Chasers ended the first half with a 49-24 record, they met the second-half winner Columbus Clippers in the League Championship Series, not the Mets.
While there were some bright spots—Luke Ritter having his second 25+ home run season and Jett Williams getting a late-September promotion and looking like he belonged most notably come to mind—it was a fairly forgettable season for Syracuse overall.