On a fast track
Flamethrower must master command for promotion
PORT ST. LUCIE — Come this weekend, Mets fans will get a close look at right-hander Gerson Bautista at First Data Field. Watch fast.
Bautista, 22, is the Next Generation flamethrower.
Last season in Single-A ball he had the third-highest fastball velocity in the lower minors (98.1) with a minimum of 100 fastball pitches. He threw 33 pitches over 100 mph.
The closer came over from the Red Sox in the trade for Addison Reed and scorched the radar guns in his small sample size of 14 ¹/3 innings at Single-A St. Lucie, where he walked three batters and struck out 20 as he put up a 1.26 ERA. With the Red Sox at High-A Salem he struggled, posting a 5.16 ERA, allowing 54 hits, 28 walks, while striking out 53 batters over 45 ¹ /3 innings.
Bautista was the star of the back fields this week and if he can get his command together, always the challenge, he can move quickly up the ladder to the major leagues.
The Mets are still learning about him, but manager Mickey Callaway is intrigued with the 6foot-2, 170-pound Bautista’s easy delivery and raw power.
“We’ll see how he moves along, but 100 [mph] makes a statement,’’ Callaway said with a smile.
Here is what scouts say: “His biggest weapon is four-seamer with high velo [98th percentile], high spin [84th percentile], high ride and steep angle. His secondary pitches, slider and changeup, show promise as well.’’
Bautista, who hails from the Dominican Republic, didn’t sign until he was 19 so he has a fresh arm, another bonus.
“I started practicing late, at the age of 16,’’ Bautista told The Post through Mets translator Carlos Guillen. “I wasn’t sure about going to play baseball until my father convinced me to play.’’
As for command, Bautista said he is making progress, noting, “Last year it was hard for me to have command of my pitches, but now I am starting to get that.’’
Bautista has bonded with Mets closer Jeurys Familia, learning the ropes of what it takes to be a major league reliever.
Asked about the feedback he is hearing from hitters, Bautista smiled and said, “They say if I keep that velocity on my pitches there will be no chance for any hitter.’’