Tom Brennan - 7 Overlooked Homegrown Players Who Could Help in 2023

Eric Orze - MiLB.com

I've written early and often this off-season about Bryce Montes de Oca, the high walk, but far higher K pitcher (53 in his last 27 innings) who makes no errors and has allowed a dead-ball era 1 HR in 90 pro innings in his 2 pitching years. He will help the Mets this year, the only question being how much?

Baty, Vientos, Alvarez, even Mauricio - written about endlessly.  All will play major league ball in 2023, the only question being how much?  

Yeah - but who else? 

I did an article recently on a former Mets prospect, PJ Conlon - I think his failure was his inability to miss enough bats.  So, in the current crop, who DOES miss bats and might help in 2023?

1. Josh Walker - now 28, the tall lefty, a 37th rounder at the age of 22 in 2017,  has pitched so little since turning pro (roughly 200 innings, but is a workhorse compared to Matt Allan - who isn't?).

Last year, he only pitched in 21 games, dealing with injury issues, but did pitch in Az Fall Ball.  He was hittable in AAA in his brief innings there in 2022, but in fall ball, fanned 14 in 9.1 innings.  That brought him to 52 Ks in 31.1 IP in 2022, a 14.5/9 IP eye-catching rate.  To me, the latter number means if he pitches healthy in 2023, the Mets will call upon him at some point.  He is a non-roster invite to spring training.

2. Eric Orze - 5th round righty in 2020 with a great splitter, he has fanned 136 in 100 pro innings.  He struggled in some games in AAA last season, going 4-3, 5.13 there, but fanned 64 in 47 innings there.  Career 1.10 WHIP.  8-5, 3.93 career in 2021 and 2022, with 6 of 9 career saves.  16 HRs allowed is too high. Nonetheless, his ability to miss bats ought to get him time on the Mets' mound in 2023.  He is a non-roster invite to spring training.

3. Jose Butto - 450 career minor league innings, and 453 Ks, including 138 in 129 innings last year.  A rocky 4 inning MLB debut in 2022. 17 minor league HRs in 129 AAA innings is high, and needs to be reduced, but he had some brilliant outings in 2022 in the minors, so he ought to help in relief at times in 2023 with the Mets.

4. Grant Hartwig - he had a tremendous season in low A, High A, AA, and a brief AAA cup of coffee in 2022, going 6-2, 1.75 with 83 Ks in 56.2 IP with just 1 HR allowed, but 24 walks.  He got roughed up in Arizona Fall Ball, but that was brief.  Seems this undrafted 25 year old has a shot in 2023.

5. Tony Dibrell - the 2017 4th rounder is now 27 and returned for part of 2022 from Tommy John Surgery - he was 2-2, 3.72 with 49 Ks in 36 innings but was 4.55 in AA, a level he has always struggled at.  So, to me he is doubtful to make it until he proves he can master AA and AAA.  He added 41 innings in winter ball and fanned 40 with a 4.14 ERA, so his innings are built up. 2023 is make or break for Tony, IMO.

6. Dedniel Nunez - another returnee from Tommy John, he fanned 49 in 33 innings in 26 games in 2022, with a high 1.52 ERA - 37 hits allowed.  Now 26, he has a lot to prove in the high minors in 2023, but that K rate is eye-catching.

7. Wyatt Young - finally a hitter - I wrote about this little guy a whole lot during his excellent first full pro season in 2022.  The 2021 15th rounder is a solid fielder at SS, 2nd (just 7 errors in 111 games at 2B), and 3rd, and the 2021 15th rounder has had 84 exemplary AAA plate appearances and 434 solid AA plate appearances and finished the season very strong.  

Career .287/.378/.399.  11 of 16 career steals in 148 pro games, and 5 triples, so he is not a tortoise, and he has a fine 90 career runs scored.

Yep, he's small, but he hit 7 homers in 122 games in 2022, a not insignificant long ball total.  SO many infielders in the Mets fold at SS, 2B and 3B (Lindor, McNeil, Escobar, Guillorme, Mauricio, Baty, Mendick, and Vientos, to name 8), but I think Young is capable of helping the Mets in 2023 if needed.  Not in the Mets' top 30 prospects, but he is in mine, because what's not to like so far?

To me, Guillorme is a reasonable comp, and early Ruben Tejada as well.

So, there's your list.  

Who did I miss that the Mets originally signed or drafted that you think might help them in 2023.

P.S. Maybe all 7 will play in tonight’s spring opener. “Let the games begin!”