Cyclones' J.T. Ginn used to all of the attention after multiple awards

J.T. Ginn had a laundry list of awards after his freshman season at Mississippi State.

National pitcher of the year by multiple outlets. Freshman All-American. SEC freshman pitcher of the year. All this led Ginn into a draft-eligible sophomore year with incredible expectations and the potential to hear his name near the top of the upcoming MLB Draft.

But Ginn couldn’t make it past his first start of the season on Feb. 14. The 6-2, 200-pound righthander exited after three innings with arm soreness that resulted in Tommy John surgery in 2020.

"I was obviously disappointed when I got the news being it was the first game of the year my sophomore year and my draft year and everything," Ginn said. "But things happen in the game. You just have to take it for what it is and I knew I had a long road of recovery ahead of me, but I just tried to keep a level head and move ahead with that as best as possible."

This didn’t shy the Mets away from the high-ceiling hurler. The Mets drafted Ginn with the 52nd overall pick in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft in June. Even after finding out he needed surgery, Ginn remained confident he’d fare well in the draft.

"I still had a pretty good feeling I’d be picked up just seeing it’s happened before for other Tommy John guys," Ginn said. "But definitely just grateful for the opportunity and it was definitely a blessing at that time to hear my name called and have that security there going through the rehab process."

Ginn said his recovery, although unusual since it occurring in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, went on schedule. He said he was throwing after about six months and pitching off a mound after about 10 months.

The 22-year-old righthander made his professional debut with Low-A St. Lucie June 3, a little less than 16 months after his final college outing. Ginn tossed three scoreless innings and went 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 35 strikeouts compared to 10 walks in 38 2/3 innings with St. Lucie before being elevated to High-A Brooklyn July 20.

Ginn is the Mets’ No. 5 overall prospect and second-ranked pitcher by MLB Pipeline. He has a 2.53 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 10 2/3 innings in his first two starts with Brooklyn.

Ginn said he feels strong and doesn’t like to compare himself to before the injury. He had been clocked as high as 97 mph in the past but has been around 90-94 mph this year. Along with a plus slider and changeup, Ginn is a name Mets fans will want to keep an eye on in the near future.

"It’s definitely been improving," Ginn said. "I think I’m a few ticks down velocity wise from the highest I’ve ever been, but overall I’m feeling pretty good and I’ve been feeling a lot better, so it’s been really exciting and I’m just taking it day by day and letting the process play out."