New York Mets Minor League Report: Kevin Parada Does The Little Things For Binghamton

Kevin Parada's professional career is a reminder on this MLB Draft weekend that even high picks are lottery tickets and most of them aren't winners.

He looked like a foundational piece four years ago when the New York Mets selected him 11th overall out of Georgia Tech, but now, he's organizational depth. Another bat-first player, Francisco Alvarez, overtook him as the major-league club's catcher of the future. 

In 2026, Parada is playing a fourth season at Double-A at age 24. He's sporting a career-worst .621 OPS between Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. His power has disappeared, with one homer in 235 plate appearances. He's splitting time with Chris Suero at catcher and DH. His days on the Top 20 list are over.

At this point, he needs to do the little things -- like, say, drop down a bunt. Which he did in the ninth inning of a tie game Saturday night in Hartford. The bunt was a beauty, and it got even better when the throw to first base went past the bag. Nick Lorusso alertly scored from third on the error, giving Binghamton the lead.

BUNT in perfect cursive ?️

Kevin Parada drops a perfect bunt in the Top of the 9th to put the Rumble Ponies ahead 3-2 over the Yard Goats!

? x #DefendOurHome pic.twitter.com/bqpB7ngWcf

— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) July 12, 2026

The Ponies scored six more after that play en route to a 9-2 victory. Parada's small ball made a big difference. That's what organizational players need to do.

As for the rest of the system on Saturday:

Syracuse lost, 3-2, at Norfolk. The Mets scored both their runs in the top of the ninth, but stranded the tying run at first base after Christopher Morel's RBI single cut the margin to one.

Daiverson Gutierrez delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth as Brooklyn edged Wilmington, 2-1. Daviel Hurtado lowered his ERA with the Cyclones to 1.79 with 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball..  

St. Lucie got five scoreless innings from Emilio Obispo in its 4-1 victory at Jupiter. His ERA is down to 1.82 for the Mets. Mike Tauchman went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in a rehab game.

The FCL Mets lost, 3-0, to the FCL Cardinals. Jean Brito took the loss despite allowing one hit and striking out six in four innings. DSL Mets Blue was held to one hit in a 5-0 loss to the DSL Marlins. Henry Manrique's single in the first was the lone safety. DSL Mets Orange outscored DSL Giants Black, 10-6, thanks to 11 walks. Oscar Montero and Olmedo Barria combined for seven innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts. 

New York Mets Transactions

• New York Mets released CF Jared Oliva.
• New York Mets sent RHP Matt Seelinger outright to Syracuse Mets.

Weisenburger Sharp For Syracuse

Jack Weisenburger gave the Mets a solid start, striking out eight and allowing just a solo home run over four innings. On the down side, he walked three. Ryan Lambert followed him and was ineffective. He gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Two of the three walks he issued came around to score.

Dedniel Núñez took another positive step in his rehab from elbow surgery with two hitless innings.

In the top of the ninth, MJ Melendez led with a walk and moved to third on Christian Arroyo's double. Yonny Hernández grounded out to bring home Melendez, and Morel singled home Arroyo to cut the deficit to 3-2. Hayden Senger was called out on strikes, and Cristian Pache popped out in foul territory to end the game.

Binghamton Pours It On Late; Santucci Strong

The ninth inning began with Lorusso reaching on a fielding error and JT Schwartz drawing a walk. After Parada's bunt broke the tie, Matt Rudick followed with another sac bunt. Nick Lucky was then walked intentionally to load the bases. Jaylen Palmer cleared them with a three-run double, Suero followed with an RBI single, and Lorusso capped the outburst with an RBI double.

Jonathan Santucci put together a second consecutive quality start -- two earned runs over six innings with eight strikeouts -- but the 2024 second-round pick couldn't protect a 1-0 lead after Kevin Villavicencio hit a solo homer for in the third. Wyatt Young tied the game in the eighth with an RBI double that scored Rudick.

Gutierrez Walks It Off For Brooklyn

The teams traded runs in the third inning, and the game stayed tied until Gutierrez's single brought home Ronald Hernandez with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Hernandez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and moved up to second on Corey Collins' single. Sam Biller drove in the Cyclones' run in the third.

Brooklyn's bullpen kept the game within reach. Juan Arnaud worked 1 1/3 hitless innings, Cristofer Gomez struck out three over two scoreless innings, and Ryan Dollar worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win. 

Early Runs Propel St. Lucie To Win

The Mets jumped on the Hammerheads for three runs in the top of the first. Elian Peña led off with a single, Tauchman doubled him home, and Trey Snyder followed with a two-run home run, his first of the season, to make it 3-0. Julio Zayas added a solo home run in the third to push the lead to 4-0.

Jupiter scored its run in the eighth off reliever Zack Mack. Throwing errors by Peña and Chase Meggers, the latter on a steal attempt, made it unearned. Mack allowed three hits in his 2 1/3  innings of work. Elwis Mijares retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Jonah Tong: DNP
2. Jack Wenninger: DNP
3. Ryan Clifford: DNP
4. Elian Pena: 1-for-5, 2 K
5. Nick Morabito: 0-for-4
6. Jacob Reimer: DNP
7. Mitch Voit: 0-for-4
8. Jonathan Santucci: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
9. Zach Thornton: DNP
10. Chris Suero: 1-for-5, RBI, 3 K
11. Will Watson: DNP
12. Wandy Asigen: DNP
13. Eli Serrano III: DNP
14. Randy Guzman: DNP
15. Dylan Ross: DNP
16. Ryan Lambert: 2/3 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB
17. Antonio Jimenez: DNP
18. R.J. Gordon: DNP
19. Jonathan Pintaro: DNP
20. Marco Vargas: DNP

Interested in learning more about the New York Mets' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!