Two Mets Minor League Pitchers to Watch For

With all four of the New York Mets minor league affiliates in action on Friday for the first time in 2023 I want to write about two pitchers that could be poised for breakout seasons in 2023.

You probably won’t find either of these guys on a Mets’ top 30 prospect list (outside of mine that’s coming out next week), but make sure you eye an eye on them during the 2023 season.

LHP Felipe De La Cruz

Felipe De La Cruz might be the best pitching prospect in the Mets farm system you haven’t heard about. The 21-year-old came stateside for the first time last season and posted a 4.29 ERA (2.82 xFIP) in 35 2/3 innings between the FCL Mets and Low-A St. Lucie Mets. During that time, De La Cruz struck out a whopping 53 batters including nine in only four innings (scoreless) for St. Lucie.

De La Cruz also pitched in the championship series for the FSL Champion St. Lucie Mets and impressed with only one run allowed in 3 1/3 innings. In that outing, the lefty averaged 94.7 mph on his fastball and topped out at 95.8 mph. His best pitch in the game, by whiffs, was his changeup that got nine swings with five swings and misses. The changeup is harder than you would expect averaging about 87 mph in his time in St. Lucie. His second-best pitch is a slider at 81-85 mph that averages about 2450 rpms.

A couple of numbers that stick out from the 2022 season are the ridiculous 38.7 swinging strike % (led all Mets stateside pitchers) and the .392 BABIP (tied for highest among Mets pitchers) against De La Cruz.

Obviously, a left-hander getting his fastball up to 96 mph in his first taste of full season ball is impressive, and his flat vertical approach angle makes his fastball even tougher to barrel up and helps get more whiffs.

As you can see from the video, De La Cruz is on the smaller side at 6’0” and 160 pounds, but he’s athletic on the mound and gets good extension. The key for De La Cruz in 2023 will be commanding all three of his pitches better which includes using the shadow of the strike more often when ahead in the count.

De La Cruz is starting the 2023 season with the Low-A St. Lucie Mets where he projects to be a starter in an impressive rotation that features three more of my top 30 prospects LHP Javier Atencio, RHP Jawilme Ramirez, and RHP Jordany Ventura.

RHP Raimon Gómez

Raimon Gomez enters the 2023 season as the hardest thrower in the Mets minor leagues. He hits 99-100 mph in most of his outings and typically averages around 98 mph on his fastball. The 21-year-old also made his stateside debut in 2022, spending the entire season with the St. Lucie Mets. He had a 3.78 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and allowed only one home run over 47 2/3 innings last year pitching in every role. He started a few games, pitched in middle relief for multiple innings, and also picked up three saves. The right-hander finished his season off strong with 5 1/3 scoreless (and hitless) innings with five strikeouts in two playoff appearances.

Not only does Gómez possess great velocity on his fastball, but he also has great spin on the pitch as well. During the two playoff outings, he averaged 2554 and 2516 rpms on his fastball. For reference, an average spin rate in the 2516-2554 range would put him in the top 10-20 of Major League Baseball. Gómez also uses a slider that looks more like a cutter at times and is typically 84-88 mph. The strong-bodied pitcher is working on developing his changeup which he rarely used in 2022, but will need to become a more competitive pitch to stay as a starter long-term.

One of my potential breakout Mets prospects for the 2023 is Brooklyn OD starter Raimon Gómez.

Gómez, 21, hits 100, averages 98 in most appearances with spin rates around 2500-2555. Hard slider and starting to use change more.

One of top arms from Mets spring camp this year. pic.twitter.com/lgWJ3OY2HF

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) April 7, 2023

One number that sticks out for Gómez is his 0.19 HR/9, which ranked seventh in the FSL and tied for fourth among Mets minor leaguers with at least 40 innings last season. Another is his 16.3 swinging strike percentage, which ranked fourth among Mets pitchers.

Still remains to be seen if Gómez shows the stamina or the arsenal to be a starter, but the Mets have him as the Opening Day starter for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. If the Mets decide to switch him to the bullpen, Gómez could move quickly with his big fastball and slider combo.

More Arms to Watch

I have a tough time mentioning only two pitchers in the Mets system, so here are a few additional arms not on top 30 lists to keep tabs on throughout the 2023 season.

• RHP Sammy Tavarez – The 24-year-old has a fastball up to 100 mph with a big curve. Allowed more walks (33) than hits (19) last season in 40 2/3 innings for the High-A Cyclones. The .131 average against him in 2022 was by far the lowest in the Mets system and it led the South Atlantic League as well. Will start the year in the Double-A Binghamton bullpen.
• RHP Luis Moreno – The 23-year-old had a 2.84 ERA between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn in 117 1/3 innings. He finished the season strong allowing only four runs in 20 innings and walking only two in his last three starts of the season for Brooklyn. Moreo reaches the mid-90s with his sinker that gets good horizontal break (17-19 inches), but his best pitch is a curve that regularly posts spin rates over 3000 rpms). The sinker helped him produce a 57.2 groundball rate last year. He will start the season in the Double-A rotation.
• RHP Douglas Orellana – Another youngster that struck out hitters at a healthy clip last year with a 35.2 K% (second highest in Mets’ minors) between the FCL Mets and St. Lucie. The 20-year-old has been up to 97 mph with his fastball and has a curve that got up to 63 inches of vertical movement last year. He will start the year in St. Lucie.
• RHP Jeffrey Colon – The 23-year-old doesn’t feature a blazing fastball or a big-time breaking ball, but that didn’t stop him from posting a 2.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a strong 22.7 K-BB% between St. Lucie and Brooklyn. Colon worked as a starter, long reliever, and closer during the 2022 season. Colon’s success comes from a sinker (91-94) that gets well above average horizontal break (up to 22 inches). That pitch, mixed with two different changeups, maintained a Mets’ minor league-best 62.8% groundball rate last season.

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