Dec 7, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Mets sign and logo during the MLB winter meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets continue to add depth to their minor league pitching staff by signing Rob Whalen to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. He was a former Mets draft pick who was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 2015 for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.
Whalen retired before the 2019 season, citing his battle with anxiety and depression as his reason for stepping away from baseball. He pitched to a 5.75 ERA in his 36 big league innings with the Braves and Mariners. Whalen is still only 26 years old and has multiple seasons with sub-two ERAs in the Mets minor league system.
He is now back where his career began and was a Mets fan growing up, which fits the traits of multiple other Mets. Whalen is not overpowering with his four pitches. His fastball sits in the low-90s, and he relies on his slider as his out pitch. Whalen also features a curveball that he threw more with the Mariners along with a change-up. He has a tough road to a big-league roster, but it is very encouraging to see him winning his battle with anxiety and depression.
This post was published on 2020-01-31 09:00
