Tom Brennan - Mets Pitching Development Has Been Sub-Par

 

I handed this pitchers’ development report to my 6th grade Nun. 

She gave me an A+ on my report card, but the Mets? She gave a D-.

I started thinking about team by team pitching just the other day. 

(Why do I do this to myself?? I have a chronic condition called Stat Brain.)

It seems to me that each major league team on average will use 30 pitchers during the course of a season, of which 10 or so of those pitchers will be marginal in terms of ability and usage. 

So, on average, 30 pitchers in the majors, who will pitch in the majors in 2023, were produced by each organization.

I started thinking about the Mets current homegrown pitchers, those who are pitching or have pitched in the bigs this year; so what do we have? 

We have marginal David Peterson, who’s had his ups and downs. 

We have marginal Tylor Megill, who is in the minors right now but is probably a back end rotation guy or a pen arm. 

We have Grant Hartwig who is undrafted and has been mostly a pleasant surprise but has not pitched much yet, so he’s in that marginal category until proven otherwise.

We have marginal Jose Butto, and we have even more marginal Josh Walker. 

OK, I count five.

I’m not quite getting to 30, am I?  

But some ex-Mets have pitched in the majors elsewhere in 2023.

Other homegrown guys in the major leagues include Jacob deGrom, Steve Matz, and Noah Syndergaard. 

There’s also Colin Holderman. 

And, from the Yo Yo Cespedes trade, Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa, the latter of whom has been MLB-solid until a dismal 2023 in the majors and minors. 

And, of, course, Paul Sewald, who was 1-15 with the Mets, but a brilliant 17-7 (165 innings, 99 hits allowed, 227 Ks, 48 saves) with the Mariners.

Bad = poor pitching and/or barely used.

Who are the others?

Chris Flexen, Mariners (until recently). Bad.

Rafael Montero, Astros. Bad.

Jeurys Familia, Oakland. Bad.

Colin McHugh, Atlanta. Good.

Anthony Kay, Cubs. Bad.

Adam Kolarek, Dodgers. Bad.

Nabil Crismatt, Padres. Bad.

Matt Koch, Colorado. Bad.

Simeon Woods, Twins. Bad.

5 plus 16 = 21. 

Just 21 Mets-developed pitchers have pitched in the majors this year.

Robert Gsellman fled the country and Bryce Montes de Oca failed to get out of Spring Trainiing without season-ending surgery, so they don’t count here.

And Matz is 0-7, Syndergaard is 1-4, Fulmer 0-5, Cessa 1-4, Flexen 0-4. 

That’s 2-24.

And deGrom is toast.

In fact, almost every pitcher of the 21 above, except Sewald and McHugh, has pitched poorly and/or rarely (“BAD”), and with very few cumulative MLB innings, in 2023.

Steve Cohen was right. 

Pitching development in this organization the past decade or so has not been good. 

I’ll be less diplomatic - it has been abysmal. 

Heaven forbid that the Mets were like cash-strapped Pittsburgh, KC, and Oakland, and had to make a go of it with just these 20 pitchers in 2023, without any outside spending. A Mets team ERA above 8.00 would be quite probable. 

Even 9.00 might be in the cards.

And that is quite unacceptable. 

Do something. Now. 

Or fire your scouting and development teams, and start over.

2023 draft?  And the guys working their way up the minors ladder?

Brandon Sproat and other drafted and otherwise signed hurlers will have to show they were wise picks.

Many signees seem good - until AA and AAA. 

Call it the “Mark Cohoon Effect.”

Mark, a former Mets farmhand (2008-2013), was fine up to High A:

In Low A and High A, he was 18-5, ERA of 2.03. Clearly a future star. 

But…

In AA, he was 23-23, allowing 4.7 runs per 9.

In AAA, he was 4-12, 6.77 ERA. 

FINISHED. NO MLB CAREER.

So, which current Mets minor league pitchers are the next Matt Harvey, and which are the next Mark Cohoon? 

I’m not sure, except I expect a lot fewer of the former than of the latter.

Next up:

Mets organization HITTER DEVELOPMENT.