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6/30/26

MACK - The Latest Top Lowest ERAs – Abner Mesa, Olmedo Barria, Dakota Hawkins

 



Period:     6-14 – 6-27

 

Abner Mesa/DSL Orange   -   0.80-WHIP, 10-IP, 8-K, 0.90-ERA

Abner Meza is a young right-handed pitching prospect in the New York Mets organization.

Name: Abner Alejandro Meza

Born: May 6, 2007 (age 19) in Ahome, Sinaloa, Mexico

Height/Weight: 6'0" / 175 lbs

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Position: Pitcher (primarily starter in the low minors)

Current Level: Dominican Summer League (DSL Mets Orange / Blue)

Meza signed with the Mets as an international free agent (undrafted free agent/UDFA) on January 18, 2025, for a small bonus of around $10,000. He was assigned to the DSL shortly after.

He is a low-level developmental arm who has shown promise in the DSL (Rookie-level league), with solid strikeout rates and generally good control for his age.

2025 Season (his pro debut year):   Stronger stint: 2-1, 1.67 ERA in 8 games (27 IP)

Career Minors (through 2026): 5-4 record, 2.88 ERA in 15 games (50 IP), 43 strikeouts, 1.08 WHIP. He has made mostly starts (11 GS).

Key strengths so far: High strikeout upside (K/9 often in the 7-11 range), low walk rates in better outings, and the ability to miss bats.

As a 18-19 year old in the DSL, he's still very raw and has a long way to climb through the Mets' system (FCL → Single-A and beyond).He is not a top-ranked prospect yet — more of a depth/sleeper international signee from the Mets' 2025 class — but he has performed well enough in limited innings to warrant monitoring.

 

Olmedo Barria/DSL Orange   -   0.50-WHIP, 8-IP, 8-K, 0.00-ERA

Olmedo Elias Barria is a 19-year-old right-handed pitching prospect in the New York Mets organization.

Born: December 7, 2006, in Chepo, Panama

Height/Weight: 6'4" / 190 lbs

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Position: Pitcher (RHP)

Current Level: Dominican Summer League (DSL) Mets Orange (as of 2026)

The Mets signed Barria as an international free agent on January 15, 2025. He is a relatively new professional who missed time with injury in 2025 (placed on the 60-day IL in May, activated in November) but has been active in the DSL in 2026.

Prospect Profile & Buzz

Barria stands out for his projectable frame (6'4") and exciting stuff. Mets prospect watchers have highlighted him as a "fun" pitcher to follow, with videos showing good velocity, movement, and strikeout ability in the DSL.

Recent updates from fans/prospect accounts note strong outings, such as multi-inning performances with solid strikeout-to-walk ratios (e.g., double-digit Ks in small samples early in 2026). He’s still very young and in the earliest stages of development, so he’s a high-upside arm to monitor as he progresses through the Mets’ system.

 

Dakota Hawkins    0.65-WHIP, 7.2-IP, 7-K, 0.00-ERA

Dakota Hawkins is a right-handed pitcher (R/R, 6'0", 208 lbs, born March 20, 2000, in Centralia, WA) in the New York Mets organization. He is a college undrafted free agent signee (Washington State) who signed in July 2023.

College: Played at Lower Columbia College (JC) before transferring to Washington State. In his senior year (2023), he went 5-3 with a 4.32 ERA, 92 strikeouts in 73 IP (All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention).

Pro Career: Began in the Mets system in 2023 (FCL and Single-A, scoreless in limited innings). He has mostly pitched at High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, with brief appearances at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. He has also seen some starting and relief work.

He has shown promise as a strike-thrower who has performed better in shorter/relief outings, and he has been part of notable feats like contributing to a combined no-hitter for Brooklyn.

Repertoire (Pitch Mix)

Hawkins works with a five-pitch mix, which he tunnels well off his fastball for deception. He pounds the strike zone, mixes effectively, and has good confidence in his breaking stuff.

4-Seam Fastball — Primary pitch, typically in the low-90s (e.g., ~92.5 mph in samples). Good spin and extension; he attacks the zone with it.

Changeup (circle-change grip) — His most-used offspeed pitch. Strong whiff rates; used for strikes and to get back into counts. His dad emphasized it from early on.

Splitter — Similar to the changeup but used more as a chase pitch (different movement/situation). Unusual to throw both, but he differentiates them effectively.

Slider — High confidence pitch; good whiff potential and horizontal movement. Often a go-to breaking ball.

Curveball — Used situationally (depending on scouting report and hitter tendencies); loopy breaking action.

Strengths: Excellent pitchability and mixing, tunnels pitches off the fastball, high strike-throwing rate, and adaptability between starter/reliever roles. Offspeed pitches (especially changeup and splitter) generate swings-and-misses.


6 comments:

  1. It's a real treat getting these reports from you. It is encouraging that these young pitchers have distinguished themselves by, of all things, throwing strikes and not walking the park!

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  2. Mack, it always blows my mind that when I look at a post like this with three young players, and I add their ages together, and they’re still a lot younger than we are lol. I hope they do well. Dakota is great in the summer. Maybe he will pitch great and get a call up this summer.

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  3. The stats for the DSL players are thin in these posts but the main purpose of them is to simply introduce you to someone that might turn into something someday

    The alternative would be someone hitting. 187 in Brooklyn

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  4. C'mon Tom, (and in keeping the metaphor alive, barely), you're younger than springtime

    ReplyDelete