Cory Sparks

Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Freddy Peralta has gained a reputation as one of the most consistent starting pitchers in baseball over the years. Given the nickname “Fastball Freddy” for his reliance on his favorite pitch, Peralta has long been a capable ace and was a big get for the New York Mets this past offseason. Now, his earned run average is north of five and he’s struggling mightily. Let’s uncover why that is. Freddy Peralta's Failed Mets Tenure Peralta is a 30-year-old right-handed pitcher who came by way of a trade, as the Brewers dealt him to New York in exchange for a pair of top prospects in Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. This came after eight seasons of high-octane play that led to a pair of All-Star selections and even a finish as a top-5 National League Cy Young candidate in 2025. This year, the Mets starter has floundered, generating a 5-9 record and a 5.01 earned run average following a loss against his former team. Why is he struggling, and what is with the sudden drop-off for someone who was so productive for so many years? Fastball Freddy's Waning Heater For starters, the former Brewers’ ace has seen his fastball slow down a tick, and although it’s subtle, every bit matters for an option Peralta utilizes 53% of the time. Furthermore, hitters have managed to log a .266 batting average against his four-seamer, a whole 57 points higher than last year’s mark. Opposing batters are also slugging .427 and generating an average exit velocity of 90.4 miles per hour against the fastball, the highest exit velocity generated against any of his pitches. Interestingly enough, Peralta is getting 6.5 feet of extension on the pitch, down from a 6.8 mark a year ago. While this doesn’t exactly qualify as him “short-arming” the baseball, this makes the ball appear to come in even slower to the plate. Swing-And-Miss Tendencies Another aspect that just isn’t clicking like it used to is his ability to make hitters miss and force them to chase out of the zone. Let’s start with the whiff rate: In 2018 (Peralta’s rookie season), he generated a whiff rate in the 62nd percentile. In his second season, with an increased spin rate on his fastball, the mark improved to the 73rd percentile. In the six years following, he lived in the top quarter of major-league arms. That is until the 2026 season, where Peralta’s fastball spin rate, overall velocity, and his whiff rate, have reached career lows relative to the rest of this league. The chase rate hasn’t been much better. While Peralta has never esteemed for his ability to coax swings on bad pitches, largely due to his heavy dosage of the fastball, he has dropped from the 49th percentile in 2025 to the 34th percentile in 2026. As a result, he’s working from behind in counts, being hit harder and overall, allowing more runs. What Comes next Peralta is 30 years old and seems to be showing signs of being on the back half of his career. How can someone who doesn’t have the strikeout stuff that he used to adapt to this new reality, especially in a league where crazy amounts of velocity and induced vertical break reign supreme? The answer is all in his location and contact tendencies. Another team at the trade deadline will see a once-great arm in need of a makeover, looking to help Peralta become a more crafty pitcher on the mound. It's just a shame that evolution won't happen in New York, as the Mets will look to retool for 2027 and beyond over the next week and change. View full article

Freddy Peralta is a two-time All-Star and was considered a significant offseason acquisition for the New York Mets. Yet this year, the 30-year-old has struggled to find his footing in the Big Apple. In this video, we'll jump into the advanced analytics of why Peralta is struggling so badly and what key adjustments he can make to adapt to his evolving arsenal. View full video

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The New York Mets have put themselves in clear sell-mode at this year’s MLB trade deadline. Holding a 43-59 record, they are in a position to ship off big-league players to needy, win-now teams in exchange for a change to build their future around Juan Soto. Let’s dive in to three different prospects the Mets could go after to speed up their rebuild. Brody Hopkins, Tampa Bay Rays It’s the middle of July, and the Tampa Bay Rays are still leading the American League East. Tampa will likely be picking up the phone looking for another proven bat. If the Mets choose to be their suitor, and if that bat holds enough value, the Rays’ top pitching prospect in Brody Hopkins could make for a remarkable fit. Hopkins is currently in Triple-A, pitching for the Durham Bulls. The 24-year-old has a 4-7 record with a 4.52 earned run average over 77.2 innings pitched in 19 appearances, 16 of them being starts. The 2023 sixth-round pick has a lethal 1-2 combo, flexing 60-grades with his fastball and curveball. The four-seam fastball sits between 95-98 mph and can touch triple digits, while his curveball profiles as a power breaking pitch in the upper-80s. Hopkins’ strikeout stuff is electric, as he touts a career K/9 rate just south of 11 while allowing a .199 opposing batting average. His main problem has been control, an attribute that MLB Pipeline rates as a 45-grade (average). Entering this season, the hard-throwing righty averaged a walk every other inning; that rate has ballooned thanks to his allowance of 74 free passes in 77.2 innings pitched this season. Josiah Hartshorn, Chicago Cubs The Cubs are in primed position to take one of the top spots in the National League, but they have a very clear need: starting pitching. As it stands now, Ben Brown, Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Edward Cabrera (that’s enough to fill an entire playoff rotation) are all sidelined for varying amounts of time. Chicago just made a trade for Aaron Civale, who had a 5.42 ERA with the Athletics this year, so they're still looking for a top-tier arm. Grabbing someone like Freddy Peralta, even in a down year, would be a significant upgrade for the North Siders, and Josiah Hartshorn could be an appropriate return. Hartshorn is a switch-hitting outfielder who has taken off this year. At just 19 years of age, the 2025 sixth-round pick has throttled 15 home runs and 69 runs batted in across Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend. With 54 walks to 74 strikeouts, Hartshorn is showing an advanced approach. His main pitfall has been his defense, as the question surrounds whether he’ll be a corner outfielder or infielder based on mobility reasons. Still, this is the kind of bat you can bet your future on. Murf Gray, Pittsburgh Pirates After sweeping the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers to close out the first half, the Pittsburgh Pirates have tossed themselves into the buyers pool. The Pirates are 52-49 and aiming to make a surge up the NL Wild Card rankings. They have a main need to get there, though: a reliable reliever. The team has blown 18 saves in 37 opportunities. If the Mets want to be that supplier for a reliable, back-end reliever, they should ask for Murf Gray in return. Gray is Pittsburgh’s third-ranked prospect, and he just cracked MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list at No. 100. Gray has 24 home runs across Low-A Bradenton, High-A Greensboro and now Double-A Altoona, a mark that puts him at seventh place in all of Minor League Baseball. Gray was a second-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, and he’s currently slashing .325/.408/.607 with a 1.015 OPS across three different levels of affiliate ball. The scary part? His 60-grade arm is currently his best attribute, according to scouts. This is a reliable corner infielder who could supply a big-league ball club with some game-changing power as soon as next year. View full article

The New York Mets are in clear sell mode, as they are well below .500 coming out of the All-Star break. In this video, we'll explain the benefits of going after trade packages that include Rays pitching prospect Brody Hopkins, Cubs outfield prospect Josiah Hartshorn, and Pirates corner infield prospect Murf Gray. Enjoy! View full video

That's definitely the main priority, but I like the high-floor profile considering what he was able to do in college

Image courtesy of Ed Delany | Metsmerized The New York Mets have a strong nucleus of up-and-coming contributors, and while some have already debuted (Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing), others like Mitch Voit are garnering momentum in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Voit has the tools to be a part of the next line of risers, and his recent performance implies he could already be well on his way. Let’s dive into his overall skillset and promising trajectory. Mitch Voit's Path to New York Voit is the Mets’ sixth-ranked prospect, per Grand Central Mets. The 21-year-old stands at 6 feet tall, weighs 201 pounds and New York picked him 38th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft. Every single one of his tools is at least a 50-grade on the MLB Pipeline 20-to-80 scouting scale. He used to be a two-way player, just like Nolan McLean and Carson Benge did. So far, a pair of seasons into his professional career (and embarking on his first full campaign), he has impressed and seems to be trending in the right direction. Ascending Quickly The middle infielder didn’t waste any time getting into the professional ranks after being drafted, as he played 22 games in Low-A St. Lucie to round out last year’s minor league season. The former Michigan Wolverine slashed .235/.343/.292 with a home run, eight runs batted in and a ridiculous 20 stolen bags in his brief but impactful stint in Low-A. This was enough to push him to High-A with the Brooklyn Cyclones, where Voit has improved in nearly every offensive category. His slash line is up to .240/.351/.408 through 68 contests with the Cyclones. July 9 was arguably one of his best showings, going 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored, two walks and five total bases. He’s Got Power, He’s Got Speed Voit has shown plenty of power through just past the halfway point of his first full MiLB season, throttling 11 home runs and 11 doubles for 22 extra-base hits (averaging one about every third game). His pull-air rate is 14.8 percent, good enough to nestle him in the 63rd percentile according to TJ Stats. His swing decisions and overall contact ability have been promising too, as his 68.6 percent zone swing rate is above league average (63rd percentile), and he’s whiffing only 26.5 percent of the time, less often than the average minor league hitter. As a result, he’s only striking out 20.3 percent of the time (78th percentile) and is identifying pitches well as he elevates up the Mets’ minor league ladder. Voit’s speed, slotted as a 60-grade on MLB Pipeline’s scale, has also been a spectacle. The former Big Ten standout has 30 stolen bases through 66 games, as he’d be on pace for over 60 in a full season. Overall Trajectory When can we expect someone like Voit to ultimately debut at Citi Field? Considering he was a three-year college athlete who got selected just on the fringe of the first round, it shouldn’t be longer than 2-3 years in total. His arm is a 60-grade tool, the power numbers are climbing, and his awareness on the basepaths is only improving as the competition grows more fierce. Francisco Lindor is a roadblock, but only at shortstop. Nothing should be standing between Voit and Queens at second base once he's ready for The Show. View full article

Mitch Voit is the New York Mets' sixth-ranked prospect, per our rankings. The 2025 38th overall pick is already in High-A Brooklyn, and he's significantly improved his slash line from a year ago when he had a cup of coffee in Single-A St. Lucie. In this video, we'll break down his 1-2 punch of a skillset and how the middle infielder could slot into the big league ball club's future plans. View full video

The New York Mets have had a first half to forget. A team that recently acquired Juan Soto and Bo Bichette finds itself well below .500 and without its original manager in Carlos Mendoza. In this video, we'll break down what Bichette, Freddy Peralta, and Marcus Semien need to improve on to turn the team's season around before it's too late. View full video

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images Fresh off of the firing of former manager Carlos Mendoza, it’s no secret that the New York Mets have underperformed in the first half of the 2026 season. This is a group that locked down Fransisco Lindor a few years ago and recently acquired big-ticket talents like Juan Soto and Bo Bichette. Nolan McLean, one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, is a staple in their rotation and A.J. Ewing got the early call to give this group a shot in the arm. Despite that laundry list of seemingly positive occurrences, New York is 34-48 and dead last in the National League East. Here are three players who need to step it up in the Big Apple with Andy Green now stepping in to take Mendoza's place. Bo Bichette Bo Bichette is front and center on this list. Any time a player signs a contract (three years, $126 million) worth over $40 million year over year, subpar results will be met with scrutiny. Bichette had hit north of .300 in four of his first seven MLB seasons, yet right now he’s sporting a .254 batting average with an on-base percentage at just .299. While the shortstop has left much to be desired so far this season, he is running into a decent amount of bad luck. Baseball Savant has his expected batting average slotted at .285, a whole 29 points higher than his actual value. Above-average marks in average exit velocity (73rd percentile), hard-hit percentage (69th percentile) and squared-up percentage (72nd percentile) all imply that he is making quality contact despite a lackluster bat speed. The defense has also been a struggle point for Bichette so far. His -1 outs above average rating slots him in the 34th percentile, with an arm strength value also dropping below the league mean. Bichette has been much better in June, but that doesn’t cut it considering his contract and the Mets’ expectations entering this season. Freddy Peralta New York cashed out in the trade market to land Freddy Peralta, and the hope was that he could bolster the front of the rotation with a veteran presence to supplement a rather green Nolan McLean. Unfortunately for New York, Peralta is having one of his worst seasons to date. The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher holds a 5-6 record with a 4.53 earned run average over 17 starts. Peralta is a unique case-study, as he’s always been heavily reliant on the fastball. The former Brewer technically possesses five different pitches, but he relies on his four-seamer a whopping 53% of the time. This year, his primary offering is being met with a .242 batting average against, up from a .209 mark in 2025. Outside of his ability to limit opposing hitters’ barrel percentage to just 5.1% (82nd percentile) this year, all of his other marks have hung around the average line. This performance has been a stark contrast from someone who was 17-6 with a 2.70 earned run average just a year ago. Marcus Semien Marcus Semien rounds out the list, and he just simply needs to hit the ball more often this year. No, this isn’t prime Marcus Semien anymore, but a .214 batting average and another on-base mark below .300 isn’t acceptable. Semien is 35 years old, and he’s climbing uphill when you consider that his bat speed is in the 9th percentile this year at just 68.7 miles per hour. With that being said, the 7.2 percent walk rate for someone who has taken close to 7,000 career at-bats needs to be better. The Mets have had a lot of roster turnover in the last handful of years, but a veteran who leads by example could patch up some of those continuity issues. Semien has the pedigree to supply this group with just that, but the approach needs to be better. View full article

Image courtesy of © Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images New York Mets prospect Mitch Voit is showing some promise in High-A Brooklyn with the Cyclones. While it’s been a rough start to the season for the big-league ball club, their young nucleus could be a sign of brighter days ahead. Today, we’ll dive into what separates Voit from most prospects and when to expect his big league debut. Mitch Voit's Updated Mets Scouting Report Voit is a 6-foot, 201 lb middle infielder and the eighth-ranked prospect in the Mets pipeline, per GrandCentralMets.com. He was the team’s first-round draft pick last summer, going 38th overall after playing three years for the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten. The speedy right-handed hitter was a two-way talent his first two years of college, chalking up a similar profile to recent Mets prospect graduates Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. However, Voit had internal brace surgery in the summer of 2024 and decided to go the same route as Benge by specializing as a hitter. Channeling that focus on just one side of the game helped Voit’s hitting, as he logged a .346 batting average and .668 slugging percentage with 14 home runs in 56 games with Michigan. After his selection in last year’s draft, Voit wasted no time to get professional reps, as he played 22 contests for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets to cut his teeth. Voit's 60-Grade Run Tool The first aspect of Voit’s game that jumps off of the page is his speed. The 60-grade run tool was on full display last year, as he stole 20 bases in 22 contests and has 43 swipes in 74 total minor-league contests so far. After getting caught just once in the Florida State League last year, it’s clear that Voit has a combination of raw speed and the ability to read a pitcher’s cadence to perfection. While the 21-year-old has been getting most of his work in at second base heading into this year, the speed could come in handy at the shortstop position when it comes to chasing down a ball deep in the hole. Another one of Voit’s strengths is that he’s just a pure athlete. While he may not pitch anymore, he contorted his body and prepared like a pitcher for so long, he’s become more athletic and is used to tweaking his motion. If he needs to fix something in his batting stance, swing path or something else with his fundamentals needs to change, this is someone who has been toying with his game twofold until very recently. Pristine Discipline The discipline also jumps off of the page for Voit. It’s one thing to be naturally athletic or to build up strengths within a skillset, but Voit is drawing walks at a near-10% clip this season. He’s standing at 49 punchouts to 22 walks in his first 237 plate appearances this year, giving him another path to get his chaos-creating speed on the basepaths. If this plate discipline trend stands as he elevates up the Mets’ minor-league system, his floor will rise as a result. Outlook with Mets Voit may only be in High-A, but it’s fair to ask when he’ll ultimately debut in the major leagues. The 21-year-old is projected, per MLB pipeline, to get into the big leagues in 2028. I’d say he’s in line for a late 2027, early 2028 arrival if the power develops. The plate discipline and speed are there; now it’s just about generating some more hard contact to round out what’s already a very impressive skillset. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Frerker-Imagn Images Nowadays, the young, flamethrowing pitcher archetype seems to be the talk of the town across the professional baseball landscape. Players throwing triple digits with sky-high whiff rates are the hot commodity and apparent ultimate prerequisite in dominating in today’s day and age. Brooks Raley is none of those things, and yet he's been one of the best relievers in the sport. Let’s dive into how he’s successfully climbed uphill all year for one of the best seasons of his illustrious career. Brooks Raley's Path to Dominance Raley is a 37-year-old relief pitcher for the New York Mets, and he’s defying almost every sense of logic present in today’s game. The veteran southpaw stands at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, and he possesses north of 270 innings of experience over 284 appearances. Nearly ever single one of those appearances have been out of the bullpen, as the 2009 sixth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs has proven to be a steady, reliable relief option over his nine-year career. The Texas A&M alum has major league experience with the Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and now the Mets. With no All-Star selections, it can be easy for some to overlook the veteran southpaw. However, he has had to overcome some pretty significant hurdles to make a living in the majors. Velocity and Whiffs Aren't Mutually Inclusive The average fastball in 2026 glides across the plate in the mid-90s, and that value has only climbed over the years. Raley has a different way of going about his business. His fastball clocks in at an average of 89.9 miles per hour, putting him in the 4th percentile of MLB pitchers. This isn’t new for the veteran hurler, either; his average fastball has never eclipsed 91 miles per hour at any point throughout his career. Naturally, his whiff rate isn’t astronomically higher either, sitting at 26.4% (59th percentile). However, that's still an impressive, above-average figure. This is someone who can’t rely on blowing a pitch by someone, and in turn, if he makes a mistake and catches too much of the plate, it’s more likely that Raley gets punished than, say, Milwaukee Brewers hurler Jacob Misiorowski (who leads MLB in pitches over 100 miles per hour this year). Yet, even without the velocity to generate more swings and misses, Raley has struck out 27% of hitters (81st percentile). How does he do this and stay on a pace that’s given him 29 punchouts in 24.1 innings this year? Raley's Deep Arsenal It all starts with his arsenal of pitches. While the league seems to be dominated by hard throwers, finesse pitchers still exist. Having a variety of pitches is usually one of the first ways that soft-tossers can meander their way through a lineup. Sure enough, Riley utlizes four different pitches as a reliever. His sweeper, which he uses 44% of the time, bites hard glove-side with plenty of horizontal movement. Opposing hitters have struggled to time it up, as they’ve hit just .196 with a .219 expected batting average against Raley’s primary offering. The sinker and cutter share time as his secondary pitch, being utilized at 22% and 21% of the time, respectively. They both dart in very different directions; the 37-year-old’s sinker glides around 18 inches to his arm-side, while the cutter has more of a sharp, bullet-like movement to it. His changeup has almost the same path as the sinker but buzzes in at 5.7 miles per hour slower (84.2). Raley fires out of a 32-degree arm angle which is considered a lower arm slot. That allows for more side-to-side movement on his breaking pitches. Mitigating Solid Contact While Raley’s strikeout rate is well above the league average, his bread and butter is generating weak contact. The cerebral lefty is allowing just a 29.5% hard-hit rate, or proportion of baseballs leaving the bat at 95 miles per hour or greater. He doesn’t generate a ton of ground balls, but the sharper launch angle doesn’t hurt him since opposing hitters aren’t piecing up his offerings. In effect, this is a pitcher who can beat you in multiple ways. Be it by soft contact or strikeout, Raley has insulated himself from the kind of damage that tends to ruin a reliever's ERA. A rather impressive feat for someone who barely touches 90 miles per hour, no? View full article

Image courtesy of © Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images If the present doesn't have much to offer, at least the New York Mets’ future looks bright, popping with up-and-coming talent who could have an impact on the big-league club soon. Left-handed pitching prospect Jonathan Santucci is no exception to the rule, as he’s been playing some of his best baseball lately. Let’s break down Santucci’s latest numbers and his long-term projection within the Mets organization. Jonathan Santucci's Updated Scouting Mets Scouting Report Santucci is a left-handed pitching prospect and rides in as the team’s ninth-ranked prospect per Grand Central Mets. The Mets called his name in the second round of the 2024 draft after the southpaw’s successful campaign with the Blue Devils. He entered the professional ranks just last season, working his way all the way up to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ roster by the middle of July. He dazzled with the team’s Double-A affiliate, spinning a 2.52 earned run average with a strikeout rate north of 32 percent down the home stretch of his season. Santucci's 2026 So Far While he may hold a losing record to start this season out, the Mets’ highly touted farmhand has looked sharp in his recent outings. In his most recent start on June 6, lefty spun a career-best 6.2 innings of one-run ball. He allowed just three hits, gave up a pair of free passes and fanned five on the evening. Santucci notably took a no-hitter into the sixth inning en route to his first win of the 2026 season. Over his last two starts, he’s allowed just a single earned run on six hits in 11.2 innings. Santucci has 10 punchouts to only three walks in that span. He also has allowed two earned runs or less in six of his last seven starts for Binghamton. Santucci's Strengths The lefty hurler’s slider leads the charge, as his glove-side-biting breaking pitch has a 60-grade on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. This is a two-plane breaking ball that tunnels very well off of his fastball, and he’s able to give hitters from both sides of the plate absolute fits with it. His four-seamer, a 55-grade heater which does a lot of the heavy-lifting to set up his slide piece, rides in between 92-95 miles per hour and can touch 97. Santucci releases the baseball from a high point and is able to get plenty of carry into the upper regions of the strike zone. While Santucci also possesses a changeup, it grades out around average, as he doesn’t lean on it a ton in-game. Santucci's Weaknesses Therein lies one of Santucci’s weakness. While the southpaw has fooled hitters with a slider and is currently sporting an impressive .219 batting average against over his first 170.1 innings of professional baseball, operating with a two-pitch arsenal can only get a pitcher so far. For somebody who plans on operating as a rotation piece (he’s started 34 of his 36 appearances), he’ll need more than a two-pitch combo to get through an order multiple times. Santucci also gets a case of the walks from time to time, as shown by his 50-grade control tool. He just recently escaped a stretch where he walked at least two hitters in four straight games, including a six-walk performance back on May 2. Overall, his stuff plays well enough for him to live in the strike zone and even get away with the occasional mistake. Now, it’s just about in-zone consistency for the rising lefty. Future Role With Mets What will Santucci’s role be, and when will he ultimately break into the big leagues? He’s tracking towards being a middle-of-the-rotation starter, especially considering that his slider has continued to serve as a true out-pitch even as he’s ascended up the minor-league ladder. The next question becomes which pitch, whether it’s a fledgling curveball or his changeup, will earn a more consistent spot in his arsenal. MLB Pipeline projects that Santucci will break into the big leagues by the end of the 2026 season, and his pitch variety could play a pivotal role in ensuring that comes true. View full article