Minor League Mondays: Ryan Clifford Warming Up For Binghamton

It has been nearly two years since the New York Mets blew up their 2023 team and restocked their farm system with intriguing prospects. One of those players, LuisAngel Acuna, is contributing to the big league club while the Mets await the big league debuts of the two outfielders they acquired in the Justin Verlander trade with Houston. While Drew Gilbert is closer to the bigs at AAA Syracuse, this week's edition of Minor League Mondays will focus on the other player the Mets got in that deal, Ryan Clifford.

Ryan Clifford hit five home runs for AA Binghamton in the month of May.

Clifford, 21, was regarded as the player with the higher ceiling that the Mets got from the Astros for Verlander. Houston took Clifford in the 11th round of the 2022 draft but paid him second-round slot money to get Clifford to forego a commitment to Vanderbilt. That decision paid for the Astros as Clifford showed off prodigious power in the lower levels of the minors, making him an intriguing chip to use when they decided to deal with the Mets to bring Verlander back for a postseason push.

The Mets assigned Clifford to High-A St. Lucie when they acquired him, and he repeated the level to begin 2024. Despite poor power numbers on Coney Island, the Mets moved Clifford up to AA Binghamton to finish the year, where he didn't hit for a high average (.231) but showed more power with 18 home runs, 58 RBI and an .815 OPS.

Since Clifford is just 21 years old, the Mets opted to have him repeat the AA level to begin 2025. April was again a poor month for Clifford, who hit only .200 with three homers and 9 RBI, but he started to heat up in May, batting .267 with five home runs, 20 RBI and an .843 OPS in 90 at bats.

Perhaps the slow starts are a feature of Clifford's game, who certainly wouldn't be the first player to take a bit to get going in a season. 2024 was a positive year for Clifford overall, as his wRC+ production of 133 made him one of just three hitters aged 20 or younger to do that against AA competion, with the others being two of the elite prospects in baseball (Boston's Roman Anthony and Baltimore's Samuel Basallo).

There are some issues with Clifford's offensive game, however, as he is a bit too much of a three true outcomes guy than you would like. The power potential with Clifford is off the charts, but he has demonstrated issues recognizing breaking pitches throughout his minor league career, which is a problem he will need to correct to progress further in the Mets' farm system. The defensive fit also isn't the cleanest for Clifford, who has the arm to play all three outfield positions but possesses below average speed. The Mets have had Clifford work primarily at first base, which is occupied by Pete Alonso for now, but if the Polar Bear leaves this winter there would be a window for Clifford to reach the majors there in the next year or two.

Scouts still think that Clifford, who is currently the Mets' fifth-best prospect according to MLB.com, has the potential to be a significant contributor at the big league level. Time is on Clifford's side since he is only 21 years old and contributing at AA, which is a positive sign for his chances of eventually making it to Flushing.

If Clifford can build on his strong May and keep hitting well, there is a good chance he will end up at AAA Syracuse by the end of the summer. There is a lot of variance with his potential impact on the Mets, however, due to the team's potential to keep Alonso after this year, which would presumably block first base for the short-term and make the DH slot Clifford's path to the majors.

That spot could work as a placeholder if the Mets want to eventually consider a platoon there between Clifford and Mark Vientos, who has gotten more DH reps of late, but it is also worth noting that Clifford was not acquired by current President of Baseball Operations David Stearns. As such, Clifford could be someone the Mets are willing to move in a potential trade in order to address a more pressing need on the current team, which is viewing itself as a World Series contender in win-now mode.

This summer will be very important for Clifford, who wants to make a good impression on the Mets but could be auditioning for an opportunity in another organization if that team values his potential. Either way, Clifford is a player Mets' fans should be keeping an eye on throughout the summer.