Mets' pitching tryout impresses Collins

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- There's a sign over the entrance to the Mets' spring training minor-league locker room that says, "The Road to Citi Field Begins Here."

For one Mets minor-leaguer, the road began in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn. That's where Les Walrond bought a plane ticket and paid his own way to a tryout camp the Mets held here March 1.

Walrond, a 34-year-old lefthander, was the only one of the 15 players at the invitation-only tryout to sign. Ten days later, he was facing the Florida Marlins in an exhibition game.

For that assignment, he received 20 minutes' notice.

Walrond, who has 23 games of big-league experience, has virtually no shot to make the Mets out of spring training. He's not even guaranteed a job on one of the minor-league clubs.

But he's got one thing going for him: His performance last Friday caught the eye of manager Terry Collins.

Really, it was one pitch that had Collins buzzing. Walrond threw a curveball to lefthanded-hitting Chris Lubanski. The pitch froze Lubanski for an inning-ending strikeout.

"Did you like Mr. Walrond?" Collins asked, unprompted, after the scoreless one-inning stint. "I liked his curveball. We'll let him get back in a little bit better shape and try him again."

Walrond was a 13th-round pick of the Cardinals in 1998. He has had chances with six major-league organizations and three stints in the bigs (2003 with the Royals, 2006 with the Cubs, 2008 with the Phillies). His career ERA in the majors is 7.07.

He spent 2009 in Japan and 2010 in South Korea. In 2005, when he was a free agent, 28 teams called. This year, he did the calling.

"I told my agent, 'I set aside some money; I'm going to buy some plane tickets,' " Walrond said. " 'Just call the teams and let them know I just want to give them 10 minutes and watch me throw.' "

The Mets hold a tryout camp every spring, according to Adam Fisher, the team's manager of baseball operations. They are looking for players who may have slipped through the cracks.

The March 1 tryout lasted 90 minutes. Walrond was in Florida, having auditioned for the Nationals. But he didn't get to face any hitters and didn't get signed. He drove from Viera to Port St. Lucie not knowing he was going to throw live batting practice.

"I thought we were just throwing a bullpen," he said. "Tryouts are kind of a double-edged sword. They want to see the velocity, but you have to still throw strikes. You basically get one shot. I had 15 pitches to make a good impression."

He did. Fisher said Walrond "clearly stood out. He was the best guy there. He showed what we saw in that major-league game. He showed you the fastball to both sides of the plate, that nasty breaking ball and also a pretty good changeup."

Walrond signed on the spot and was issued uniform No. 92. He is working to get into pitching shape with kids who were preteens when he made his major-league debut in 2003.

He struck out Barry Bonds that year ("changeup") and gave up Bonds' 728th home run three years later ("fastball away"). He once struck out Ryan Howard.

The Mets need someone to deal with Howard and Jason Heyward and all of the other lefthanded batters out there. The candidates for the job, including one Oliver Perez, so far have been uninspiring.

So Collins would like to take another look at Walrond and that big curveball. Maybe not for now, but for later in the season.

If he makes it, he'll be the first player from a Mets tryout camp to play in the majors.

"I'm rooting for him," Fisher said. "It's a nice story."