Scouting Report: Rochester vs. Syracuse

After taking four of six from their I-90 rivals to the west, the Buffalo Bisons, the Rochester Red Wings now head east on the Thruway to the Salt City, where they’ll face the Syracuse Mets in a six-game set beginning Tuesday.

With the regular season winding down, the first-place Red Wings will look to maintain their position atop the International League’s second-half standings against a Syracuse team they’ve beaten offensively throughout the season. Rochester has scored 100 runs in 18 meetings and logged a team average of .272 against the Mets, the second-highest of any opposing team they’ve faced this season.

But plenty has changed since these teams last shared the field four weeks ago. Syracuse has welcomed reinforcements from the big-league club in Queens, along with new additions via trades and standard minor league call-ups. Here are three players to keep an eye out for if you’re making the trip to Syracuse or watching from home this week.

30. LHP Jonathan Santucci

Jonathan Santucci is the No. 2 prospect in the New York Mets’ system. The former Duke Blue Devil was called up on July 28 and made his Triple-A debut against the Wings at ESL Ballpark, tossing four innings of two-run ball.

While Santucci’s first start against Rochester was solid, the 23-year-old has struggled a bit since then. He’s still very young for the Triple-A level and has experienced both blow-up outings and strong starts during his short time with Syracuse thus far.

Before his promotion, Santucci put together an impressive season with Double-A Binghamton. The left-hander posted a 3.57 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP over 90.2 innings with the Rumble Ponies.

So, what will make Santucci difficult for the Red Wings to face? It starts with his fastball-slider combination. While he hasn’t fully developed his entire pitch arsenal, his slider is already a standout offering according to MLB Pipeline analysis, who give him a 60 on the 20-80 scale. From the beginning of the season through his July 28 promotion, the Mets’ 2024 second-round pick led all Double-A pitchers with 120 strikeouts.

21. RHP Jonah Tong

Now we have stumbled upon a guy that knows his way between NBT Bank Stadium and Citi Field pretty well. Jonah Tong is the No. 5 prospect in the Mets system; he’s had two separate stints with the big league club, once last year and another this season.

While his Triple-A numbers might leave you a little underwhelmed, his MLB numbers and track record in the minors should make Mets fans feel much better—and Red Wings fans much less so.

The right-hander, known for a having a great fastball/changeup combo, owns a career 3.15 ERA across 345.2 minor-league innings, along with a 1.19 WHIP and a .193 opponent batting average. At the major-league level this season, he has posted a 3.60 ERA, allowing four earned runs over 10 innings, while holding opposing hitters to a .205 average.

With Syracuse, the Markham, Ontario, native owns a 4.54 ERA but has racked up 126 strikeouts, the second-most among qualified International League starters. Of those 126 punchouts, 62 have come on his fastball and 37 on his changeup, showcasing the effectiveness of his two primary offerings.

50. 2B Émilien Pitre

Our third and final prospect to watch is Émilien Pitre, the former Tampa Bay Rays farmhand who was dealt to the New York Mets, along with two other prospects, in exchange for Major League starter Freddy Peralta ahead of this year’s MLB trade deadline.

Like many former or current top Rays prospects, Pitre was seen as undersized at 5’ 11” 185 pounds, leading him to be somewhat underrated while continuing to excel throughout the minor leagues. The left-handed hitter doesn’t provide much power or hit many home runs, but he consistently makes contact and hits for average. Across 900 career at-bats, Pitre owns a .290 batting average with 73 extra-base hits, 14 of them being home runs, and a .391 on-base percentage.

This season, the Repentigny, Quebec, native is slashing .315/.430/.437 across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. Since joining Syracuse, the Mets’ No. 11-ranked prospect has posted a .303/.395/.424 slash line while continuing to walk nearly as often as he strikes out. Across his minor-league career, Pitre has drawn 144 walks compared to 166 strikeouts. In his brief time with Syracuse, he has four walks and four strikeouts.

Pitre is best described as a contact-oriented, slap-hitting player, who used all fields, 29% to right field and center, while actually taking the ball the opposite way, 41.9% of the time. Pitre is a solid defender in the infield. Before the trade, MLB Pipeline described him as one of the most technically sound fielders in the Rays’ system.

The Red Wings rotation is built of a majority right handed pitchers and they will have to worry about Pitre because he dominates right-handers, slashing .332/.446/.455 in 301 at-bats across three minor league levels this season.

The Red Wings will look to keep their winning ways going and capture their sixth consecutive series win. Game one of the six-game set is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at NBT Bank Stadium.