Ranking Mets Starters Isn’t Easy, But We’re Going Young Here

The New York Mets had a tumultuous season with their starting rotation, as almost nothing worked out the way it was supposed to. Prospective ace Freddy Peralta failed miserably after coming over in a big trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, and all of Mets other veteran starters either struggled or got hurt. 

The result was a rotation that tilted young, mostly because there was no choice. That actually worked out well, though, and the Mets could actually go into next year with their rotation as a strength, as this ranking of their starters shows. 

Nolan McLean, RHP

McLean was thrown into the breach as a de facto ace, and for the most part he responded brilliantly. It took McLean a while to figure things out as he struggled periodically with command and control while learning to harness his amazing stuff, but once he did the right-hander started throwing strikes and going for length in his outings. 

He’s now the ace, and the expectations will be higher. You could tell from McLean’s demeanor that he hated being on a losing team, which is why he’s ready to take on the role. 

Zac Thornton

Putting him here is a surprise, and it’s done somewhat by default. He doesn’t have the velocity or the stuff to be a No. 2 starter, but he does have the makeup. He knows how to pitch, and he makes hitters beat him, which goes a long way in today’s game full of wild swingers who don’t know the strike zone. 

The Mets will have to be patient with Thornton, though, as there will be stretches where he gets hit around while he figures it out. Whether the Mets can do that is an open question, but Thornton’s a keeper. 

Christian Scott, RHP

Scott has No. 2 stuff, possibly, but No. 3 makeup, so you could eaasily flip him with Thornton. Scott’s biggest problem is that he’s not very efficient, and he has outings where he gets hit hard because he leaves the ball in the middle of the zone a lot. Patience is also required here, but the talent is certainly there to make it worth the wait.

Jonah Tong, RHP

Yes, we’re going young here, even though Tong is a total wild card, in part because we want to see Sean Manaea as a long man/spot starter. We also have no idea why it took the Mets so long to put Tong on the mound given how obvious it was that the Mets were going nowhere, because his stuff is incredible and the potential is unlimited if he can get his head and his emotions together.