Christian Scott, SP
Player Data: Age: 27 (6/15/1999)
B/T: R/R
2026 Traditional Stats: 23 G (23 GS), 110.0 IP, 3.85 ERA, 4-5, 134 K, 47 BB, 1.27 WHIP
2026 Advanced Stats: 105 ERA+, 28.3 K%, 9.9 BB%, 3.70 xERA, 3.61 FIP, 3.89 xFIP, 2.1 fWAR, 1.7 bWAR
2027 Salary: Pre-arbitration
Grade: B
2026 Review
It was a long recovery from Tommy John surgery for Christian Scott. He was healthy and ready to go by the start of last offseason, but didn’t get a roster spot for Opening Day after spring training. Scott was called up on April 23 to replace the struggling David Peterson. Although he struggled with command, walking five batters and getting four outs, Scott gradually improved as the season went on, earning his rotation spot. Since his season debut, Christian Scott has owned a 10.96 K/9, the ninth-best K/9 among starters with a minimum of 110 innings pitched. That number puts him ahead of ace starters such as Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, and Paul Skenes. Scott is also in the top 30 in FIP, xFIP, SIERA, HR/9, and BAA in that stretch.
Scott has a six-pitch repertoire: a four-seam fastball, a sweeper, a cutter, a curveball, a splitter, and a sinker. The four-seam fastball is his main pitch, averaging 95.5 mph and thrown 47% of the time. Hitters mustered a .235 BAA, mainly due to Scott’s elite extension off the mound (96th percentile) and the inverted vertical break on his fastball. The sweeper was thrown 23% of the time, and hitters only managed a .550 OPS against it, making it a highly effective out pitch.
The cutter was the most valuable pitch for Scott, with a +7 run value, which is easily the highest in his arsenal. Hitters slashed .118/.249/.184 with a .482 OPS against the cutter, proving that it was a great bridge pitch to Scott’s fastball and sweeper. The curve and splitter were utilized more against lefties, but neither fared well, with an OPS well above .800 against both. The sinker was only thrown 2% of the time but was hit hard when used. Scott’s glaring issue this season had been walks, as he walked almost four batters per nine innings. He had a few blowup outings where he walked four batters or more that skew his overall numbers, but efficiency and strike-throwing will surely be areas to improve for Scott this offseason.
2027 Preview
Christian Scott has all but cemented himself into the Mets’ rotation plans for 2027 and beyond. With Sean Manaea and Nolan McLean the other locks, and Zac Thornton and Jonah Tong strong contenders, the Mets need all the reliable arms they can get. After a strong 2026 campaign, Scott will look to build on that and establish himself as one of the best young starters in the sport. If he improves on his walk rate and increases the quality of his starts, he can flourish into the frontline starter the Mets have been searching for.
