Mets Minor League Players of the Week: Week Twenty

Hitter of the Week

Andres Regnault

2019 Season: 40 G, 162 AB, .284/.316/.475, 46 H, 10 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 7 BB, 34 K, 0/2 SB, .315 BABIP

Week: 5 G, 23 AB, .304/.360/.522, 7 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB, .375 BABIP

Steve Sypa

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, 16-year-old Andres Regnault was not considered a highly regarded international prospect, and as such, he signed with the Mets a few weeks into the 2015-2016 international free agent signing period. He did not suit up professionally until 2016, when the Mets assigned him to their Dominican Summer League team. He appeared in 39 games and hit an underwhelming .132/.264/.160. The Mets had him stay in the Dominican Republic in 2017, and the 8-year-old hit an improved .270/.359/.383. Treating the young backstop very conservatively, the Mets kept Regnault in the Dominican Summer League for a third year in a row. Now 19-years-old, he hit .333/.420/.573, finishing seventh in the league in OPS.

The Mets could not ignore his success and brought him stateside for the 2019 season. Along with Francisco Alvarez and Wilfred Astudillo, Andres Regnault has split catching duties for the Kingsport Mets at roughly a 33% timeshare. In 40 games this season, he is hitting a robust .304/.360/.522. On the team, his batting average is second only to Alvarez, his slugging percentage is second only to Scott Ota, and his seven home runs are tied with Jaylen Palmer for most on the team. Through the week, he has a 12-game hitting streak, has successfully hit in 15 of the 17 games he played in August.

At the plate, Regnault stands slightly closed with his hands held high. Using a leg kick and a big hand load, Regnault is able to generate good bat speed and a decent amount of power. He has a fair eye and has been able to limit the strikeouts thus far in his career, but he does not walk at a particularly high rate.

Defensively, Regnault is the least defensive oriented of Kingsport’s three catchers. At 6’0”, 250-pounds, Regnault is considerably bigger than the 5’11”, 220-pound Alvarez and the 5’11”, 210-pound Astudillo. As such, he does not move as well behind the plate as the other two. While he does not excel at this aspect of catching, he has a strong, accurate arm.

Pitcher of the Week

Corey Oswalt

2019 Season: 14 G (14 GS), 75.2 IP, 76 H, 29 R, 24 ER (2.85 ERA), 11 BB, 70 K, .317 BABIP

Week: 1 G (1 GS), 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER (0.00 ERA), 0 BB, 3 K

MiLBTV

Drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Madison High School in San Diego, Corey Oswalt climbed up the Mets’ minor league ladder slowly but surely. After years of solid-if-unspectacular numbers, everything came together for the 6’5”, 250-pound right-hander in 2017. Assigned to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the 23-year-old was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, posting a 2.28 ERA in 134.1 innings pitched, allowing 118 hits, walking 40 walks, and striking out 119.

He was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas to start the 2018 season, and after only a pair of mediocre starts, was promoted to the Mets to make a spot start. He allowed a pair of runs over four-plus innings in his debut, and was optioned back down to the 51s shortly thereafter. Oswalt ended up bouncing up and down between Triple-A and the major leagues all year. In 52.1 innings with the 51s, he posted a 6.02 ERA, allowing 58 hits, walking 20, and striking out 52; in 64.2 innings with the Mets, he posted a 5.98 ERA, allowing 69 hits, walking 20, and striking out 45.

Oswalt began the season once again in Triple-A, and was the first arm to be called up when the Mets needed reinforcements. The right-hander made two appearances for the Mets early in the 2019 season, but seems to fallen out of favor in lieu of other arms, such as Chris Flexen, Drew Gagnon, and Chris Mazza. Since being optioned back down to Triple-A in late April, he has spent the entire season with Syracuse, save for pair of rehab assignments in mid-June with the Brooklyn Cyclones. In a season where the International League ERA has risen nearly an entire run as compared to the last few years thanks to the newly introduced “juiced ball”, Oswalt’s 2.85 ERA is second in the league among pitchers with 75 or more innings, behind only teammate Drew Gagnon.

Oswalt’s underwhelming stuff- a fastball that sits in the upper-80s-to-low-90s and fringy secondary offerings- have resulted in getting beaten up in his limited opportunities at the major league level and the organization seemingly having lost faith in him. While it is unlikely that the big right-hander is able to replicate the success he has had in Triple-A at the major league level, Oswalt has a track record of success this season and should be rewarded for it.

Past Players of the Week

Past Players of the Week

Week One (April 4-April 13): Travis Taijeron/Chris Flexen

Week Two (April 14-April 20): Ronny Mauricio/Harol Gonzalez

Week Three (April 21-April 27): Danny Espinosa/Anthony Kay

Week Four (April 28-May 4): Will Toffey/Tommy Wilson

Week Five (May 5-May 11): Carlos Gomez/Harol Gonzalez

Week Six (May 12-May 18): Patrick Mazeika/Anthony Kay

Week Seven (May 19-May 25): Mark Vientos/Anthony Kay

Week Eight (May 26-June 1): Travis Taijeron/Harol Gonzalez

Week Nine (June 2-June 8): N/A

Week Ten (June 9-June 15): Ronny Mauricio/Chris Mazza

Week Eleven (June 16-June 22): Dilson Herrera/Michel Otanez

Week Twelve:(June 23-June 29): Luke Ritter/Thomas Szapucki

Week Thirteen (June 30-July 6): Joe Genord/Kevin Smith

Week Fourteen (July 7-July 13): Hansel Moreno/Frank Valentino

Week Fifteen (July 14-July 20): Travis Taijeron/Daison Acosta

Week Sixteen (July 21-July 27): Arismendy Alcantara/Tommy Wilson

Week Seventeen (July 28-August 3): Sebastian Espino/Drew Gagnon

Week Eighteen (August 4-August 10): Rene Rivera/Drew Gagnon

Week Nineteen (August 11- August 17): Dilson Herrera/Mickey Jannis