Mickey Jannis started the 2015 season the same way he had the previous three, throwing the knuckleball in an Independent League, this time for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.  He was great for the Ducks going 6-2 with a 1.18 ERA and 0.944 WHIP in 17 games (11 starts) spanning 83.2 innings.

Since the start of the 2012 season he has pitched for five different teams including the Ducks, Bridgeport Bluefish, and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Atlantic League. He also pitched for the Lake Erie Crushers in the Frontier League and the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League.

The former 44th round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 was signed by the Mets as a minor league free agent on July 2nd this season. He made his debut with the St. Lucie Mets just three days later pitching 7 innings and allowing only one earned run. He finished 2-1 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with St. Lucie.

He struggled in three starts at the end of the 2015 season for the Binghamton Mets going 0-2 with a 5.54 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. He allowed only ten hits but walked eight in his 13 innings in AA. Overall, Jannis had a 3.55 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and held hitters to a .240 average during his first season in the Mets system.

Mickey was then sent to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters along with Mets top prospects Dominic Smith and Gavin Cecchini. He made six starts going 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.34 WHIP in 29 innings. He pitched once on MLB Network and here you can see some video of it.

He throws his knuckleball in the 75-78 MPH range most of the time with 80 MPH being the hardest one I have seen him throw. His fastball is still pretty good topping out at 89 MPH when I saw him. Mickey was not added to the Mets 40-man roster before the deadline meaning he is eligible to be selected in next weeks Rule 5 draft.

MMN – First off thanks for answering my questions and congrats on a great AFL season!

Mickey – No problem and thank you. It was a great experience.

MMN – When and why did you turn to becoming a full-time knuckleballer?

Mickey – When I first got released from the Rays in 2011 I was really looking for something to stick out when I had to go to independent ball the next season. I’ve always had a great one growing up and throwing it occasionally in summer ball and stuff like that, but it was never something that I thought I could get drafted doing.

So prior to the 2012 Indy ball season I tried to commit to it but it was a difficult transition. It really took off in winter ball when I played in Australia at the end of 2013. I became a starting pitcher for the first time in pro ball and was finally just able to and learn to pitch with it as a starter.

MMN – Have you talked to any other knuckleballers like Tim Wakefield or R.A. Dickey to help you with it?

Mickey – I talked with Charlie Hough very little at the beginning stages, but it’s been pretty much my own approach. A lot of trial and error from myself on learning to throw it while getting the feel of it for the past 4 seasons. I’ve been working with the Mets pitching coordinator on little tweaks in mechanics to be more consistent overall and that has helped so far.

MMN – Was there a point after pitching three plus seasons in the Independent Leagues where you thought you could never get a shot again in affiliated ball?

Mickey – This being the 4th season I actually felt the most confidence going in that something was going to happen for me. I think halfway through the 3rd season was the most difficult. I was throwing the ball really well but wasn’t getting the results numbers wise but I knew if I stuck it out I would get a chance from someone.

Then I got traded to the Atlantic league halfway through 2014 and I got to a whole other level of success. It’s been kinda weird but I’ve always told people that the knuckleball would be better against better and more experienced hitters and if you look at the numbers I definitely have been.

MMN – Were you aware of the Mets interested in you and how did you signing with them come about?

Mickey – I was never contacted by anyone from any team during any season in Independent ball until my GM from the Long Island Ducks got a call from them. I just walked into the clubhouse after a game eating the post-game meal just like any other game and the manager came over to me in front of everyone and asked to see me in my office. I kinda knew it had to be something about getting picked up because he had never called me into his office before.

That’s when the GM and manager was in there saying the Mets had interest and I had to call them immediately. All my teammates were extremely excited for me in the clubhouse cause they knew how well I was pitching and they’d been saying for weeks that someone was going to call soon and then it finally happened. They kinda kept me motivated that way. Instead of worrying why I wasn’t getting picked up with how well I was doing, it just kept me wanting to do better every time out.

MMN – What was in like to be part of a playoff run with Binghamton and play for Pedro Lopez?

Mickey – It was great. I had a ton of fun playing for Pedro. To get called up with about 3 weeks left and be right in the middle of a playoff push, it was great. The first day I showed up it just felt like I had been there the entire season. Such a great group of guys.

MMN – I got to watch you last week when you pitched in the AFL on MLB Network and was impressed by the movement of your knuckler. Have you toyed with throwing a softer knuckleball?

Mickey – I have actually and I do mix the speeds when I need to. I have thrown one as slow as 63 this season with the Mets. I don’t throw the slower one that often but it’s there if I need it. I have been fine tuning my delivery in the fall league so I have been just trying to stay more consistent in the strike zone with the harder one there because that is the one that will make me more successful in my career.

MMN – What was the AFL experience like? Being the older statesman among some top prospects.

Mickey – It’s been a great experience. I met a lot of great young players and made friends forever with some. No matter my age or theirs, I just tell people that that everyone has their own story, some just might take longer to tell then others.

MMN – Did they have to give you a personal catcher in the AFL, has that been the case throughout your knuckleball career?

Mickey – After my first start I threw to Chris Rabago every game and I really enjoyed throwing to him. We seemed to be on the same page from the beginning. But catchers have to be open to catching me. It can be a struggle at times and frustrating especially with men on base. I think you just have to give in to the fact that there will be some passed balls.

Every catcher seems to have a different approach. I tell them all the same thing at the beginning and then let them kinda do their thing that makes it easier for them. Also, my fastball and slider are still good enough to get hitters out so at the beginning stages of my knuckleball I used to butt heads with coaches and catchers to let me throw my knuckleball more, sometimes it worked sometimes it didn’t.

MMN – What do you think you need to improve on to take the next step and make it to the Major Leagues?

Mickey – The whole thing with the knuckleball is commanding it in the strike zone. Everyday and every pitch is like a new adventure of what’s going to happen next. So I just need to continue to get my mechanics more consistent and throw it for more strikes. The mechanics are more important than ever now because one little movement can cause rotation on the ball which is my worst enemy.

MMN – Thanks for answering all my questions and hopefully we get to see you soon in New York!

Mickey – No problem, sounds good to me!