PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets made their first cuts of spring training, sending many of their top prospects over to the minor league side of the Clover Field complex. Outfielder Drew Gilbert, infielder Jett Williams, catcher Kevin Parada, right-handers Eric Orze, Cam Robinson, Christian Scott and Mike Vasil, Dominic Hamel and left-hander Danny Young were assigned to minor league camp.
Infielder Luisangel Acuña and left-hander Kolten Ingram were optioned to Triple-A. Players can come back and play in Grapefruit League games as extras after being sent to minor league camp, but not if they were optioned. Acuña, the Mets’ top overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, played his final Grapefruit League game of spring Sunday against the Houston Astros.
“It was a really good opportunity to get to know a lot of these kids,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “Watching them go about their business on and off the field or the interactions in the clubhouse with some of our established players watching, watching them go about their routines and their preparation, it was really good.”
Mendoza spoke to the group Sunday, trying to impress on them the value of big league clubhouse experience. He wanted them to
“The relationships, their connections, watching the veteran guys go about their business, how they prepare, their routines, how they develop those routines,” Mendoza said. “Basically, the biggest takeaway is how to lead by example, not only by what you say, but by your actions. Those were some of the messages I sent to them.”
The Mets believe this group is impressive on the field and off of it. Williams is only 20 and already very polished. He garnered praise from the veterans for his work ethic and his ability to take a joke (at 5-foot-6, he was at the center of many).
The Mets decided early on that Vasil, Scott and Dominic Hamel would start the season in Triple-A, so sending them to the minor league side makes sense. They can still come back to the big league side to throw in Grapefruit League games and face some tougher lineups over the next few weeks while using the morning workout to prepare for the season with their likely Syracuse teammates. Hamel, who pitched Sunday against the Houston Astros, will likely be sent back to the minor league side soon as well.
The message from Mendoza was well received.
“The first time I was in big league camp, I think I was just naive,” Orze told the Daily News. “I didn’t understand what this really was like. I was still the college kid trying to prove that I’m good enough. I was thinking that I’ve got to outperform people to make the team and this and that. It’s like, that’s not the point.”
The point, Orze said, is to learn about how the veterans became successful and how to carry yourself as a pro.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Orze said. “You watch all these guys that have had a ton of time here and see how they go about their work. It’s not trying to prove anything to anybody because they don’t need to. [The mindset is], I do this really well, I’m going to continue to do it, I’m going to be a good human being, I’m going to be fun to be around, I’m going to stay positive in the clubhouse and we’re going to make these 200 or so days that we’re going to be together enjoyable.”
PERKS OF THE BUSINESS
Adrian Houser was over on the minor league league side when he saw a shirt he knew he needed to have. The blue shirt featured the infamous photo of Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and boxer Mike Tyson at Shea Stadium. The photo was captioned “Strike first.”
“I saw one of the pitching guys wearing it and I was like, ‘I need one of those,'” Houser said after making his second Grapefruit League start. “And they’re like, ‘Alright.’ Had it in my locker within the hour.”
The right-hander allowed three earned runs on four hits over 1 2/3 innings in the rainout against the Astros. He struck out two and walked one. He made some modifications to his changeup and his slider and was working through them in a game for the first time.
“Besides the results, I was pretty happy with how I felt today and how the stuff was coming out,” Houser said.
THE MANE EVENT
After four years, left-hander Sean Manaea finally cut his hair. The chop came Sunday, one day after he made a Grapefruit League start on a warm, sticky day and realized the long locks can be uncomfortable on the mound.
