On Thursday, José Buttó looked to continue the recent trend of encouraging performances from New York Mets starting pitchers in spring training action.
With Opening Day rapidly approaching, this outing was particularly important for Buttó, who is vying for the final spot in the starting rotation.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Despite the immense pressure, Buttó rose to the occasion at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida against a formidable St. Louis Cardinals lineup. Through four exceptional innings, Buttó allowed zero runs, two hits, two walks, and three strikeouts, with his fastball reaching up to 97 mph.
“My main focus was to go out there and attack the hitters,” Buttó said after the game.
His philosophy of going right after the batters was likely a reason for overcoming the two instances of adversity that he faced during his start.
Buttó ran into some trouble after allowing consecutive one-out singles in the second inning to Willson Contreras and Matt Carpenter, which accounted for both hits he gave up on the day. However, he was able to sidestep trouble by striking out Dylan Carlson and generating a flyout from Michael Siani.
Like the hits, Buttó’s walks also came in a pair in the fourth inning. After issuing a free pass to Brandon Crawford, Buttó allowed him to steal second base and then reach third base on a wild pitch. Then, a walk to Contereas placed Buttó in another jam with runners on the corners and only one out. Again, like the second inning, Buttó was able to demonstrate resiliency by escaping the predicament with a strikeout and a lineout.
Manager Carlos Mendoza mentioned conviction as the catalyst of Buttó’s overall improvement.
“I think it’s confidence,” he said. “He knows he belongs at this level.”
After his strong outing, Buttó is now up to 10 innings pitched for the spring while allowing only one run with nine strikeouts during that span.
Clearly, Buttó is building upon his encouraging 2023 campaign where he saw limited opportunities as a depth piece. In 42 innings pitched at the major league level, he accumulated a 3.64 ERA with 38 strikeouts and a troubling 23 walks. However, he has only walked two batters in his 10 spring training innings, indicating development in his pitch command.
Mendoza also discussed Buttó’s continued improvement from last season and how the back end of his year set the tone for his recent strides.
“The way he threw the ball in the second half last year [has] carried over to this year,” he said. “He’s not afraid to use all the pitches, attack the hitters.”
Overall, Buttó’s excellent spring has contributed to a difficult decision that the Mets will have to make ahead of Opening Day. While many of the other starting pitchers have put up similarly strong numbers, Buttó has established himself as worthy of cracking the rotation and deserves a long look heading into the 2024 season.
