THEY’RE A TIGHT BUNCH
4 Mets pitching prospects root for one another in MLB quest
Christian Scott, Mike Vasil, Dominic Hamel and Nate Lavender have spent a lot of time together throughout their careers, whether it’s been in Port St. Lucie, Brooklyn or Binghamton. And yet, even after they each go home every night, they still talk.
“We’re always talking,” Lavender, the only left-hander and the only reliever of the group recently told the Daily News. “Always. I mean, it could be 10 o’clock at night, and one of us will FaceTime each other just maybe if we have a question or we’ll start talking about an outing. I think that’s beautiful, just always talking about the craft.”
The Mets rode a group of homegrown pitchers to the 2015 World Series. Within a few years, they think they’ll be able to do it again with this group, all members of the 2021 draft class.
A starting pitching pipeline that went dry shortly after that banner year is starting to flow once again. The Mets have graduated starters Tylor Megill, David Peterson and Jose Butto in recent years. But these next four could have more potential. The Mets haven’t developed a frontline starter since Steven Matz in 2015. Graduating these four to the big leagues would be a success story for the organization, and it would be a meaningful story for four close friends.
“The thing that stood out to me is how good of human beings they are and how much they cheer for each other,” said Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. That’s probably not common. Yeah, these guys are all trying to make it to the big leagues, and all trying to achieve their dream and they’re all doing well. In their first big league camp, that can create some tension.
“That’s not it at all.”
All four were recently sent back to minor league camp, but during the three weeks they spent in the major league clubhouse, it was obvious to everyone just how close they were with one another. They each occupied auxiliary lockers on one end of the clubhouse, they were seen encouraging one another during drills and they decamped each night to the hotel to talk more about pitching, golf and hockey, and maybe battle one another on PlayStation (an area where Scott excels).
“They cheer for each other,” Hefner said. “They root each other on they help each other. They’re leaning into our veteran players and their routines. They’re polished in a lot of ways, so that’s exciting.”
Scott and Vasil recently made their first Grapefruit League appearances going right after one another. They might be the most well-known prospects of the group (MLB Pipeline has them ranked as the Mets’ fifthand 11th-best prospects, respectively) as the two with the most potential to become frontline starters.
Scott, the organization’s Pitcher of the Year last year, added a fourth pitch over the winter, adding to that potential. Scott added a sweeper to bolster his arsenal. He’s hoping to establish consistency this season by striking out Triple-A hitters at the same rate he did in Double-A (13.5 per nine innings for the former Florida Gator).
“We’ve seen each other grow, see each other fail, seen each other do great,” Scott said. “We’re always building off of each other.
Vasil, a Boston-area native who was drafted out of Virginia, was moved from Double-A to Triple-A last season and struggled to adapt to the ABS challenge system and a more challenging level early in his tenure in Syracuse.
“It wasn’t a surprise that struggled,” Vasil said. “The coaches handled it really well. They made sure day-to-day that I was in a good mindset which was really helpful.”
The two played in the Arizona Fall League together. Then, it was Scott’s turn to struggle. But even though the results weren’t what Scott wanted, Vasil noticed his confidence and presence on the mound and the sharpness of his pitches.
Hamel also had a challenging few months in Binghamton. The oldest of the group at 25, the Arizona native was hit hard in May and June of 2023. But he finished the season strong, not allowing an earned run in four of his final five starts, including the final three.
Scott, Vasil and Lavender helped make him more comfortable.
“I showed that I’m a dog,” Hamil said. “I know I’ve worked so hard to get here. And it’s like, this is just the start of what I envisioned for myself. So I’m just not letting up.”
Lavender was the only one of the group that handled last season with relative ease. A left-hander with a funky side-arm delivery posted a 1.74 ERA through his first seven games with the Rumble Ponies, which earned him a promotion to Triple-A. Lavender doesn’t throw particularly hard, but he has excellent command and some dazzling breaking pitches. Mets lefty Brooks Raley helped him with his changeup grip last spring and he’s ready to throw it this year.
“I think it’s a unique pitch,” he said. “It comes out with a lot less spin and it’s got a lot of separation from my fastball and I think that’s one of the factors that makes it successful.
Lavender has opened eyes at camp. Mets officials believe he may be big-league ready, but the club isn’t in a hurry to rush him or the other three.
They all have their interests and personalities outside of baseball. Lavender, an avid golfer, already has a set of clubs for his 4-month-old daughter Sage. Scott loves the Florida Panthers, Vasil recently started watching “Seinfeld” and can’t get enough, while Hamel is the one they say is the best dressed.
They’re all on their own timelines and there is no animosity about awards, accolades and call-ups. Since 2021, they’ve been each other’s biggest supporters all around New York, now they’re eyeing moves to Queens.
“When you’re able to hit it off with guys like that, you’re able to appreciate them as people,” Hamel said. “Then, you see them develop as players and then you start to envision what we can do down the road.”