The New York Mets‘ fire sale at the MLB trade deadline has seen one return piece flourish since joining the organization.
Billy Amick, 23, who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for reliever A.J. Minter, is already ascending through New York’s farm system.
In his first game with Double-A Binghamton on Aug. 1, Amick wasted no time making an impact, going 2-for-3 with a single and a two-run home run. Following that great first impression, he just kept on hitting with the Rumble Ponies.
Across 12 games at Double-A, Amick slashed .304/.396/.783 with seven home runs and 22 RBI, with five of those long balls coming over a five-game stretch. Amick’s immediate production earned him a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 17.
However, Amick has struggled to adjust to Triple-A pitching so far. Before Wednesday’s game, he was slashing just .095/.174/.286 with a home run and two RBI over six games with Triple-A Syracuse. Amick’s swing-and-miss tendencies were glaring, as he recorded 11 strikeouts compared to just one walk.
Yet despite the slow start, Amick looked like the home run machine he was at Double-A on Wednesday, hitting two home runs and a single with three RBI and zero strikeouts in Syracuse’s 11-1 victory.
That performance boosted Amick’s batting average to .192 through his first seven games at Triple-A. While that mark offers room for improvement, his .827 OPS and three home runs suggest that the power is present, just not as consistently.
In 105 total games across the Twins’ and Mets’ organizations this season, Amick is slashing .226/.339/.525 with 33 home runs and 99 RBI. The power is undeniable, yet the strikeout numbers remain high, as Amick has recorded 138 strikeouts and owns a strikeout rate just shy of 30 percent.
Within the Mets organization specifically, Amick is slashing .264/.346/.708 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI in 19 games. He has also recorded 30 strikeouts against seven walks.
If Amick can maintain his elite power and raise his average while reducing the number of strikeouts, a spring training invite next season may not be far-fetched.
His ability to play both third base and first base could also be an asset. Amick has had ample playing time at both positions this season, with 49 games at third and 40 games at first.
But for now, the priority for Amick is to build off Wednesday’s great game and prove himself as a premier power-hitting prospect for the Mets.
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