Tom Brennan - WHAT MINOR LEAGUE METS PITCHERS COULD HELP THE MOTHER SHIP DOWN THE STRETCH?

Any pitching guppies ready to swim with the big fishes?

THE METS HAVE GONE THROUGH AN AWFUL LOT OF PITCHERS THIS YEAR.

We have the smartest readers on this site, so you probably already know that through the Mets'  first 101 games, 34 players have pitched for the Mets.  

15 in 1969, 15 in 1986, 34 and counting in 2021. Or more - I ran out of toes to count with.

Cookie Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard will almost undoubtedly join the team in the weeks ahead, making that 36.  But why would anyone think that a team that normally has 12 or 13 pitchers on any given day, but used 34 already through 63% of the season won't use several more between now and year end?

They can't all come from the outside - can they?  

Which pitchers in the farm system could help the Mets over the last 2 months of the season?  A focus on low ERA, low WHIP, high K rate, and significant recent success (results through midday on Thursday) culled out the following:

SYRACUSE?

My take? 

LIKELY NO ONE. (Maybe Josh Walker, based on his super Thurs. nite start):  

They just called up Akeem Bostick and he was 0-4. 6.71, with a 1.75 WHIP and less than a K per inning despite all those batters faced.  That demonstrates the utter desperation for any semi-functional arm right now.  

Franklyn Kilome, He has started pitching an inning here and there again, and should he get healthy enough to pitch a lot from here on out, might somehow find his way back from Syracuse to Queens, although he has pitched very poorly in Queens in his brief MLB appearances there in 2020.  He has so little competition.

Maybe Andrew Mitchell gets a call, but he has to get a lot better in AAA first.  He was terrific in AA, but staggered in 9 AAA innings so far.  

However, then, on Thursday night, Josh Walker threw 8 innings of 1 hit shutout ball.  So maybe he is another Megill Miracle in the making.  Sometimes guys struggle a bit at a higher level, then settle down and get on a roll - it looks like Walker just did exactly that.

BINGHAMTON?  

Several interesting possibilities, but all seem to be long shots to me except Eric Orze.

Any suggestion that a AA pitcher can leap straight to the Mets is almost always wishful thinking.  Why?  Lets take Brad Roney.  He started out with a brief burst of brilliance in AA, with 4 scoreless innings, 10 Ks.  Headed to AAA Syracuse, where he, however, has had a comeuppance: he's allowed 24 runs in 26 innings, and a 7.00 ERA (he has, to his credit, fanned 39 at that level).  And the major leagues is far tougher than AAA.

Big transition from AA to the Mets, and all of the following are thus pretty unlikely 2021 call-ups: 

That said, let's take a look:

ERIC ORZE: the 5th round draftee in 2020 has pitched well, briefly, for Binghamton and fanned 21 while walking in 12.1 innings.  But has thrown just 20 relief outings and 32 innings.  That would be quite the leap.  But maybe he is so outstanding in the weeks ahead that he gets a call up from a Mets team desperate for another arm.  He has a GREAT splitter, and he already beat cancer, so why can't he beat the Braves, too? He is a call up possibility.

ANDREW EDWARDS: a 31st rounder in 2019, he is 0-3 this year in relief but with a 1.78 ERA and 38 Ks in 30 innings.  But he'll have to show AAA hitters he can get them out, and he barely has pitched yet in AA.

ALLAN WINANS: a 17th rounder in 2018, he is 0-1, 1.32 ERA in 2021, including a 1.32 ERA in 13 innings in Binghamton.  He saved 11 of 13 for Columbia in 2019, too.  He deserves to be challenged in AAA to see if he can keep it up, and possibly help the Mets in a pinch in 2021.

CONNOR GREY:  a 20th rounder in 2016 for the D Backs, he pitched for Brooklyn, then moved to AA, this season.  In his first 11 AA innings, he has walked 1 and fanned 19.  Keep pushing him, you may need him in Queens in 2021.  It is best year so far in 2021, but he still has a lot to prove.

JOSH WALKER: he is 8-2, 3.49 in Brooklyn and AA this year, pitching better for Binghamton.  Push him up, Zach Scott, let's see what he can do in AAA.  (Well, he did get pushed up to AAA. See AAA section above).

TOMMY WILSON was a decent arm in 2019 for Binghamton, then got hurt, and has just 3 innings with Binghamton recently this year.  Seems to be throwing well, but too few innings to gauge.  Let's see if he can go on a run.  Just back and throwing very effectively.

JARED ROBINSON is a former 11th rounder with Cleveland who has fanned 53 in 35 innings.  Wild early in the season, over his past 10 outings, he has walked just 4 in his last 16.1 innings while fanning 25.  He has given up 6 earned runs in that span, so he is a work in progress, but is pointed higher.  My guess is he is a HARD thrower who is quickly getting it together, so maybe in a month or so, he could be ready enough if the Mets are in a pinch.  Very unlikely call-up, but sometimes guys suddenly click, and necessity is the mother of invention.

BROOKLYN?

3 levels down in the minors from the majors, so the idea that someone could miraculously jump from there to the Mets this year is far-fetched, but let's entertain a few guys:

JUSTIN LASKO - extremely unlikely he pitches for the Mets this year, but the 2019 30th rounder has pitched well for Brooklyn, particularly of late.   In his last 7 starts, he has allowed no runs 3 times and 1 run twice.  And another excellent start this past weekend.  In his career in 2019 and 2021 so far, before the last start, he is 9-9, 2.46, 0.89 WHIP in 110 innings with 105 Ks.  So far, so good, but a long way to go.

BRIAN METOYER - also extremely unlikely that the former 40th rounder gets a call to Queens in 2021, but that in part is due to a 6 week stint on the DL just when he was on a roll.  Metoyer had huge control problems when drafted but in his 4 outings in June and July, in 6.1 IP, he has allowed just one run and walked 4, but fanned 14.  Nine hits in 17.1 innings, but a major leaguer in 2021?  Highly unlikely.  BUT...just back from injury, and 2 hitless innings, 5 Ks.  Intriguing.

J.T. GINN - probably the highest ceiling pitcher in this entire list, since coming back from TJS this year to start his pro career, he is 3-1, 2.44, in 44 innings, with an 0.92 WHIP. Very, very unlikely he gets rushed to the Mets in 2021 under any circumstances, but I'd not be surprised to follow Tylor Megill's giant steps to the Mets in 2022.   With very high ceiling talent and enough desperation, perhaps he gets called on in September.  Don't bet on it.

OTHER DUDES:

Bryce Montes de Oca now finally healthy in 2021, BMDA has real bullpen fireballer potential but has walked a man per inning - until that is reined in, he cannot move up fast. When he does, he will FLY up.

So there you go, folks - as best as I can tell, this is what the Mets minors now has to offer.  For 2021, likely very little.  But baseball can be a funny game.

One guy who was shooting up the minors a few years ago was Ryley Gilliam - we were all eager with anticipation - 47 Ks in 28 A ball innings a few years ago - but above A ball, he has been terrible. As in 55 innings, 56 runs terrible.

If you were the GM, who of the above might you use if you were utterly desperate?

I was gonna suggest Kumar, but…

For the real GM, I think he's seen all of this injury cascade, and realizes he needs to go outside for help as needed in 2021.   Even Luis Guillorme is hurt and cannot pitch.