Marcel Renteria, Photo By Ernest Dove
24-year-old Marcel Renteria was drafted by the New York Mets in the 6th round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft from New Mexico State University. After putting up pedestrian numbers during his first season in pro ball with the Brooklyn Cyclones out of their bullpen (11.1 IP, 17 K, 9.53 ERA) Renteria went on to make 15 starts the following season for the Class A Affiliate Columbia Fireflies (76.2 IP 72 K, 4.23 ERA) in 2018. Since the start of this season, the organization placed Renteria with the Class-A Advanced St. Lucie Mets and moved him into their bullpen.
Renteria had this to say regarding his transition away from a starting role.
“The biggest adjustment was finding my identity coming out of the pen. I realized I’m not the guy who’s just going to blow it by you with every fastball I throw and it took some learning moments to trust and use all my pitches to my advantage”.
While showcasing an upper 90s fastball (topping 96 MPH in outings seen by this writer) to go with an arsenal that includes a slider, change up and curveball, Renteria still started the year slow statistically, pitching to a 6.55 ERA through seven April appearances and then to a 10.50 ERA in seven May outings in which he had his lowest K rate of any month to date (9 Ks in 12 inn). He has since begun to heat up.
Below is a video of one of his strikeouts recorded during an April outing.
In the month of June, through 6 outings (12 IP) Renteria recorded 11 strikeouts and pitched to a 1.50 ERA. Then the calendar moved to July and he has not looked back since, recording consecutive scoreless outings ever since. In a span of 10 outings from July 2nd through August 7th, Renteria has pitched a total of 19.2 innings, recording 20 strikeouts against five walks, allowing only seven hits during this stretch. Six of these outings last more than one inning for the right-handed hard thrower.
Below is a video of one of his recorded strikeouts during this stretch.
The stuff has been there all season. The numbers were lacking for Renteria to begin the year, but he has begun to harness his potential with his power arm, showing more control and command with a stretch of some of the lowest walk rate totals of his pro career to this point. I asked him about any changes or adjustments he has made during the season which can also account for all the recent success.
“For me, it was just about trusting in the process. Ricky Bones helped me identify some adjustments I could do mechanically early on and I have stuck with it. It helps me be more consistent and in control of my body thus leading to my pitches being sharper and in the zone. I credit, Ricky, Victor Ramos and Mike Cather for helping me with pitch development, design and just competing in the games”.
He has been one of the most reliable and durable pitchers on the roster all season, currently sitting 11th in the Florida State League with his 30 total appearances, with his teammate Carlos Hernandez ranked 8th at 31 games. He also has one of the strongest arms on the roster all season with regards to his fastball velocity.
I asked Renteria about his goals for the remainder of the season and beyond. Here’s what he had to say.
“My goals for the season are to just do my job and help the team try and win the second half. We have a great group of guys and it’s a fun clubhouse to be in, so we definitely want to make a playoff birth and win it all. Beyond that is just to continue to live in the moment, max out my potential and develop into the best version of myself that I can be and make it to the big leagues. That has and always will be the goal. Most of all I credit the turn around this season to the man above”.
