Highly-rated OF Ramirez, strong pitching highlight team
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (April 8, 2022) – The St. Lucie Mets are pleased to announce their Opening Day roster, which features the Mets organization's top outfield prospect and two of the top four pitching prospects.
Highlighting the roster is 19-year-old outfielder Alex Ramirez, who is MLB Pipeline's No. 6 rated Mets prospect. Ramirez made his organizational debut with St. Lucie last summer and impressed both defensively and offensively with a .258/.326/.384 slash line at 18-years-old.
St. Lucie's pitching staff looks loaded. Dominic Hamel (MLB Pipeline No. 9), Calvin Ziegler (No. 11) and Mike Vasil (No. 21) will all get turns in the rotation.
Hamel was the Mets third round draft pick (81st overall) out of Dallas Baptist last July. After a long collegiate season, Hamel only pitched in two games for the Florida Complex League Mets last summer. This will be his full season debut.
Ziegler was highest pick that signed with the Mets last summer. The prep star pitcher moved from Canada to TNXL Academy in Ocoee, Fla., and was selected in the second round (46th overall). Upon being drafted, the 19-year-old Zielger worked out at the Mets Florida complex but did not pitch in a game. His St. Lucie debut will also be his organizational debut.
Vasil was picked by the Mets in the eighth round of last year out of the University of Virginia. MLB Pipeline rated Vasil as the 111th draft prospect, making him a steal for the Mets. Like Hamel, he only appeared in a handful of games for the FCL Mets last summer.
Keyshawn Askew, a side arm lefty from Clemson, and Carson Seymour, a sixth rounder from Kansas State, will join Hamel, Ziegler and Vasil in the rotation. Askew will be Opening Day starter.
The Mets bullpen also appears to be strength of the team. Flame throwing righty Franklin Sanchez returns to St. Lucie after a brief appearance in 2021 which featured him throwing upwards of 99 mph.
Grant Hartwig, who got the save in St. Lucie's division clinching season finale last September, also returns to the bullpen.
Other pen arms include Miguel Alfonseca, Joshua Cornielly, Levi David, Dylan Hall, Brendan Hardy, Nathan Jones, Daniel Juarez, Nathan Lavender, Luis Moreno and Nick Zwack.
Outfielders patrolling Clover Park along side Ramirez will be Stanley Consuegra, Omar De Los Santos and Carlos Dominguez.
Consuegra, once high on Mets prospect lists, had an excellent camp in a return to full health. A torn ACL kept him out of 2019, the 2020 season was cancelled, and he was limited to 20 games in 2021 due to health issues. He is still only 21-years-old.
De Los Santos clubbed eight doubles and recorded 17 RBI in just 38 games with St. Lucie in 2021 after being promoted from the FCL where he hit .429.
On the infield St. Lucie returns Cesar Berbesi, Justin Guerrera, Jack-Thomas Wold and Shervyen Newton. The newcomers are William Lugo and Albert Suarez.
Wold (UNLV, 12th round) and Guerrera (Fairfield, 20th round) were 2021 draft picks who joined St. Lucie late last year and got a taste of pro ball. Berbesi also came over from the FCL in the latter portion of 2021 and got Single-A experience.
Newton injured his shoulder with St. Lucie last June and subsequent surgery ended his season.
The Mets list three catchers on their roster – Raul Beracierta, Drake Osborn and Jose Rivera. Beracierta bounced between the FCL, Brooklyn and Binghamton last year. Osborn was a 19th round pick in 2021 out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Rivera was a 2019 international signee who play in the FCL in 2021.
Beginning last season, MLB increased the roster size of Single-A teams to 30 players. The Mets currently have 30 on their Opening Day roster – 17 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders and four outfielders.
The Mets are under the guidance of manager Robbie Robinson, who worked with several of the players listed above last year when he was the manager of the FCL team. The remainder of the coaching staff includes Victor Ramos as pitching coach, Victor Burgos as hitting coach, Gilbert Gomez as bench coach and Bryce Wheary as development coach.
The Mets will open the season Friday on the road against the Daytona Tortugas. The home opener at Clover Park is Tuesday against the Clearwater Threshers. First pitch is 6:10 p.m.
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