Watch: New Mets Prospect Clifford Blasts HR in Brooklyn Debut
One of the players that the New York Mets acquired for pitcher Justin Verlander is already paying dividends in the Mets’ minor-league system.
Ryan Clifford, one of the two outfielders the Mets got for Verlander, went to the Mets’ High Class-A affiliate in Brooklyn and, in his first at-bat for the Cyclones, he hit a home run.
The home run came in the first inning with a runner on to give the Cyclones an early 3-0 lead, as they hung on to beat the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 6-3.
Clifford was one of the best power prospects in the Houston Astros’ system before the Mets made the deal. Clifford’s home run was his 19th of the season, and his 2-for-3 game — with two RBI and two runs — pushed his batting average to .276.
The Mets also got outfielder Drew Gilbert, who was the Astros’ No. 1 overall prospect. He has been assigned to Double-A Binghamton.
The Astros took Clifford in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Pro5 Academy in Apex, N.C. The Astros dropped him into their Florida Complex League rookie team and then quickly promoted him to Class-A Fayetteville. Combined, Clifford slashed .247/.426/.390/.816 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 25 games.
The Astros started Clifford at Fayetteville this spring, where he showed great improvement, slashing 337/.488/.457/.945 with two home runs and 15 RBI. But he found his power stroke with High Class-A Asheville, where he slashed .271/.356/.547/.903 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI.
Brooklyn continues its series with Jersey Shore on Friday.
