What Carlos Mendoza hear about Luisangel AcuñaProgress this season with Triple-A Syracuse?
The 22-year-old midfielder and outfielder – who is the Mets’ No. 6 prospect in the midseason rankings of top 30 prospects by SNY Joe De Mayo – “He continues to play well,” said Mendoza.
“He continues to develop,” Mendoza said of Acuña, who entered Sunday slashing .263/.316/.366 with five home runs and 31 RBI in 80 games this season. “The way he’s impacting the baseball and moving around the field defensively — he’s playing second base, playing shortstop, playing center field. So having that kind of versatility, someone who can play in the middle, is important. the way he’s controlling the strike zone…he wants to be in the lineup. He plays with joy. All we’re getting now from the Triple-A team is that everything is great with him.
After the Mets acquired Acuña last July Max Scherzer Trading to the Texas Rangers, Acuña slashed .243/.317/.304 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 37 games with Double-A Binghamton.
Before the deal, in 84 games with the Rangers’ Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, Acuña slashed .315/.377/.453 while adding seven home runs and 51 RBI.
What the Mets want to see from Acuña, which is a potential candidate for a promotion?
For Mendoza, the room for improvement is simple.
“Controlling the strike zone, attacking,” Mendoza said. “That’s basically the most important thing for him, making sure he makes good swing decisions and doesn’t chase too much.
