April 1, 2024 – Florida State League (FSL)
St. Lucie Mets News Release
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The St. Lucie Mets are pleased to announce their preliminary roster for the upcoming 2024 Florida State League season. The roster features six of the Mets top 30 prospects according to MLB.com, including last year’s 29th overall draft pick Colin Houck.
Houck, 19, is the Mets No. 7 prospect. The Georgia high school shortstop debuted in the Florida Complex League last year and played in nine games. He collected seven hits, walked seven times and posted a .389 on-base percentage.
Infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez – the two players who the Mets acquired in the David Robertson trade with Miami last year – will begin the season with St. Lucie after getting a brief introduction to the FSL at the end of 2023.
Vargas, 18, is the Mets No. 8 prospect. He was a Dominican Summer League All Star in 2022 then posted a .275/.432/.389 line with two homers, 53 walks and 38 strikeouts over 54 games between the FCL Marlins, FCL Mets and St. Lucie in 2023. Vargas was the only minor leaguer aged 18 or under with at least 250 plate appearances who walked more than he struck out.
Hernandez, 20, slashed .295/.476/.460 with four homers, 47 walks and 37 strikeouts with the FCL Marlins and FCL Mets before playing the final eight games of his 2023 season with St. Lucie.
Jesus Baez, 19, will make his full season minor league debut. Baez is the Mets No. 21 prospect. He was the Mets Dominican Summer League Player of the Year in 2022 and spent the 2023 season with the FCL Mets.
Nick Morabito, the Mets No. 26 prospect, returns to St. Lucie after finishing with a strong final month of the season with the club in 2023. Morabito homered in his first at-bat for St. Lucie last year and slashed .286/.403/.378 with a .781 OPS in 27 games for the team. Morabito was a second round compensation pick by New York in 2022.
Houck, Vargas and Baez all started for the Mets’ Spring Breakout team vs. the Washington Nationals prospects on March 15th. Morabito and Herandez came off the bench.
On the pitching side, the Mets return quality starters in Saul Garcia (Mets No. 29 prospect), Layonel Ovalles and Jawilme Ramirez. All three began last year in St. Lucie before earning late season promotions to Brooklyn.
Kade Morris (3rd round), Wyatt Hudepohl (4th round), Austin Troesser (4th round) and Jack Wenninger (6th round) from last year’s draft will start the season on the pitching staff. Lefty Ryan Ammons…
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