Calvin Ziegler, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN
The Mets added several solid pitching prospects to their farm system, most of whom are expected to start the season in A-Ball with the St. Lucie Mets. Metsmerized’s Mike Mayer reported that right-hander pitchers Calvin Ziegler, Dominic Hamel, Christian Scott, and Mike Vasil are all reporting to St. Lucie once the season starts. Their rotation figures to be the most interesting one to watch this season, so let’s take a deeper look at the four names slated to headline the rotation.
2nd Round Pick RHP Calvin Ziegler, MMN’s no. 13 Prospect
Ziegler, just 19, was selected by the Mets with the 46th overall selection in last year’s draft. Ziegler stands in at 6’0″ with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s with the ability to touch the upper 90s. His breaking ball is an interesting one, considering there is no exact consensus on what to label it. The pitch, which is probably best described by Perfect Game’s Kyle Peterson as a “slurvy curveball”, sits in the mid-80s. He also uses a change-up, and is known as a prospect with a lot of spin on his pitches but struggles with command.
Ziegler is a Canadian by nature but pitched his senior year of high school in Florida. After the Mets opted not to sign Kumar Rocker, he became the top draft pick they added to their system. Considering how young and raw his talent still is, the Mets are likely in no rush to move Ziegler through the system. They’ll need to work through some of his command issues, but have oodles of time to do so. Expect to see a lengthy stay in St. Lucie for Ziegler, especially considering this would allow him work in the Mets’ pitching lab at their complex in South Florida.
3rd Round Pick RHP Dominic Hamel, MMN’s no. 9 Prospect
At 23, Hamel was not a flashy name coming off the board at number 81 overall, but he immediately slots into the Mets’ organizational top-10. Hamel comes way of Dallas Baptist, where he pitched for three years. MLB.com’s Jim Callis dubbed Hamel an “analytics darling” considering his high spin-rates. Hamel’s fastball sits in the low 90s, touching 96, and brings a spin-heavy slider and curveball with the fastball.
Hamel made his professional debut last season with the Florida Complex League Mets, throwing three perfect innings and striking out seven. Hamel’s stay in A-Ball might not last long before hitting High-A Brooklyn, but it appears as though the Mets will not push their college arms too hard this spring, considering their back-and-forth workloads from 2019-2021. Hamel, like most other collegiate pitchers, threw a full workload in 2019, had their season cut absurdly short with the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, and returned to normal work the following year.
5th Round Pick RHP Christian Scott
Scott comes way of the University of Florida, where they used him in several ways. He was predominantly used as a multi-inning reliever during his time there, getting just five starts in 55 SEC appearances. Scott’s fastball sits in the low 90s with the occasional mid-to-high 90s hit. He also has a big slider with a lot of movement on it, sitting in the 80s.
I have heard last summer that the Mets were considering stretching Scott out to become a starter, despite his appearances last summer coming in a relief role. This will obviously depend on how the new front office regime views Scott, but the initial thought was there. It should also be noted that all of his collegiate appearances came in the SEC, arguably the best baseball conference in the country. While it is not exactly minor league baseball, SEC play is about as close to a professional atmosphere as you can get in college baseball, especially considering national popularity and the crowds you are playing in front of.
8th Round Pick Mike Vasil, MMN’s no. 27 Prospect
Vasil, much like Scott, comes by way of a big name college program. Vasil was taken out of the ACC’s Virginia, where he pitched for three years before finding his way to the Mets. In 2021, his last year at Virginia, Vasil collected a 4.53 ERA before starting his professional career, where he started three games, struck out ten batters in seven innings, and allowed just one earned run.
The 22 year-old stands in at 6’5″ with a 235 lb build, and uses a four pitch mix. His first pitch is his fastball, said to sit in the low-90s. Beyond that, he also utilizes a slider, curveball, and change-up, your classic four pitch mix. His slider tends to work more as a slurve, with a lot of horizontal and vertical movement. He follows in line with other 2021 selections who are considered to have great stuff and solid-to-great spin-rates, falling in line with the Mets advanced analytics department.
