When new Mets pitcher Griffin Canning reported to spring training last month, he raved about the Mets trademark “pitching lab,” and wasn’t shy in expressing excitement in what it could potentially do for his career.
“I think it would be stupid not to use the technology to get yourself better,” Canning said, via the New York Post. “But it also matters the guys that are running it and dissecting it and boil it down for you in a simple way you can understand it.”
So far, the early returns on the Canning experiment have been an overwhelming success. The righty fanned nine batters while facing just 17 in Monday’s spring training action, bringing his strikeout total up to 16 in 10 innings so far this spring, allowing just one earned run along the way. His fastball usage was down, and his secondary pitches were generating a ton of swing and miss.
Suddenly, the signing that generated some criticism from the Mets fanbase due to his 5.19 career ERA is looking like a potential sleeper pick to have a resurgent season in his debut campaign in Queens.
Sound familiar? It should. Last year, it was Luis Severino bouncing back from a disastrous season with the Yankees to have a healthy and productive campaign that earned him a contract richer than any the A’s had signed a free agent to in franchise history. Sean Manaea tweaked his arm slot and became the bonafide ace of the staff, while David Peterson cut his ERA down by three runs from the season before, posting a 2.09 mark in 2024.
Perhaps the Mets are finding their groove in year three of their pitching lab, which is likely behind David Stearns’ hesitancy to dole out big money to top pitchers. Why spend on consistent injury risks like pitching when you can bring in a cheaper option (like Canning for $4.25 million) with upside, use your technology and analysis to optimize an arsenal and mechanics, and potentially hit a diamond in the rough?
Injuries to Manaea and Frankie Montas led many fans to clamor for a big trade like Dylan Cease, but the Mets have stood firm with what they brought in already this offseason. At this point, it wouldn’t be smart to doubt them, as returns from 2024 mixed with Canning’s breakout this spring suggest that the team has found its wheelhouse with its pitching lab. Perhaps the Mets have found the formula that teams like the Rays mastered, finding pitchers seemingly out of nowhere to consistently remain in the hunt. Now, mix in the big-market value and Steve Cohen’s riches to add superstar power like Juan Soto, and look out.
Stearns’ philosophy with pitching has taken shape in Queens: find potential at a discount, get them under the microscope of the Mets pitching lab, and unlock a new level of production. Whether it be tweaking an arm slot or having Canning bring back a cutter, they have a proven ability to optimize their investments when it comes to their pitching staff.
So, while pitching remains a point of uncertainty with injuries and seemingly marginal acquisitions, it would be wise not to declare the Mets staff a weakness heading into 2025. Not while their pitching lab is humming.