With the New York Mets dealing with some injuries to their pitching staff, their starting rotation will look a little different to start the season than initially anticipated. The team finalized their rotation this week, with righties Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning securing the last two spots.
Mets’ Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning secure final rotation spots
Manager Carlos Mendoza described the decision as difficult given the strong performances many pitchers had in Spring Training. Paul Blackburn was another candidate to secure a rotation spot but they decided he would come out of the bullpen.
“It wasn’t an easy [decision] because of how well they are all throwing the baseball,” Mendoza said, via the New York Post’s Mike Puma. “Megill earned it. He came into camp on a mission and he went out there and earned it. He did a lot of things we were asking, and it started with throwing strikes and attacking hitters and he did that during spring. His stuff is elite. He earned it.”
Megill, 29, is entering his fifth season with the Mets and has plenty of experience as a starting pitcher for them. Last season, he started 15 games out of 16 total appearances and recorded a career-best 4.04 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched.
Megill has stepped up for injured pitchers in the past, and now he is expected to do so again and could quietly establish himself as a consistent arm. He has a lot of upside but hasn’t quite put it all together as of yet, but this would be his greatest opportunity to do so.
Canning will be relied upon with the injuries to the rotation
Canning, meanwhile, is entering his first year with New York after signing a one-year deal with them in the offseason. He was expected to be in the rotation from the jump and could be a highly impactful arm in their rotation this season.
Canning spent his first five seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and was a consistent part of their rotation over the past two seasons. Last season, he made 31 starts in 32 appearances and recorded a 5.19 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 171.2 innings pitched.
Despite his struggles, a chance of scenery could help him make big improvements to his game and become a much more reliable arm in the rotation. With Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas expected to miss a significant amount of time, Canning and Megill will both be relied upon to provide depth in the starting rotation for the Mets.
The Mets have Clay Holmes tabbed as the Opening Day starter, with Megill and Canning slated to follow him in the next two games. New York opens their season on Thursday against the Houston Astros on the road.