Rumbling Pony: Ritter goes deep three times

For Mets prospect Luke Ritter, home runs have been like clockwork. He has hit 11 in his last 15 games for Double-A Binghamton, culminating in a three-dinger performance in Sunday’s 8-6 win over the Reading Fightin Phils.

These particular home runs were hit in counter-clockwise fashion. He kicked off his night in the first inning with a two-run shot that bounced off of the Redner’s Event Center beyond the right-field fence. Ritter added a solo tater that made contact with a light pole in left center in the third and he capped off his performance with a long ball to left in the next frame.

It was the first three-homer performance of Ritter’s professional career.

The 26-year-old infielder has been swinging a hot bat as of late, so it was just a matter of time. Ritter is slashing .342/.432/.974 with a 1.406 OPS in June. It's is a marked improvement from last month when he batted .202 in 84 at-bats, albeit with six homers.

On the back of this productive month, Ritter has already matched last season's home run total of 15 in just 167 at-bats, a feat that took him 457 at-bats in 2022. His first roundtripper this year came with Triple-A Syracuse, but he was assigned to Double-A on May 2 and has gone yard 14 times since, good for third in the Eastern League.

In the slugging category, he finds himself in good company; he is in third at .568 behind ranked prospects baseball's No. 83 prospect Colt Keith (Tigers) and No. 49 Heston Kjerstad (Orioles).