The Mets were slow to promote Nolan McLean — too slow it appears, judging by his two outstanding starts in the big leagues. They need to change that conservative approach as it applies to their two other top pitching prospects, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, in their pursuit of a postseason spot.
And it appears they may be ready to do just that — perhaps quickly, as the week ahead figures to be pivotal.
At least there are indications the Mets are thinking more aggressively, perhaps realizing their trio of electric young pitchers, Sproat, Tong, and McLean, could help provide a much-needed re-set for the major league staff.
On Sunday they had an opener start for Triple-A Syracuse rather than Sproat so the 24-year old right-hander would get a taste of coming out of the bullpen. It’s a way of preparing him for the possibility of the role as a bulk reliever for the Mets in the weeks ahead, something they will need if their starters continue to have problems going deep into games.
That it didn’t go well for Sproat on Sunday, as he gave up seven runs — five earned — in 3 2/3 innings, shouldn’t deter the Mets from continuing to let him get a feel for the new role. He’s pitched with enough dominance at Triple-A over the last two months to make the case he’s as ready as McLean for the big leagues.
Whether he has McLean’s poise and presence remains to be seen. But there is no doubt Sproat has the high-ceiling stuff to succeed anywhere.
“He’s not as naturally confident as McLean,” one Mets’ person said of Sproat Sunday. “It took him longer to make the transition to Triple-A because he lost his confidence and started shying away from contact. But he’s come a long way this season in the way he attacks hitters and commands all of his pitches. When he’s on, he’s very impressive.”
And then there’s Tong, whose eye-popping success since his recent promotion to Triple-A is apparently forcing the Mets’ brass to re-think the possibility of using him in the big leagues this season, as reported Saturday by the New York Post.
And why not? Tong on Saturday not only pitched six scoreless innings, while racking up eight strikeouts, but got a whopping 21 swings-and-misses while throwing 88 pitches, as his fastball topped out at 97.6 mph.
In two Triple-A starts he’s pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts and 39 swings-and-misses. The K’s are impressive enough but the crazy-high total of whiffs is what had baseball people I spoke to believing that Tong could have immediate success if promoted.
“If I see 21 swings-and-misses, and I have a need, I’m absolutely giving him a shot,” a former GM told me Sunday. “Otherwise you’re not doing right by your ballclub.
“He has a unique delivery, the way he comes over the top, and that may be creating deception to go with his plus stuff. It gives him a better chance of having immediate success in the big leagues against guys who haven’t seen him. He could be the type of lightning-in-a-bottle guy who can have a big impact for a team chasing a postseason spot.”
A scout who saw Tong multiple times in Double-A added: “I’ve seen him dominate hitters at the top of the strike zone with his fastball and at the bottom with his offspeed stuff. He has weapons and he has deception. I wouldn’t be afraid to throw him in there against big-league hitters.”
Suddenly, then, the Mets have a slew of possibilities to improve their pitching staff, including Tylor Megill, who has pitched nine scoreless innings in rehab outings and could be back soon as well.
So how would the Mets find places for the new faces?
They DFA’d Paul Blackburn to make room for McLean, and Frankie Montas’ season-ending elbow injury opened another spot, filled for now by the call-up of reliever Huascar Brazoban.
Because they’re six games into a stretch of 16 straight without an off-day, they’ve indicated they will add a sixth starter at some point soon to give their five-man rotation an extra day of rest. Senga, in particular, rarely starts on four days rest, but is scheduled to do so Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
It seems highly unlikely the Mets would have him make a second start on regular rest, which would be Saturday at home against the Miami Marlins. So that could well be the day they use the extra starter, either Megill, Sproat, or Tong.
Beyond that, however, much could depend on how both Senga and Sean Manaea pitch over the next two days. They have been the primary short-start culprits lately, which has created a sense the Mets would be better off with a couple of bulk relievers than all of the one-inning guys they have now.
In addition, if Manaea continues to lose velocity after a few innings, which could be the result of the loose bodies in his elbow, the Mets could also be served well to designate someone to piggyback and limit Manaea to 3-4 innings.
Clay Holmes seems to have gotten a second wind in that regard in his last two starts, but his innings-total remains enough of a concern that the Mets could need a similar set-up for him in the weeks ahead.
It’s why David Stearns is likely mulling multiple pitching scenarios for the days and weeks ahead.
If he wants to go bold and utilize both Sproat and Tong at some point, it could mean optioning Reed Garrett to the minors and DFA’ing Ryne Stanek.
That shouldn’t be a deterrent at this point. If anything, Stearns should be emboldened enough by McLean’s success to get creative and give his pitching staff a makeover. The sooner the better.
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