Chris Flexen’s first two years with the New York Mets were the complete opposite of thriving. It was evident that he needed more work before contributing at the big league level, and it showed again during the 2019 season.
Mickey Callaway talks about today’s starter Chris Flexen. #LGM pic.twitter.com/s6xm3F5zDQ
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 20, 2019
Flexen came into Spring Training in better shape than in previous years. Out of necessity, Flexen made a spot start on April 20, and it was precisely the type of outing Mets fans had seen before. He only pitched 4.1 innings and allowed six runs while walking four batters.
Bullpen Only
At this point, the Mets sent Flexen back to the minors and decided he would become a reliever. His velocity increased and recalled him for the May 4 game against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a game which left very bitter tastes in everyone’s mouths. The Mets wanted to avoid using Flexen due to his lack of success, but they had no choice by the time the 17th inning came around.
Flexen escaped the 17th without any damage, but the 18th was a different story. The combination of his lack of control and Angel Hernandez behind the dish led to three walks to load the bases. Ryan Braun had a two-run single to steal the win away from the Mets.
Chris Flexen just struck a dude out and got ZERO strike calls from the home plate umpire in a game that's 5 and a half hours deep and the pitching team has the lead. UNBELIEVABLE. pic.twitter.com/GqDBGaYVrS
— Stephen Josiah (@StephenJosiah13) May 5, 2019
Flexen went back to Triple-A the following day and waited until June to return. It was the only point of the season where he stayed in the big leagues for an extended period. He allowed three earned runs in his six appearances and had good strikeout numbers. It was not enough for the Mets to deem him as a valuable asset to the bullpen. After June ended, Flexen only made one more appearance all season.
The Mets released Flexen in mid-December, and it put an end to a horrendous career with the Mets. His career ERA is 8.07, and he always struggled with walks, allowing 7.1 per nine innings over his career. Flexen still has a live arm, which may intrigue some organization to take a risk with him in the minors.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: D, Fastball gained velocity in the bullpen, but his off-speed was often flat and down the middle.
Control: F
Composure: F, Not the guy you want in the game if you want to win
Intangibles: C
Overall: F