Vidal Brujan
Week: 6 G, 23 AB, .391/.500/.696, 9 H, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 6 K, 1/2 SB (Triple-A)
2026 Season: 60 G, 198 AB, .268/.381/.399, 53 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 33 BB, 39 K, 15/20 SB, .318 BABIP (Triple-A) / 9 G, 11 AB, .091/.167/.091, 1 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, 0/1 SB, .100 BABIP (MLB)
Had the McNeil Rule not been activated, MJ Melendez would be our Hitter of the Week. He hit .381/.519/1.000 with four homers this week and has been on an absolute tear over the last couple of weeks. Since August 1st,
he is hitting .301/.368/.707 in 33 games with 12 doubles, 1 triple, and 12 home runs. Because Melendez is not eligible, Vidal Brujan is instead the Hitter of the Week.
The Mets traded for the veteran back in January, sending cash to the Minnesota Twins to complete the exchange. Not that he had much of a chance making the big league club, but he performed poorly in spring training, making it moot, and was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. He ended up spending only a few weeks there before the Mets called him up to Queens, as Ronny Mauricio hit the injured list with a broken thumb at the beginning of May, joining Francisco Lindor.
Brujan did not play much, and when he did, his stats were unimpressive. A former top prospect in the Rays’ minor league system around the beginning of the decade, the same thing happened every time Tampa Bay gave him an opportunity. They eventually gave up on him, leading to a trade in November 2023 to the Miami Marlins. Almost a year later, the Marlins traded him to the Chicago Cubs for cash. He didn’t last the season with Chicago and was claimed by the Braves on waivers that August. Designated for assignment by Atlanta in January, he was claimed by the Minnesota Twins. Designated for assignment by them a week after being claimed, he was finally traded to the Mets for cash.
A light-hitting utility infielder, it is hard to imagine too many scenarios where the Mets would be in need of his services in 2027 at the major league level. He has performed fairly enough in Syracuse, and if he were re-signed and re-assigned there in the future, I’d have no problems with it, but at the same time, if he was signed elsewhere, I would lose no sleep over it.
Jonathan Santucci
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (Triple-A)
2026 Season: 19 G (19 GS), 68 H, 42 R, 36 ER (3.57 ERA), 45 BB, 120 K, .314 BABIP (Double-A) / 7 G (7 GS), 29.0 IP, 31 H, 19 R, 17 ER (5.28 ERA), 18 BB, 37 K, .351 BABIP (Triple-A)
Now that the Single-A seasons are over, our player pool has decreased by 50%. As such, with only pitching performances from the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Syracuse Mets to choose from, and of those two teams, Jonathan Santucci had the best week. In past weeks, Santucci’s performance might not have passed muster to be Pitcher of the Week, but here we are.
The left-hander really struggled after being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse at the beginning of August. In his first four starts, he posted a 7.71 ERA in 14.0 innings, allowing 16 hits, walking 16, and striking out 18. He seems to have settled down and adapted a bit, posting a 3.00 ERA over his next three starts, allowing 15 hits, walking 2, and striking out 19 over those 15.0 innings. The drop in his walk rate stands out the most, shrinking the free passes he issued eightfold, from 16 to 2. Seemingly, a biproduct of issuing fewer free passes and throwing in the zone more, Santucci’s home run rate has increased over this “good” streak, allowing four homers in those 15.0 innings as opposed to the 1 that he allowed during his “bad” string of starts. Hopefully, that does not continue and become a trend.
With four Pitcher of the Week wins, the McNeil Rule is being activated. Santucci is the second player to have the McNeil Rule activated this season, and the first pitcher. He is the first pitcher to be McNeil’ed since Jonah Tong in Week Eleven of the 2025 season (June 3-June 8) and the first left-handed pitcher since Zach Thoronton a few weeks earlier in Week Nine (May 20-May 25).
