Jett Williams, Luisangel Acuña among Mets’ first round of spring training cuts
By Mark W. Sanchez,
2024-03-03
PORT ST. LUCIE — A lot of the excitement left Mets camp Sunday.
There were no surprises but plenty of prospects in the first round of cuts, with infielders Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña, outfielder Drew Gilbert and starting pitchers Christian Scott, Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel sent off to minor league camp.
In all 11 were either reassigned or optioned, with catcher Kevin Parada, righties Eric Orze and Cam Robinson and lefties Kolton Ingram and Danny Young the others.
The Mets, whose farm system has become a top priority since last year’s trade deadline that netted Acuña and Gilbert, were pleased with what they hope will be the future of the club.
“It was great,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the sent-down prospects before a rain-shortened, 5-2 loss to the Astros at Clover Park. “Really good opportunity to get to know a lot of these kids. Just watching them go about their business on and off the fields. The interactions in the clubhouse with some of our established players. Watching them go about the routines and their preparation, it was really good.
“Obviously the game, the actions, being able to watch some of the tools that they bring to the table — it was fun.”
Williams, a natural shortstop who will see time in center field this season, showed off his wheels with a pair of infield hits and a steal in six at-bats. The 20-year-old last season reached Double-A Binghamton, where he figures to begin this year.
Gilbert, a center fielder, thrived in 95 games at Double-A last season split between the Astros and Mets. The main prize obtained in the Justin Verlander deal, Gilbert has gone 1-for-9 with a walk in 10 spring plate appearances and shown off a solid arm in the outfield.
Acuña, the brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuña, played all of his season at Double-A and could begin this year at Triple-A Syracuse. About to turn 22, Acuña went 3-for-8, including a pair of hard-hit singles stroked to the opposite field, in a solid showing in the Grapefruit League.
Scott and Vasil, two of the organization’s best starting pitching prospects, pitched successful one-inning outings Saturday before the demotion. Hamel recorded one out in the sixth inning Sunday before the game was called, and he then was reassigned.
In the hours after the demotion, Acuña was in the major league clubhouse shooting hoops with a group of teammates.
“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.”
Acuña and Ingram, who were technically optioned because of their 40-man status, may not be called back up for Grapefruit League games, while the other nine (technically reassigned) can still pop up in spring games.
Shintaro Fujinami, who arrived Saturday from Japan after visa issues and tending to a personal issue, threw his first bullpen session.
Fujinami, who has acknowledged his last few weeks have been “hectic” after long flights and a screwy sleep schedule, appeared wild during the session.
Afterward, he huddled with interpreter Issei Kamada, Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner for a lengthy conversation.
Infielder Joey Wendle (right shoulder soreness) took ground balls and threw across the diamond as he builds back up.
He was expected to serve as the designated hitter in a minor league game that also was set to include Harrison Bader, who was expected to play four innings in the outfield.
— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman
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