Triple-A Syracuse Mets' MVPs Named, But Can They Help The Big Club?

Teamwise, the 2026 season for the Syracuse Mets, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, can probably be labeled a success.

After Syracuse went 38-37 in the first half of the International League season to finish nine games behind East Division first-half champion Rochester (Washington Nationals affiliate), the Mets hit the afterburners over the final two months of the season, going a combined 30-14.

That, unfortunately, left them 1.5 games behind Rochester in the second-half standings and just outside of the playoff picture. Still, their 81-68 combined record tied them for second overall in the IL East with Charlotte (Chicago White Sox affiliate).

So, while the season can be termed a success from a team standpoint, the second measure of any minor-league team's performance is if it is producing any players that can help the major-league parent club.

From that perspective, at least according to one outlet, the results might not be encouraging.

On Oct. 9, Steve Sypa, writing for Amazin' Avenue, listed his 2026 hitting MVP and pitching Cy Young for Syracuse.

At the plate, the writer chose outfielder/designated hitter M.J. Melendez, citing his .264 average, .965 OPS, 22 home runs, 22 doubles and 48 RBIs over 75 games. Melendez's name should be familiar to Mets' fans as he rode the Syracuse-Queens shuttle a couple times in 2026.

In 56 games with New York, Melendez batted .192 over 144 at-bats with four homers and 11 RBIs with the majority of his appearances at DH. On Aug. 2, he was designated for assignment and outrighted to Syracuse.

Even Sypa was forced to admit that Melendez, who spent the 2022-25 seasons with the Kansas City Royals before signing with the Mets, "seems like the definition of a Quad-A player."

The writer's choice for runnerup MVP - second baseman Yonny Hernandez - appears to have even less of a chance to help the Mets in the future, especially since he was released by Syracuse on July 22. For what it's worth, Hernandez did hit .302 with a .779 OPS in 74 games, but that obviously was not enough for the Mets to keep him around.

On the mound, Xzavian Curry was the choice for Syracuse Cy Young thanks to a 3-0 record with a 3.36 ERA in 14 starts and 16 overall appearances that covered 72.1 total innings.

Similarly to Melendez, though, Curry was also a frequent rider on the Syracuse-Queens shuttle. He appeared in nine games for the major-league Mets, starting one, and finished with an 0-1 record and 5.48 ERA over 21.1 innings pitched.

Then, again like Melendez, he was DFA'ed on Sept. 23 and when he went unclaimed he was outrighted in a procedural move to the Florida Gulf Coast League Mets on Sept. 25.

Even Sypa's opinion of Curry's future value was lukewarm at best: "I’d bring Curry back on a minor league contract next season just to see if we might possibly figure out how" to make him a major-league pitcher.

The writer's Cy Young runnerup finally offers some hope for the future as right-handed starter Jonah Tong got the nod. Tong may actually be a frontrunner to earn a spot in the 2027 Mets' rotation.

Granted, the Syracuse roster, in addition to Tong, does have some players who the Mets are hoping will be positive contributors in the near-future. Jonathan Santucci, Jack Wenninger and Ryan Lambert have shown promise on the mound, with Santucci capping a breakout season in which he led all of the minor leagues in strikeouts (163) and was named a Double-A Eastern League All-Star for his work before being promoted to Syracuse.

At the plate, however, the pickings are a little slimmer. Syracuse first baseman Ryan Clifford was second on the team with 18 home runs, though he hit just .180. Shortstop Ronny Mauricio also had 18 HRs and still has immense potential with a couple cups of coffee in Queens under his belt, but he can't stay healthy. Other names that might bear watching include shortstop Zack Short, catcher Kevin Parada and centerfielder Nick Morabito.