Clifford is slashing .231/.359/.456 with 18 home runs, a 15.6 percent walk rate and a 28.9 percent strikeout rate in 98 games for Double-A Binghamton.
Power and patience are Clifford's top traits, but his lefty power was largely suppressed by the pitcher-friendly dimensions of the High-A Brooklyn park, as he managed just seven homers in 63 games with the Cyclones dating back to 2023. His pop has been on full display at Double-A however, as his .225 ISO is the third-highest mark among all qualified Double-A hitters. Clifford is the fifth-youngest qualified hitter at Double-A, and he projects to do enough damage to at least occupy the strong side of a first base or designated-hitter platoon for the big club in a couple years.
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Mets' Ryan Clifford: Elevated to Double-A
Rotowire
The Mets promoted Clifford from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton on Monday.
Clifford hit just .216 and posted unremarkable counting stats over his 31 games with Brooklyn (one home run, one stolen base, 13 runs and 10 RBI), but he earned the bump up to Double-A largely on the back of his discerning eye at the plate. He drew walks at a prolific 23.9 percent clip with Brooklyn, enabling him to maintain a .412 on-base percentage across 136 plate appearances. Racking up free passes has been a hallmark of Clifford's statistical profile at every stop of his professional career, but since he's limited defensively to first base and the corner outfield, he'll likely need to tap into more power at the upper levels of the minors to improve his long-term fantasy outlook by the time he hits the big leagues.
Clifford was traded from the Astros to the Mets on Tuesday along with Drew Gilbert in exchange for Justin Verlander, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
The Mets landed quite the haul for Verlander, as Gilbert was the Astros' top prospect and Clifford is much more than a throw-in. Clifford is a bat-first prospect who has played first base, right field and left field while with High-A Asheville. The lefty hitter was given a $1.26 million bonus after Houston selected him in the 11th round of last year's draft. All told, he has slashed .288/.396/.516 with 18 home runs and a 24 percent strikeout rate in 371 plate appearances between Single-A and High-A.
The Astros promoted Clifford from Single-A Fayetteville to High-A Asheville on Tuesday.
He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first game in the South Atlantic League. Clifford, who received $1.26 million -- way over slot -- after the Astros selected him in the 11th round of last year's draft, hit .337 with two home runs, three steals and a 27:25 K:BB in 25 games at Single-A before getting the promotion. A bat-first player, Clifford has seen time at first base, designated hitter, right field and left field. Asheville is an incredibly hitter-friendly home park, but Clifford is now one of the youngest players (turns 20 in July) at High-A, so a strong statistical showing at this level would still be impressive despite the advantageous offensive environment.
