Mets to call up top pitching prospect Christian Scott to pitch vs. Rays
Mets pitcher Christian Scott throws during a spring training workout on Feb. 19 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Alejandra Villa Loarca
Christian Scott’s time has arrived.
The Mets will call up Scott, their top pitching prospect, to make his major-league debut Saturday against the Rays, manager Carlos Mendoza announced after the Mets’ 7-6 win over the Cubs on Thursday.
Scott, a 24-year-old righthander, has ascended through the Mets’ farm system — and prospect rankings — quickly over the past year-plus, excelling after they turned him into a full-time starting pitcher.
In five outings with Triple-A Syracuse this season, he has posted a 3.20 ERA and 0.71 WHIP, striking out 36 batters in 25 1/3 innings.
“He’s got major-league pitches,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. “Now, he gets the opportunity to pitch in a real major-league game. I’m just excited for him, his career arc and what he’s been able to do. I’m excited for him.”
Mendoza said: “He’s ready. He deserves it. He earned it, the way he’s throwing the ball.”
The Mets had discussed Scott as a major-league option for weeks, Mendoza said. But as president of baseball operations David Stearns phrased it recently: “there’s this balancing act when you call up a prospect versus — when is the prospect ready? And then when is there the major-league need? And often those need to overlap and intersect. For some guys down there, we’re probably just waiting for that intersection to occur.”
That intersection will occur this weekend, the back half of the Mets’ stretch of 13 games in 13 days (the start of a larger 39-in-41 run). By inserting Scott for at least one turn in the rotation, the Mets provide an extra day of rest for all of the regulars in the rotation.
Mendoza was noncommittal about plans for Scott beyond one start. If he does well, they could very well keep him, particularly given the struggles of Adrian Houser (8.16 ERA).
“We’ll see,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see where we’re at with the schedule. He’s going to get the ball on Saturday.”
The recent flaw in Scott’s game: home runs. He has yielded seven long balls in five starts, most of them early in games.
How he has responded is what has most impressed Hefner.
“Getting punched in the mouth in the first inning and bouncing back and shoving for the rest of the outing,” Hefner said.
Mendoza said: “This is a guy who has given up a couple of homers early in games and then he’s able to go five, six [innings] and dominate. That shows you that he can handle it. Obviously, this is a different level. He’s going to be facing big-league hitters. But we feel like he’s in a pretty good spot, and that’s why we’re giving him the opportunity.”
Raley still out
Brooks Raley (left elbow inflammation) was due to get another MRI, Mendoza said, because he has not recovered as quickly as the Mets expected.
Initially, Raley and the team expected him back as soon as he was eligible, which is Sunday. But that isn’t the case anymore.
“It’s not going to be as quick as we thought it was going to be,” Mendoza said. “We’re still going through some things there with the medicals.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
