The New York Mets’ top pitching prospect is destroying Triple-A pitching in 2024 and is forcing the organization into making a major decision in the near future.
Heading into the MLB games today the Mets have won seven of their last 10 and have given fans hope that they may exceed expectations and contend for a playoff spot this season. One of the big surprises over the team’s first 23 games of the season is the performance of their pitching staff.
The group was thought to be a weakness since the front office went bargain shopping to improve it this winter, yet the group is top 10 in the league in ERA, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. What makes the revelation all the more exciting is the staff has performed at a high level without ace Kodai Senga.
However, it seems they also have a player in the minor leagues that is forcing the team to seriously consider a promotion.
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New York Mets pitching prospect dominating in Triple-A this season
Entering the 2024 season, 2021 New York Mets draft pick Christian Scott was the fifth-ranked player in their system (via MLB.com) after performing well at three different levels in 2023. However, in his first season in Triple-A this year, the 24-year-old has been killing it at the team’s Syracuse affiliate.
Outside of giving up six long balls that have ballooned his 2024 ERA to 3.48, Scott has posted a 3-0 record in four starts. Over 20.2 innings he has blasted through batters for 34 strikeouts, compared to just four walks. And those six home runs are a majority of the 11 hits he’s given up this season.
He has shown impressive control and nasty movement on his pitches this season as he makes a case that he is ready for the big leagues right now and is just being wasted at the minor league level. So, will the Mets call him up soon to bolster what has already been a good starting rotation?
The case against promoting Christian Scott
Starters Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and Sean Manaea have been good this year, and due to their tenure in the league and contracts, they are going nowhere. Jose Butto has also done a good job so far this season there is no good reason to demote another young player who has performed well.
Then there is the fact that Senga is eventually going to come back and the organization may be better off waiting for a potential injury and calling him up when they really need him.
The case for promotion Christian Scott
Christian Scott is showing he is the future of the New York Mets pitching staff and has earned a promotion. This is not a team that is winning a World Series, so with experience being so valuable a case can be made to bring him up now and let him get some big-league experience, take his lumps, and be even more ready when they push to become a contender again in 2025.
There is a chance that Scott would have an innings limit of around 125 innings this season. The more he uses in Triple-A at a level he is already too good for, it means they won’t be available for the majors. If he can be close to as good as he is in MLB as he is in Triple-A he would be a huge difference maker and deliver the best of his 2024 innings in a playoff run.