LAS VEGAS—For Mets minor leaguers, the last stop before the majors is a dilapidated ballpark 2,200 miles away from Citi Field. It is nestled along a row of abandoned lots and boarded up storefronts 5 miles north of the Las Vegas Strip, just past a motel sign that reads "Elvis Slept Here."

Cashman Field is the home of the Las Vegas 51s, the Mets' new Triple-A affiliate. And for a Northeast team whose rebuilding plan hinges on the development of its young pitchers, there is no worse place to be.

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