While there has been a number of “wouldn’t it be nice?” types of articles about the Francisco Alvarez injury and how it could open the door for veteran backup backstop Hayden Senger to play in the majors, there’s another feel good story also making the rounds among the Mets media wannabes like myself.
Pitcher Matt Allen is back on the hill and after a pair of Tommy John surgeries it’s incredible to see him striking out hitters, let alone reaching 99 MPH from the mound. It seems like forever since he as a high school level draft pick back in 2019. Between the low level minor leagues, the COVID lost season and the two long recovery periods for TJS and for a nerve-transposition surgery you’d think Allen might have already played himself out of baseball.
Look a little closer and you realize that this late coming arrival up the ladder could still mean his high draft position was justified, and although the 6 years since he was a 2018 high school player has amounted to just ten innings of pro ball, he’s showing the kind of stuff that makes you want to drop what you’re doing whenever he has the ball in his hand and just ponder not only what might have been but also what still could be.
Matt Allen of Seminole High School in Sanford Florida was drafted in the third round after wowing the scouts. The now 6’3” 225 pound right hander has demonstrated the willingness to work hard to prove to both himself and to the Mets that he was worth all the time and medical effort to get him to where he is today.
As he plays on the back fields in camp, he’s preparing to turn age 24 in mid April. Obviously he’s well behind where someone his age should be in terms of working his way up the minor league ladder, but it will be interesting to keep an eye both on his health and on his numbers, as 2025 appears to be where he gets to show off for the first time in a very long time.
Throughout the history of the franchise there have been players beset by injuries, an inability to close holes in their game, or simply unable to tackle mental blocks that prevented them from achieving the next level as competition increased.
We’ve all seen players who appeared to have it all only to discover they couldn’t lay off pitches near but not in the strike zone, couldn’t get the footwork smooth enough to field at an at least moderate level, or whose inability to recover from a few bad pitches turns them into someone more suitable for throwing batting practice.
Even guys who ascend up to The Show sometimes run into these issues (like Tylor Megill often not being able to shake off adversity when other times he looks like an All Star).
Who were some of the players you were excited to see rising in the ranks that never quite achieved what you had anticipated?
11 comments:
Are we ready for a movie entitled “The Remarkable Rebirth of Matt Allan?” I sure hope so.
Truly, I was so excited when the Mets drafted Matt Harvey. He proved me right for a week or two.
Don't rush Matt Allan.
That's a very worked on arm and shoulder there.
And the emergence of pitchers like Holmes, Peterson, and Sproat make it much easier to wait for the 27 year old version of this once high school phenom
Coming up at 9am...
A tribute to Clay Holmes ❤️
Unfortunately, I would have to put Doc Gooden in this category. We saw the best and worst in a matter of a few years. We should have enjoyed his greatness for another 10 years.
Mostly good news this spring. LGM.
Allen will make his debut in the major leagues at 57 years of age, having undergone a dozen Tommy John surgeries. The last one included the insertion of high technology neo-fibers powered by a small nuclear reactor. He now sounds like Steve Austin when he throws.
A wonderful piece today Reese as it truly pulls on the heart strings of Mets fans. We look at Matt Allen as an Odysseus that went through many trials and tribulations through no fault of his own making. Matt Harvey made his own bed; so did Dwight Gooden. And to end with Brian Cole… I recall David Wright talking about Cole and saying how great he was. He could have been Mookie Betts, or more for the Mets. He was driving to tell his family the good news, that he made the team! His family instead got different news.
Too, we can talk about stupid trades, such as the Nolan Ryan trade, trading Amos Otis or Ken Singleton, or not signing Tom Seaver. But this were business decisions made by short sighted and incompetent people.
Wow Paul…
At this point in his missed development time he might be better off transitioning to the pen where his 99 MPH fastball can be put to use without the constraint you would feel necessary if he was going to cover 5-6 innings as a starter. He might accelerate his timetable to the majors by becoming a reliever. The last Allen we had was Neil and until he hit the bottle he was pretty good. This Allan is nothing but potential until he stays healthy enough to demonstrate his true ability.
Thinking of my all time favorite player Sandy Koufax (also being a Brooklyn boy myself) who exploded on the scene at 27 and had 4 of the best seasons any pitcher ever had so there's still plenty of time for Matt!
Post a Comment