Mets mailbag: Roster role for Luisangel Acuña, the next core of pitching prospects

New York Times

06-05-2025

We asked (for questions), and you answered (with questions, that we will now answer).
In the first week of May, the Mets sit atop the standings in the National League East. However, the past week and a half brought some tumult with a 5-6 record over the last 11 games, and significant injuries to A.J. Minter, Danny Young and Jesse Winker. So Tim Britton and Will Sammon are here to address the most pressing issues.
(Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.)
Do you think Acuña will be the second baseman for the rest of the season? — Jbeningo1
Tim Britton: No, I don't. That's the short answer.
The longer answer is that Carlos Mendoza and the Mets already have a blueprint for how this could work as a time-share from last season, when Jeff McNeil and José Iglesias split time at the keystone. McNeil and Iglesias shared second over a 69-game stretch last season. It started in mid-June, by which point Iglesias had shown he was off to an excellent start offensively. And it continued until McNeil's regular-season-ending injury in early September.
In that stretch, McNeil made 36 starts to Iglesias' 33 at second base. Their versatility, though, permitted them to be in the lineup elsewhere: McNeil made 17 outfield starts and Iglesias 10 at third base.
We're already seeing this play out now with McNeil and Acuña. In 11 games since McNeil's return, Acuña has made seven starts and McNeil four at second base. Acuña has also played third once, and McNeil the outfield four times. The injury to Jesse Winker does suggest more outfield time for McNeil is coming, but I don't think Acuña will be the everyday second baseman that entire time.
Are the Mets eligible to receive a draft pick through the Prospect Promotion Initiative if Acuña wins NL Rookie of the Year? — Bryan G.
TB: No, to be eligible for the PPI, a player must be a top-100 prospect at two of Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline. Acuña did not land on any of those lists.
Why hasn't Brandon Sproat gotten any of the depth starter spot starts? — Sam G.
Will Sammon: There are a few reasons. The pitchers chosen ahead of him outperformed him. The opening in the rotation didn't correspond well with his next start date. And he's been inconsistent. While Sproat has dominated previous levels, he has struggled in Triple A at times. He has a 5.48 ERA (23 innings). Unlike Blade Tidwell, who also had a high ERA but strong walk and strikeout rates, Sproat has 12 walks and 17 strikeouts. The stuff remains exciting. But I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Sproat switch up his usage and lean more on his secondary pitches.
From 2020 to 2023, Brandon Nimmo was a center fielder. By 2023, he was considered an above-average defensive CF. After the 2022 season, we signed him to a huge contract partly because 'you have to pay CFs.' And then, after that contract, he is seemingly not allowed to play CF. What happened? Why can't he play CF anymore? — John F.
TB: Major credit goes to the Mets and Nimmo for making him a serviceable and, yes, above-average center fielder in 2021 and 2022.
But two important things happened since then, John.
First, Nimmo was back to average or below in 2023, based on which metrics you prefer. And the decline in his sprint speed (smaller from 2023 to 2024, larger from 2024 to this season) suggests he would only regress more in center into the future.
And second, the Mets changed heads of baseball operations, going from Billy Eppler (who signed Nimmo to that eight-year deal) to David Stearns (who didn't). This isn't to say Stearns doesn't like Nimmo as a player; however, Stearns has a track record of valuing defense in center field more than his peers (and more than Eppler). In Milwaukee, two of his biggest free-agent contracts were for Lorenzo Cain and Jackie Bradley Jr. So it was not a surprise when he surveyed the outfield landscape in the offseason after 2023 and thought the most prudent upgrade would not be a mashing corner outfielder — I was pushing Teoscar Hernández, which you have to admit would have been pretty wise — but an outstanding defensive center fielder. He landed on Harrison Bader with Tyrone Taylor as a backup plan, and he ran that plan back this year with Jose Siri replacing Bader.
Nimmo can play center if needed, but it's pretty noteworthy that the Mets have opted for the inexperienced (and slower) McNeil there over him in the last couple of weeks.
What are the chances that Ronny Mauricio gets some reps at center field as he works his way back up through the minors? — D.R.
WS: Mauricio will stay on the infield until he's up to full speed. Mauricio's rehab assignment with St. Lucie started last week. He has played five innings each at second base, shortstop and third base. The Mets view him as an infielder. But a necessity in the outfield could cause Mauricio to spend some time there.
Thirty-eight strikeouts in 21 innings? How long until Jonah Tong gets promoted to Triple A? — Chris T.
WS: The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Tong as the Mets' eighth-best prospect. In Double A, he has a 3.38 ERA with — yes — 38 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings. But he also has 14 walks. He needs to throw strikes more consistently. Sometimes, he gets on a good stretch and piles up strikes only to quickly lose that flow. Also, he's 21 and lacks pitching experience compared to someone like Sproat or Nolan McLean, who recently earned a promotion to Triple A.
Mark Vientos has been struggling, both in the field and at the plate. If this level of performance continues, when might the Mets make a move to platoon him or possibly even get him back in the minors? — Emilie F.
WS: We received several questions regarding Vientos. Over the long term, I'm interested in learning how long the Mets stick with him at third base because his defensive numbers remain dim. But I don't anticipate any drastic changes this early. I also don't agree with the sentiment of many questions regarding his offense. Yes, he is off to a slow start. But the notion that his numbers are worsening is wrong. Over his past 19 games heading into the Mets' series in Arizona, Vientos owns a .288/.346/.521 slash line with four home runs and a 23.5 percent strikeout rate (high, but still better than his 29.7 percent figure from last year). It's early May. He's 25. He hit 27 home runs last season. I understand the concern, especially on defense, but I wouldn't be panicking yet.
Who do you see as the Mets' next potential pitching development breakout? — Ithti U.
WS: Felipe De La Cruz, a 23-year-old lefty in Triple-A Syracuse. There's a real possibility he cracks the Mets' bullpen this season. In his Triple-A debut last week, De La Cruz tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. He allowed one hit. He is a great athlete who throws a four-seamer, two-seamer and slider. His fastball usually averages about 95 mph. Some evaluators suggested he may be capable of sitting at 97 mph in shorter stints. The Mets signed him in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic. At the time, he had minimal pitching experience. He has steadily improved over the last couple of years. Before his promotion, he had a 1.98 ERA in Double A with 20 strikeouts and just three walks in 13 2/3 innings.
(Top photo of Luisangel Acuña: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)