Syracuse Mets: Former Mets crushing Triple-A; majors is on the horizon

Dilson Herrera and Rubén Tejada have produced big time for the Syracuse Mets this season. New York Mets fans are clamoring for them to get a chance.

Rubén Tejada and Dilson Herrera both reached the Major Leagues for the first time in the Big Apple with the New York Mets.

Fast forward to 2019 they are tearing up the International League for the Syracuse Mets but are back in Mets uniforms.

Both players have spent several seasons away receiving and a handful of at-bats in other organizations. with Robinson Canó hitting the IL again this season and seeing Luis Guillmore receiving the call, Met fans are starting to feel a sense nostalgia for a couple of utility role players who were both members of the 2015 National League Championship team.

Tejada since last playing for New York in 2015 has seen himself as a member of four different organizations, Cardinals, Giants, Yankees and Orioles, only seeing Major League service time in 2017 with Baltimore. Since joining Syracuse Tejada has been a consistent performer for Manager Tony DeFrancesco.

Tejada never a prolific home run hitter sits at six for the year, but that has tied a career-high combined at any level since turning pro in 2007 but his value far extends the juice ball effect in Triple-A. Tejada slashed a surprising .343/.421/.498 with a 139 wRC+ and .401 wOBA in 64 games showing Tejada has been far above league average, 100 wRC+, and .320 wOBA. Tejada’s success so far could indicate at potential regression with an above-average BABIP .388 this season, but not necessarily a guarantee as Tejada, as noted earlier, is not a premier home run hitter.

Tejada, the top of the order spark plug has scored an abundance of runs this year, a large part has been because of the big stick Herrera carries behind him in the Syracuse order. Unlike Tejada Herrera has seen a large spike of home runs in 2019.

Herrera has reinvented himself as a more of a power hitter than he was last seen with the Amazin’s.  As an International League All-Star, Herrera has hit home runs on a rate of 19.3 percent per fly ball. This is similar to the 20.8 percent in 53 games in the Majors with the Cincinnati Reds, his only other appearance in the show, during the 2018 season making this more than just a small sample size.  As a slugger seeing Herrera’s strikeout percentage to spike is expected but not the case. While 27.5 percent is nothing to write home about, but nothing that raises any types of alarms for a power hitter.

To make any promotion of Herrera and Tejada the Mets will need to adjust their 40-man roster. The leading candidates to be removed have been all seen by Syracuse fans this season. Along with Guillmore, Adeiny Hecavarria; who started with Syracuse has spent most of the season with the big club, and Aaron Altherr who is an added outfielder for the loss of Dominic Smith.

The New York Mets are only three games back in the Wild Card and are entering the dog days of August hoping to maintain any depth possible while attempting to make a postseason push. This makes, barring any serious injuries, a move for Herrera or Tejada more likely for September to add additional depth on the bench for manager Mickey Callaway.