Now that the 2023 season is over, Minor League Mondays will take a look at each of the New York Mets’ minor league affiliates over the next several weeks. This series will take a look at each affiliate’s season highlights, top prospects, interesting promotions, and more. We wrap up the series today with some bonus coverage of the Mets’ prospects who played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League!
Minor League Mondays Affiliate Review: Glendale Desert Dogs
2023 Record: 12-18, Sixth Place In Arizona Fall League
Story: Unlike the traditional minor league structure, each team doesn’t have an affiliate in the Arizona Fall League. The league is comprised of six teams, with each roster being filled with some of the top prospects from five major league teams. The Mets (along with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox) sent players to fill the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs, who were managed by Iggy Suarez, who managed the Red Sox’ High-A Affiliate in Greenville during the regular season. The Arizona Fall League was widely regarded to have some of the weakest talent sent to compete in years and it played out as such for Glendale, which finished in dead last in the six-team league and missed the playoffs by 3.5 games.
Top Promotions: N/A
Top Prospects:
C Kevin Parada: Parada, the Mets’ first-round pick in 2022 out of Georgia Tech, was the most notable prospect the team sent to the Arizona Fall League. Things didn’t go well for Parada in Arizona as he hit just .186 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 18 games, producing a bad .611 OPS. Parada, who is currently rated as the Mets’ fifth-best prospect according to MLB.com, also had his fair share of struggles defensively.
1B J.T. Schwartz Schwartz, the Mets’ fourth-round pick in 2021 out of UCLA, had a strong showing in Arizona. In 20 games for the Desert Dogs, Schwartz hit .247 with two home runs and 13 RBIs while posting a respectable .736 OPS. Schwartz earned AFL Player of the Week honors on October 21st and was named to the AFL’s Rising Stars team for 2023.
RHP Nolan Clenney: Clenney, who the Mets signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021 out of Brunswick Community College, had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. In nine appearances for Glendale Clenney pitched to a 1.00 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while posting a 13:4 strikeout to walk ratio in nine innings pitched. Clenney finished last season with AAA Syracuse and will look to use his strong performance in Arizona as a building block for next season.
Stay tuned for more Mets’ coverage throughout the offseason!
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