213 Miles From Shea

Josh Walker is the third lefty reliever we are profiling in this year’s Non-Roster Invitee series. He’s one year older than Zach Muckenhirn and about five years younger than T.J. McFarland. Walker was drafted by the Mets in the 37th round back in 2017 out of the University of New Haven. He has a low 90’s fastball, upper 70’s curveball and a changeup.

The 28-year old also received a non-roster invitation to camp last season as well. In 2021 Walker was mainly used as a starter where he had a 3.73 ERA and a 1.020 WHIP over three different levels of minor league baseball. If he was going to make the major league squad last year – it was going to be as a reliever. He picked up an injury in spring though that kept him out of most of the season. Over the 13 games he did play, he tossed 22 innings with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP. He got most of his work in Syracuse where he allowed 12 runs from 18 hits in 14 1/3 innings.

Then Walker went to the Arizona Fall League where he had a lot more success. He allowed four runs, three earned over 9 1/3 innings in eight games while striking out 14 batters (2.89 ERA, 1.393 WHIP).

Walker, like Muckenhirn and McFarland, will be battling it out to be the fourth lefty on the Mets (Lucchesi, Peterson, Raley). It is unlikely that he breaks camp with the Mets. That being said, if anything happens to the Mets lefty arms this season Walker is on the short list to make a short stint in the majors.

Denyi Reyes is a right handed pitcher trying to get to Queens with the Mets this spring. Reyes was signed by the Red Sox in 2015 but never made the majors with them. He was signed by the Orioles before the 2022 and got into three games between the end of May and the start of June tossing 7 2/3 innings with a 2.35 ERA, 2.72 FIP, 1.174 WHIP and a 179 ERA+.

Denyi Reyes stats in the minors don’t tell the full story of his effectiveness. He had a lousy 7.17 ERA over 15 games (10 starts) and 54 innings of work with 1.519 WHIP. His walk rate though was a paltry 3.3%. That coupled with the success he had in his brief major league season last year gives hope that there is something here.

Denyi Reyes has four pitches. He leans on his fastball the most (average 93 mph) and mixes in a low-80’s sliders, mid-80’s changeup and a mid-70’s curveball. Over his three games in the majors last year his fastball velocity was in the 39th percentile, spin the 21st and extension in the 94th.

Over his career in the minor leagues (seven seasons), Reyes has posted a 3.29 ERA and 1.088 WHIP in almost 600 innings of work. At the very least, he should be better in Syracuse than he was in Norfolk last season.

Due to his ability to pitch both in relief and start games, there’s a high chance we’ll see him at some point this season if he gets onto the Mets 40-man roster. The Mets are still rebuilding minor league spot starting options for when they need one turn in the rotation. While this season’s major league club is built different, we’ve seen the Mets go from full rotations to rotations with one or two healthy pitchers the last two seasons. It’s always good to have options which is what Denyi Reyes brings to the table.

For a second straight season Eric Orze gets an invite to major league camp for the Mets. Eric Orze was one of the six players the Mets drafted back in 2020. They traded away their first pick, Pete Crow-Armstrong for Javier Baez. They traded J.T. Ginn for Chris Bassitt. They traded away Isaiah Green in the package for Francisco Lindor. Matthew Dyer was traded for Rich Hill. Anthony Walters was released.

So the last man standing from the 2020 draft is Eric Orze.

Eric was mostly used in Syracuse last year. overall he pitched in 34 games totaling 50 1/3 innings with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.152 WHIP. While in Syracuse he was three years younger than the average player in the league. This was building off of his previous year where he posted a 3.08 ERA over 49 2/3 innings. That year he dominated in Syracuse with a 2.19 ERA and 1.135 WHIP while being four years younger than the average player.

Orze is also a double cancer survivor. When he was in college he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. A couple of years later he was diagnosed with skin cancer. I highly recommend reading Dicomo’s article as it chronicles Orze’s tough and amazing journey.

Right now Orze is listed as the Mets 29th best prospect by staff at Metsmerized and the 19th best prospect by MLB Pipeline. According to MLB Pipeline, Orze’s pitch to watch is his low-80’s splitter.

While I don’t think Orze will make the team out of spring this year (unless he completely forces the issue), I do think we’ll see him at some point this year. He has shown the ability in his two years in the minors to throw multiple innings in the same game, a definite need for the Mets depending on game script.

The Mets signed Zach Muckenhirn to a minor league deal back at the end of November. The 27 (soon to be 28)-year old is looking to break through on to the 40 man roster as a lefty reliever. In addition to competing with the players already on the Mets roster, he is competing against other NRI’s like T.J. McFarland to be that lefty specialist.

Muckenhirn was drafted by the Orioles in the 11th round back in 2016 out of the University of North Dakota. In his last year with the Orioles in 2019, he showed success in AA ball (3.21 ERA, 37 games, 53 1/3 innings) but faltered in his brief time in AAA ball allowing seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. Then Covid19 happened and minor league baseball stopped. He bounced over to Puerto Rico where he had success in small samples. Over 11 outings (12 1/3) innings in 2020 he had a 0.73 ERA.

This was enough to get picked up by the White Sox in 2021 where he impressed with a 1.77 ERA over 40 2/3 innings. He continued that success into the winter where he played in another 9 games allowing no runs.

Muckenhirn continued to have success last year in AAA ball with the White Sox with a 3.11 ERA and 1.345 WHIP over 47 games and 55 innings.

Right now, Muckenhirn is on the outside looking in. He’s fighting for a roster spot and doesn’t have any major league experience yet. The last couple of seasons though, between playing in Puerto Rico and States, he has shown flashes of success. It’s all about getting hot at the end of the Spring. Muckenhirn can make some noise and force the issue. Ultimately, the Mets will be looking at how he does against major league level players for a later in the season callup.

If Muckenhirn has a spring similar to what he did in Charlotte last season, and starts off in Syracuse the same way, it feels more than likely he’ll see some playing time in Queens this year.

Baseball teams are always taking flyers on different arms before the start of the season. One thing the Mets have been good for the last several seasons is taking a flyer on a lefty reliever. T.J. McFarland is that lefty reliever for the Mets this season.

McFarland was drafted in round four by the Cleveland Guardians back in 2007. The Orioles then drafted McFarland a five years later in 2012 during the Rule V draft. He had his most consistent playing time with the Orioles, pitching 198 1/3 innings over 121 games from 2013 to 2017. Over that stretch he posted a 4.27 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.548 WHIP and a 96 ERA+.

After he got released from the Orioles, he bounced around a bunch of organizations. He played with the Diamondbacks for three seasons, this included his best season in the majors. In 2018 he pitched 72 innings over 47 games with a 2.00 ERA, 1.194 WHIP, 3.63 FIP and a 211 ERA+. Then the Athletics, the Nationals (never played in a major league game) and finally the Cardinals for the 2021 and 2022 season.

Last season he pitched 32 2/3 innings with the Cardinals over 28 games with a 6.61 ERA, 5.32 FIP, 1.622 WHIP and a 58 ERA+. For comparison, his career numbers are a 4.13 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.463 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. This regression is even more stark when considering one season before, in 2021, he tossed 38 2/3 innings over 38 games with a 2.56 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.060 WHIP and a 154 ERA+.

His 2022 numbers make more sense when you dive into his Baseball Savant page. His fastball velocity was in the 5th percentile, spin in the 2nd percentile and extension in the 3rd percentile. Last season his fastball averaged at 89 mph, changeup at 82 and he mixed in a slider 15% of the time with an average velocity of 80 mph.

Twice in McFarland’s career he has surprised with tremendous seasons. A strong spring can rocket him up the depth charts and he could be a surprise lefty for the Mets. Right now, this seems unlikely. There’s no risk in taking a look though!

Tommy Hunter is arguably a Mets Legend.

Tommy Hunter, in his 476th career game, gets his first big league hit.

pic.twitter.com/VsgfyXH1Gb

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 18, 2021

I’ve come around the Universal DH, but memories like that warm my National League heart.

The 36-year old righty was drafted by the Rays back in 2005, made his debut in 2008 and has traveled all over. He’s played for the Rangers, Orioles, Cubs, Guardians, Orioles )again), Rays, Phillies and for the last two seasons, the New York Mets. Hunter was mostly used as a starting pitcher until 2013. The Orioles made a massive shift and used him out of the bullpen for 68 games (still his career high) over 86 1/3 innings. From 2013 on Hunter has pitched in 396 games making only one start with a 3.14 ERA, 3.46 FIP and a 1.110 WHIP. When healthy, he can pitch over 60 times in a year, but he has only done that four times since 2013, the most recent time being in 2018.

His time with the Mets has been memorable. In 2021 he pitched eight scoreless innings for the Mets and got his first major league hit during a stretch when the Mets were really falling apart health wise but still somehow winning ballgames. He then got traded for Rich Hill and then resigned with the Mets the next season. Last year he pitched 22 1/3 innings over 18 outings with a 2.42 ERA, 1.209 WHIP, 4.28 FIP and a 162 ERA+.

We know what we are getting with Tommy Hunter. He’s a veteran reliever who has been in the game for a while. The question for the Mets – is there space for Hunter? The question for Hunter – is he willing to go to Syracuse in April if he doesn’t break with the team in spring?

Hunter is clearly in a position battle for the bullpen. My gut says that if he stays with the Mets, he ends up on the 40-man roster at some point and sees at least as much playing time as he did last year. If he has a tremendous spring, or if there’s an injury, we’ll see him sooner than later.

Grant Hartwig has risen like a rocket through the Mets system, and according to last year’s MLB Pipeline rankings, he’s looking at a major league debut at some point this season.

Hartwig was a pitcher at Miami University of Ohio where he posted a 4.32 ERA over his collegiate career. He finished off his time in Ohio with his best season, a 3.44 ERA over 73 1/3 innings, but wasn’t selected by any teams in the 2021 draft. The Mets signed him as an undrafted free agent in July 2021.

Hartwig earned his invitation to camp this year because of his performance last year. He pitched in St. Lucie, Brooklyn, Binghamton and Syracuse last season, totaling 56 2/3 innings over 39 games while posting a 1.75 ERA and 1.094 WHIP. One big change – his role. The Mets pretty much immediately switched him from a starter to a reliever and he got into a lot of games last season.

Grant is angling for one of the last bullpen spots. Barring something incredibly surprising (an injury, Grant not allowing a hit all spring, etc.) most likely he’s looking a debut deeper into the season as a injury replacement, the need for a fresh arm, or someone else in the pen hits a wall (and has minor league options). Last season Grant had an opportunity to face higher tier talent in the Arizona Fall League. Things didn’t go so well as he allowed 12 runs, 10 earned, over nine innings of work from 15 hits. Spring training will give him another chance to face top talent. MLB Pipeline wrote about his sinker and his tendency to produce grounders. If he can do that in spring, and in Syracuse once the season starts, we’ll see him in Queens this season.

Non-Roster Invites to spring training run the gambit from top tier prospects, to veterans trying to get back on major league rosters to minor league players who never got their shot – Connor Grey falls into the latter category.

A New York state native who graduated from St. Bonaventure in 2016, Connor Grey was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks back in 2016. He made some noise back in 2017 when he posted a 2.87 ERA over 18 games and 103 1/3 innings spread over four levels of minor league ball. This included a 100-pitch perfect game. The following season showed success again at AA ball, posting a 2.93 ERA over 10 games but hit a roadblock in AAA, posting a 9.39 ERA and 2.478 WHIP in seven games.

Then Covid-19 happened. There was no minor league baseball in 2020 and Grey was essentially cut from the Arizona system. He started to pitch for an independent team in Chicago which is how the Mets found him. The Mets have signed him as a minor league free agent multiple times since then.

Grey started out with Brooklyn in 2021, 3.7 years older than the average player in the league. When Grey was in the Arizona system, he was used primarily as a starter until 2019. The Mets immediately switched him back to his starting role. In Brooklyn he made four starts with a 3.22 ERA and 1.075 WHIP so he was bumped up to Binghamton. He faced a few more hurdles but finished the year with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.168 WHIP.

The Mets then brought Grey back last year where he pitched exclusively with Syracuse. Grey was 28-years old, only one year older than the average AAA baseball player. Last year was tough for Grey. He had a 6.38 ERA and a 1.668 WHIP over 104 1/3 innings. But, he pitched over 100 innings, which by itself is an accomplishment.

Grey also came frustratingly close last year to making his major league debut. He was added to the Mets roster in late August series against the Yankees, but wasn’t used. Then was DFA’d, then had to be resigned by the Mets.

I see two different ways Connor Grey fits with the 2023 Mets. If the Mets need a spot starter for one turn in the rotation, and there is no in the bullpen who can do that (and Showalter doesn’t want to do a Bullpen game), Grey could be called up to eat some innings. Or, if the Mets have to turn a long-man in the bullpen into a starter, and the innings are starting to add up on arms in the pen, Grey could be called up to become that long-man for an afternoon (maybe on a double header day). One thing the Mets have showed us over the years is you can never have too many healthy arms. Grey was *this close* to making his debut last year, I have a feeling the circumstances for his debut will happen at some point this year.

The Mets and Padres face off tonight at Citi Field for a winner-takes-all rubber game.

After getting trounced in Game 1 the Mets struck back last night. For the Mets it was the formula they’ve used all year to win 101 games. The starting pitching did it’s job. Edwin Díaz did his job – just a few innings earlier. The Mets offense hit a couple of solo shots and then had a big inning to put the game out of reach. There was also some flirting with disaster when the Padres loaded up the bases at the end of the game down by four with Josh Bell at the plate. Normal 2022 Mets stuff.

The Mets and Padres are also the only teams that are in a Game 3 situation. The Phillies, Mariners and Guardians have all punched their tickets to the next round.

Chris Bassitt is on the mound tonight to make sure the Mets can get a ticket to the next round too. Over 30 starts and 181 2/3 innings this season, Bassitt has a 3.42 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 1.145 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. His last start in Atlanta was not great – he allowed four runs from three hits over 2 2/3 innings. In the two starts before that though he allowed only two runs in 14 innings of work.

He’s also had two very different starts against the Padres this year. In San Diego he allowed seven runs from eight hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. Then in Queens he held the Padres to two runs from four hits over seven innings while striking out 11 batters. The Padres have the following career numbers against him:

• Manny Machado 3-12, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Josh Bell 2-5, 2 HR, BB, 2 K
• Jake Cronenworth 2-5, 2B, 2 K
• Jurickson Profar 2-5, BB, 2 K
• Trent Grisham 0-4, BB, K
• Ha-Seong Kim 1-5, 2 K
• Brandon Drury 0-3, K
• Wil Myers 1-3, 2B, 2 K
• Juan Soto 2-3, K
• Austin Nola 0-2, K

The Mets bats will have to power through Joe Musgrove tonight. Over 30 starts and 181 innings this season he has a 2.93 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 1.083 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. Joe has been on quite the run to end the 2022 season. Over 22 innings over four starts he has allowed only one run from 15 hits while striking out 27 batters (0.48 ERA, 2.48 FIP). In the four games before that eh allowed 17 runs, 13 earned, over 20 innings (5.85 ERA, 6.26 FIP).

He’s only faced the Mets once this season. On July 24th in Queens he allowed four runs from five hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 6-17, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 8 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-9, 2 BB, 5 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-8, 2B, K
• Pete Alonso 3-8, HR, BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 3-9, K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-8, HR, 2 K
• Luis Guillorme 2-7, K
• Tomás Nido 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-6
• Mark Canha 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• Darin Ruf 1-5, K
• James McCann 1-3, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Padres face off in an elimination game for the Mets tonight. The Padres got off to a fast start in Game 1 with Josh Bell hitting a homer in the first inning. From that point on it was a fairly consistent drum beat of Padres hitting homers, adding to their score. Meanwhile the Mets bats would constantly get runners to third base and then just leave them there.

That was yesterday. The Mets need to dig deep tonight if they want to keep playing this postseason.

Jacob deGrom will get the start for the Mets and try to save the team from elimination. Over 11 starts and 64 1/3 innings, deGrom has a 3.08 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 0.746 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. Jacob also had an absurd 102 strikeouts, getting them at 14.3 K/9 clip. That tied his career high rate he set in 2021.

Jacob’s last four starts have been rough – he’s allowed 14 runs from 20 hits in 21 innings (6.00 ERA, 3.68 FIP). He has also been dealing with a blister issue. The Padres have the following career numbers against him:

• Wil Myers 5-24, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 11 K
• Manny Machado 6-20, BB, 6 K
• Jorge Alfaro 4-18, 2B< HR< BB, 10 K
• Juan Soto 3-15, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Josh Bell 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Jake Cronenworth 1-5, 2 K
• Jurickson Profar 0-5, K

Blake Snell gets the start for the Padres. Over 24 games and 128 innings, Snell has a 3.38 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 1.203 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. Snell has been on a roll in his four starts, tossing 25 innings and allowing only two runs from 10 hits and six walks (0.72 ERA, 2.31 FIP).

Snell has faced the Mets twice this year with two very different outcomes. In San Diego back in June, the Mets scored five runs, four earned, off seven hits in four innings. Then in July the Mets scored nothing off four hits over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Snell:

• Francisco Lindor 3-25, 2B, 5 K
• Starling Marte 5-15, 2B, HR, 5 K
• James McCann 3-13, HR, 2 BB, 7 K
• Mark Canha 4-11, 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 3-9, 2B, HR, 3 BB, K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-12, 2B, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, BB, K
• Darin Ruf 3-7, 3 BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, K
• Terrance Gore 2-3

Let’s Go Mets!