Rather than choosing the contract of one of their top-ranked pitchers, the New York Mets took an unexpected decision to promote someone to the major leagues on Monday, according to some supporters who shared their opinions online.
The New York Mets promoted right-handed pitcher Dom Hamel from Triple-A Syracuse. MLB Pipeline lists him as the No. 27 talent within the Mets' minor league organization.
By selecting Hamel, who will serve as a relief pitcher, the Mets opted against two right-handed pitchers currently playing in Syracuse, both of whom have better rankings. According to MLB Pipeline, Nolan McLean ranks as the third-best prospect for the Mets—number 65 overall—and Brandon Sproat comes in fifth. Both of them are starting pitchers.
Pitcher comparison
Here are the statistics for the group of Triple-A Mets pitchers. None of the three have pitched in the major leagues so far. Hamel didn't take the mound during Monday night's game as New York lost 7-6 to the incoming Cleveland Guardians after 10 innings.
Manager Carlos Mendoza's take
Hamel, who is 26 years old, has shifted from being a starting pitcher to a reliever. Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza said during an interview with journalists on Monday that Hamel has put in significant effort to make this change.
"Clearly proud of him," Mendoza remarked, according to a report from SNY It's not simple. This individual arrived as a rookie and quickly became a starter. However, once the announcement came that he wouldn’t be starting, we decided to move him into the bullpen—something he accepted without hesitation. He continued to work hard and positioned himself where there was an opportunity at the major league level. His name was eventually called upon, and now he's here. (He can) offer extended outings, possesses good pitch variety, and has the ability to throw several innings, which makes me enthusiastic about having him on board.
Dom Hamel's take
Hamel, meanwhile, informed journalists on Monday that he believes his transition to the relief pitching role might have been a factor in him being chosen for the major leagues instead of McLean and Sproat.
Mets Leadership convinced him of the plan, as McLean and Sproat would also be competing for starting positions.
"I've pitched at least around 115-120 innings over the past four years of my career, and I felt fine managing that schedule, so initially I was a bit upset because I knew I could cope with that kind of load," Hamel said at Citi Field.
I have confidence in my ability to perform at the next level, but there are truly talented players here—both starting pitchers and relief specialists. One topic we discussed with the team is that this type of position could offer greater opportunities.
This piece was first released on www.si.com/onsi/minor-league-baseball as New York Mets Execute an Unusual Promotion from Triple-A to Address Gaps in Their Relief Pitching Staff .