Tyler Bashlor, RHP

Player Data: Age: 25, B/T: R/R

Primary Stats: 24 G, 32 IP, 7.03 K/9, 3.38 BB/9, 1.69 HR/9,  4.22 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

Advanced Stats: 5.44/5.59 FIP/xFIP, 0.54 GB/FB, 0.1 WAR, -0.17 WPA

Grade: C

2018 Review

Following a collection of solid campaigns between spring training, Double-A Binghamton, and the low minors, Tyler Bashlor struggled to establish a regular role in the Mets’ big-league bullpen early on. The hard-throwing righty allowed eight earned runs over his first 12.2 innings of work (5.68 ERA), striking out seven while walking eight as opposing hitters enjoyed an .833 OPS.

Bashlor ultimately put himself on the map with a solid final two months, though. His first-pitch strike percentage rose from 50.9 to a much more effective 69.2% as his peripherals generally improved. As the Mets streaked to a 32-20 finish from August 6 to the end of the season, Bashlor held opposing hitters to a .183/.256/.394 line (coupled with a .184 BABIP) with a 3.26 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 4.5 K/BB ratio (18:4).

The Achilles heel in his 2018 season was the long-ball. Even over his hot streak, Bashlor averaged 1.86 HR/9, which drove his FIP up to 5.07. While his fastball value (brought to you by PITCHf/x) turned from -2.2 to 1.5, his curveball went negative. The lack of a sufficient knockout pitch was most likely the reason over half of Bashlor’s appearances came in low-leverage spots. Even so, late in close games (per Baseball Reference), Bashlor still held opponents to a .121/.194/.394 across 36 plate appearances.

2019 Outlook

Bashlor certainly grew into pitching at the big-league level, but not without his share of hitches. As the May showers and June swoons indicated loud and clear for this Mets team, consistency in the bullpen will be imperative going forward. If the Mets decide to target reinforcements either via free agency or winter trades, it seems more likely that Bashlor (and possibly even Drew Smith) would work to polish his repertoire in the minors.

There’s also a chance that New York decides to play it more conservatively, taking things via trial and error and potentially gauging their chances following spring training. If Bashlor can at least maintain the quality of work he turned in over his last several outings, there’s no reason to deny him a spot on the Opening Day roster. As soon as he develops a viable curveball to offset the high-90s fastballs, Bashlor will definitely be one to keep an eye on.