213 Miles From Shea

Mets faithful, we are midway through the longest spring blackout period! Monday the Mets had the day off. Tuesday the Mets took on Nicaragua in a WBC tune up game with no TV or radio coverage. Today the Mets take on Israel with no coverage. Tomorrow the Mets head to the Nationals who will carry game on their television and radio station. The Mets won’t televise a game until Sunday, a full week after their last broadcast. This is quite the stretch without the Mets.

What we’re missing is live-ish coverage today of Nolan McLean on the backfields. Nolan McLean is still in Mets camp after developing vertigo-like symptoms and is set to have another tune up start before heading off to Team USA to take on Italy on March 10th. He was originally slated to start USA’s exhibition game today. While Nolan McLean is starting on the backfields, David Peterson will make his spring (but not Grapefruit League) debut this afternoon!.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. David Peterson. Peterson was crucial member of the 2024 Mets rotation putting up a 2.9 bWAR in just 121 innings with a 136 ERA+. Last season he was an All-Star with a 1.4 bWAR, 4.22 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.370 WHIP and a 95 ERA+ over 168 2/3 innings. It was a tale of two seasons for Peterson in 2025. In the first half of the season he tossed 109 innings over 18 starts with a 3.06 ERA. In the second half he tossed just 59 2/3 innings over 12 starts with a 6.34 ERA. His ERA jumped from 1.239 to 1.609. If the Mets get the first half 2025 Peterson again this season, they can be a really dangerous team.
2. Adbert Alzolay. In 2023 Azolay pitched 64 innings with the Cubs over 58 games with a 2.67 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.016 WHIP and a 160 ERA+. His next season was cut short due to injury and then the Mets signed him before the start of the 2025 season to a two-year minor league deal, with an eye on this season. So far this spring he has allowed one run from three hits while striking out one batter over two innings. He could be an x-factor signing for the Mets out of the bullpen this year.
3. Backup Catcher Competition. The Mets catcher situation is fairly set with Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens taking on most of the catching duty. The Mets have had some moments over the last few years that required them to go deeper on their depth chart (who can forget the heroics of Patrick Mazeika and Hayden Senger). So they have a few more faces in camp. Ben Rorvedt is on the 40-man roster now with Senger. Senger this spring is 2-for-11 with a home run and two runs scored. Not on the roster are prospects Kevin Parada, Chris Suero and today’s DH – Austin Barnes. The long time Dodger is having a strong spring so far going 4-for-8 at the plate with three doubles and a walk (.500/.556/.875). Something to keep an eye on as camp continues.

Let’s Go Mets!

The World Baseball Classic is upon us! Participating countries are playing a couple of exhibition games this week before the tournament kicks off for real. First up for the Mets is Nicaragua, led by Mark Vientos!

For the Mets, today is just business as usual as players are continuing to get their reps in after a day off of Monday. The Mets made their first round of roster moves on Monday, optioning Alex Carrillo to Syracuse and assigning two players (Anderson Severino and Matt Turner) to minor league camp. Believe it or not, there are only 19 more days until the last spring training game!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jonah Tong. Tong allowed three runs over 2 2/3 innings in his start from three hits while striking out two batters. He also debuted his new cutter. Tong tossed his new cutter 18 times out of 50 pitches. It’s clear he’s trying things out right now, so the results are not as important right now. What percentage of his pitches will be cutters today?
2. Mark Vientos. The Nicaragua team is anchored by Mark Vientos! Vientos had a terrific year in 2024 putting up a 3.1 bWAR slashing .266/.322/.516 with a 134 OPS+. Last year he dropped to a 97 ERA+. This season Mark Vientos and Brett Baty face a crowded roster to get playing time. He hasn’t gotten off to the best start this spring, going 1-for-13 with a double. Being one of the more established players on the Nicaraguan team, he should get a lot of playing time over the next couple of weeks.
3. Jorge Polanco. Polanco makes his spring debut at DH. Signed to replace Pete Alonso, Polanco is coming off a solid season with a 2.6 bWAR while slashing .265/.326/.495 and a 134 OPS+. He has a career 112 OPS+ and 20+ HR power potential.

Let’s Go Mets!

Mets camp is starting to get a bit lighter, but not because of cuts!

The World Baseball Classic starts this week and participating teams are starting their workouts with exhibition games happening Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The Mets have about 16 players departing camp including today’s starter, Clay Holmes.

With that many players departing the team for at least the next week or so, the Mets will have a lot more spots for players fighting for roster spots to get more significant playing time. We see it a bit today with almost every player* fighting for the right field spot, except for Brett Baty, getting a start.

*MJ Melendez is playing for Puerto Rico starting this week, and won’t be in Mets camp.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Clay Holmes. After today Holmes will head off to join Team USA with Nolan McLean. Ace pitchers Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal have made public commitments about limiting the amount they are willing to pitch in the WBC. If team USA goes far, this increases the chances for Holmes to get more reps. Potentially this is a good thing for Holmes. The Mets have to face the Nationals and Marlins a lot in spring training. It’s not a bad thing to get Holmes more reps against major league quality hitting that are on different teams. Holmes went deep in his first start of spring, pitching 3 2/3 innings allowing two runs off of one hit and two walks while striking out three.
2. Right Field Competition Check In. Carson Benge, Mike Tauchman, Cristian Pache and Tyrone Taylor are all getting the start today. Benge has gotten off to a very hot start this spring going 4-for-10 with a stolen base and two runs scored. He has only struck out twice. Cristian Pache has been major surprise going 7-for-10 with a double and a home run (.700/.700/1.100). Everyone involved is doing everything they have to do to prove they should be starting right fielder.
3. Jack Wenninger. Wenninger is scheduled to get his second spring training outing this afternoon. He did well in his first game, scattering two hits and two walks over two innings while striking out three. Wenninger is part of the next group of Mets starting pitching prospects behind Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong.

Let’s Go Mets!

If you were watching Nick Burdi’s second outing this spring on Saturday, 2/28, you heard Steve Gelbs go over Burdi’s injury history. He’s had two tommy john procedures and one procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome. Burdi keeps pushing through the tough times, and is hoping to make the Mets at some point this season.

Burdi was drafted twice by the Minnesota Twins. First in 2011 (11th round) and then again in 2014 (2nd round) after he went to the University of Louisville. The Twins left him unprotected in the 2017 Rule 5 draft, where the Phillies selected him and then traded him to the Pirates. He would later make his major debut with the Pirates that season and stayed with the Pirates for a few seasons, getting 12 1/3 innings over 16 games with a 9.49 ERA.

Burdi showed promise for the Yankees in 2024 where he pitched in 12 games, totaling 9 2/3 innings with a 1.86 ERA, 5.44 FIP, 1.448 WHIP and a 224 ERA+. He earned a spot in the bullpen in spring training and with the team until a hip injury derailed his season in late May. In 2024 Burdi’s high-90’s fastball was good for the 94th percentile in the league. He had a small-sample size year, but his xBA of .158 and average exit velocity of 84 mph would have been in the top of the league if he tossed enough innings to qualify.

Over two outings this spring Burdi has allowed two runs from two hits, including a home run, while striking out one batter. All of the runs came in his first outing and his second outing was quite calm. It’s difficult to see a scenario right now where Burdi makes the Mets team out of spring training without either injuries to other players (or Burdi just goes on an incredible run for rest of the month). If Burdi can stay healthy, the Mets will probably call him up at some point this season. If he’s like his 2024 self, he could become one of those NRI signings we talk about every spring when evaluating players.

Going into spring training games on Friday, the Mets had a +1 run differential. Then the Mets beat the Cardinals 14-3. Spring win/loss records and run differentials don’t mean a ton, but its better to put up a lot of runs, and not allow a lot of runs than the alternative.

Things feel good after Friday’s game! Freddy Peralta had a dominant three inning start allowing no runs and not hits. The team went 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position. MJ Melendez hit two homers. AJ Ewing went 2-for-2 with a home run and now has a 1.611 OPS in spring. Pache went 3-3 on the day on his journey back to the majors. The team stole three bases. The only blemish was Devin Williams allowing a solo homer in his Mets spring debut. Good vibes all around, hopefully they continue this afternoon.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Right Field Competition. Things are heating up to see who will be the Mets right fielder on opening day. Mike Tauchman got the week started hitting a three-run bomb in his first at bat with the Mets. On Thursday Carson Benge went 3-for-3 and yesterday he went 1-for-2 with a stolen base (.400 BA, .855 OPS). MJ Melendez hit two home runs yesterday and became the first Mets hitter to have hit more than one home run this spring. In addition to Mike Tauchman getting the start today, Brett Baty will also make his first start of spring (albeit at first base). Going into spring, before the Melendez/Tauchman signings, Baty was most likely going to be the right fielder if Benge wasn’t ready yet.
2. Francisco Alvarez behind the plate. Alvarez finally gets his first start behind the plate. The Mets announced that they were going to ease their catcher into games this spring, and that is exactly what they, having him DH earlier this week (0-for-2, K). Alvarez enters camp lighter, after changing his diet in the offseason. The Mets are hoping the young catcher can put a full healthy season together. He has dealt with multiple hand injuries over the last few seasons and had surgery at the end of 2025 to repair a ligament in his right thumb. We are just glad to see him back on the field!
3. Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel was listed yesterday to make his debut this afternoon at Clover Park. Kimbrel is looking to pitch in his 17th major league season after pitching 12 innings over 14 games between the Braves and Astros last season (2.25 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.417 WHIP, 197 ERA+). In his last full season (2024, Baltimore) Kimbrel had a 5.33 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.357 WHIP, and a 73 ERA+ over 52 1/3 innings. He’s in camp on a minor league contract, so the Mets will have create space for him first on the 40-man for Kimbrel to even have a chance make the team.

Let’s Go Mets!

It’s been a busy week for the Mets. We had Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean’s first starts of spring. We’ve seen the first spring training home runs from Marcus Semien and Ronny Mauricio. There has been a lot to be excited about.

That all continues today as two critical players for the 2026 Mets make their spring training debuts. The Mets entered the off season needing a front line starter and a star closer. Devin Williams, while not the first choice for the latter, looks to bounce back and return to his former self as the Mets new closer. Freddy Peralta was the playoff contending move the Mets desperately needed to make. It’s a great day!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Freddy Peralta. The Mets have been searching for an established, major league ace to anchor the rotation for the last couple of seasons, and they finally got one in Freddy Peralta. Peralta is coming off of his best season in the majors where he had a 5.5 bWAR with a 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and a 154 ERA+ over 176 2/3 innings. Today he finally makes his Grapefruit League Mets debut!
2. Devin Williams. Williams’ Mets journey starts today! The Mets were hoping to have Devin Williams and Edwin Díaz in the back of the bullpen this year, alas that wasn’t meant to be. Williams is coming off of a down year with the Yankees where he has a -0.3 bWAR over 62 innings with a 4.79 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 1.129 WHIP and an 85 ERA over 62 innings. It was a major departure from his six years with the Brewers where he had an 1.83 ERA, 2.39 FIP, 1.023 WHIP and 231 ERA+. The Mets are hoping that is the version of Devin Williams closing out games in the 9th inning this season.
3. Homeruns. Save some home runs for the regular season! The Mets enter play today tied with the Royals for fifth in MLB with nine homeruns this spring. The Yankees are running away with 15 homers, followed by the Diamondbacks and Rockies who each have 12. The power on the Mets has come from regular, major league players and minor league players. Yesterday Marcus Semien and Tyrone Taylor hit homers off of Tatsuya Imai. The day before that Mike Tauchman and Ronny Mauricio hit home runs in the first inning. All nine home runs have come from nine different players too!

Let’s Go Mets!

It’s Nolan McLean Day! And if you’re an Astros fan, it’s Tatsuya Imai Day!

Nolan McLean was a sensation when he got called up to the Mets last season. Over eight starts he pitched 48 innings with a 2.06 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 1.042 WHIP and a 196 ERA+. He had 10.7 K/9 and somehow received enough Rookie of the Year votes to finish 11, despite only playing for less than two months.

This will probably the only Nolan McLean start before he reports to Team USA workouts for the WBC, so let’s enjoy today!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Nolan McLean. Nolan is the story of the day. Heading into spring training 2025 eh was the #99 prospect in baseball by Baseball America and #74 by Baseball Prospectus. This season he is the #8 prospect by Baseball America, #4 by Baseball Prospectus and #6 by MLB Pipeline. He is one of the most exciting players on the Mets right now and the Mets success this season is tied to his development.
2. Tatsuya Imai. Imai makes his grapefruit league debut today, facing an opposing major league baseball team for the first time. Imai signed a three year contract with the Astros with opt-outs after the first two seasons. Last season Imai had a 1.92 ERA over 163 2/3 innings for Seibu. He has a high-90’s fastball and an intriguing slider.
3. Battle For Right Field. MJ Melendez and Mike Tauchman are both starting today and are both battling to be the Mets Opening Day right fielder (along with Brett Baty and Carson Benge). MJ Melendez has gone 1-for-5 at the plate so far with a double. Mike Tauchman has gone 1-for-2 at the plate with a towering three-run home run. This is going to be a position battle that will go throughout the entire spring.

Let’s Go Mets!

Kevin Herget returns to the Mets! The right handed, New Jersey native was drafted by the Cardinals back in 2013 out of Kean University. He would eventually make his major league debut with the Rays in 2022 when he was 31 years old. Since then he has pitched the Reds, Brewers, Mets, Braves and then back to the Mets.

Herget pitched 12 innings for the Mets last season over six games allowing five runs, four earned from 11 hits and three walks. He struck six batters and had a 3.00 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 1.167 WHIP and a 138 ERA+. His Statcast metrics were intriguing even in a small-sample size. Herget didn’t fool anyone, hitters chased him 25.5% and whiffed only 12.5% of the time (below 10th percentile). The average exit velocity though on his pitches was 87.2 mph, which would be around 90th percentile. It looks like no one even hit a barrel off of him last season.

Most of Herget’s innings last year came in four outings from late August through September after a terrific campaign with Syracuse. Over 23 games he had pitched 32 innings with a 2.81 ERA and 1.125 WHIP. This was better than his 14 2/3 innings with Gwinnett in the Braves system last year where he had a 3.68 ERA and a 1.295 WHIP.

Last season Herget used his low-90’s four seamer 44% of the time, and low-80’s changeup 36.6% of the time. He also had a cutter that worked in a bit and a curveball he litterally tossed twice. Hitters had .211 batting average against his fastball, but his xBA was .298. The results on his changeup (.227 BA) were closer to their expected value (.231).

Herget is probably not going to win a job with the Mets bullpen straight out of spring training. His role is the same as last year – he’s available when the Mets need a veteran arm to fill a gap. Herget was that pitcher for the Mets from late August through the rest of the season, saving the bullpen by throwing multiple innings in a game three times in his final four appearances.

Death. Taxes. Playing the Marlins, Astros, Cardinals and Nationals in spring training.

The Mets have already played the Marlins and the Astros and will play their first of six spring games against the Cardinals this afternoon at Clover Park. For those who like to look ahead, the Mets will play the Astros again tomorrow followed by the Cardinals again on Friday. There’s nothing quite like spring training on the east coast of Florida.

The Mets are coming off of tied baseball game where they used 10 (!) different pitchers over 10 innings. The Mets were in cruise control early thanks to a first inning, 3-run home run from Mike Tauchman who is trying to break camp on the Mets roster as their starting right fielder. Ronny Mauricio hit an absolute tank in the first to make 4-0. Duarte ran into some problems in the 7th leading to three runs and the eventual Astros come back to tie the game.

After the game the Mets announced starting pitchers for the rest of the week with Jonah Tong going today, Nolan McLean tomorrow and Freddy Peralta making his Mets Grapefruit League debut on Friday. It’s going to be a fun week!

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jack Wenninger’s Best Friend. Jonah Tong, best friends with yesterday’s starter Jack Wenninger, makes his 2026 spring debut this afternoon. Tong cruised through Binghamton in 2026 with a 1.59 ERA over 102 innings. He didn’t allow any runs in two starts (11 2/3 innings) in Syracuse. The Mets rushed him up to the majors and there were some growing pains. Over five starts, 18 2/3 innings, he allowed 20 runs, 16 earned. (7.71 ERA). On the positive side, he struck out 22 batters and had a 4.31 FIP. One of the questions in camp right now is where will Tong start the season? In Syracuse or the major league rotation?
2. Challenges. In both televised games on SNY this year, Gary Cohen has mentioned that Carlos Mendoza wants the Mets to be aggressive with challenges. Luis Torrens yesterday was certainly aggressive and challenged two balls that were fairly far off of the plate. He took both challenges while catching. Let’s see how the Mets handle their challenges today.
3. Cristian Pache. There was a time where Pache was one of the highest ranked prospects in baseball. He’s now trying to make a comeback with the New York Mets after a season where he spent time with the Phillies, Orioles and Marlins. Across the three teams he got 183 PA’s and hit .200/.273/.279 with a 54 OPS+. He’s been crushing it early this spring with three hits in his first two games including a homer.

Let’s Go Mets!

Mike Baumann has traveled a lot. He made his major league debut with the Orioles in 2021 things were going along well. Over parts of four seasons Baumann pitched 127 1/3 innings over 94 games with a 4.45 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.437 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. He was solid, major league pitcher getting a lot of work with the club that drafted him.

Then 2024 happened. The Orioles traded him to Seattle in May. Then the Giants purchased his contract. He pitched one game with them and ended up with the Angels. He pitched 10 games with them and then ended up on the Marlins. Five different organizations in one season.

After all that chaos he went to Japan for a season and pitched 26 innings over 27 games for Yakult with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.577 WHIP. Now he’s back state side trying to break onto the Mets roster.

When Baumann last pitched in the major leagues he had a mid-to-high 90’s fastball that was in the 87th percentile for velocity. His extension was in the 71st percentile. Usually this is a combination for success, but not in 2024. He had a 4.71 xERA (18th percentile) and was only getting hitters to chase 27% of the time (29th percentile). Hitters were barreling up on him 9.2% of the time (21st percentile) and hitting the ball hard 43.7% of the time (12th percentile).

Baumann used his fastball 40.6% of the time in 2024 and leaned on his knuckle curve 33.5% of the time. He would change things up with his low-90’s slider 23.9% of the time and occasionally mix in a changeup and a sinker.

Baumann has a lot of different pitches in his arsenal. Let’s watch this spring how the Mets pitching lab makes adjustments. He made his debut against the Yankees on 2/22 and pitched a scoreless inning allowing one hit and striking out one batter. He has a lot of competition between getting on the 40-man roster and then on the active roster, but the Mets did use 46 pitchers last season.