The final New York Mets player review is on the southpaw Donnie Hart. He came to the Mets late in the season and made a very brief cameo, which resulted in one innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
As expected the Mets declined Juan Lagares' $9.5 million club option for 2020. He's now a free agent.
So are Joe Panik and Donnie Hart, who declined outright assignments to Triple-A Syracuse and elected free agency.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) November 1, 2019
Hart arrived with the Mets in August after they claimed him off of waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. During his time in Milwaukee, Hart pitched in 6.2 innings without allowing a run. The move seemed like a solid one to bolster the back end of the Mets bullpen.
One Inning Wonder
Hart made his Mets debut during their 13-2 win against the Pirates and retired the side on nine pitches. It seemed they would keep him around to finish the season, but just five days later, they signed Brad Brach. Hart went down to Syracuse, where he struggled, allowing five runs in 7.1 innings. The Mets recalled him in September, but he did not pitch again with them.
With Donnie Hart being designated for assignment, he could become the 17th player in Mets history with a 0.00 ERA.
That group includes Darren 0’Day, CJ Nitkowski, Rob Johnson, Desi Relaford, Ryan O’Rourke, Bob Gibson, and Kevin Brown.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) September 1, 2019
Hart became a free agent once the season ended and is unlikely to return with the Mets in 2020. He did join fellow lefty, Ryan O’Rourke, as the only pitchers to finish 2019 with a 0.00 ERA.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: D, Fastball, slider, change-up, and all of them are slow.
Control: A+
Composure: N/A
Intangibles: N/A
Overall: A+, Minimal sample size