Photo via Jacob Resnick
Back in 2006, the New York Mets signed a left-handed pitcher to pitch for their Venezuelan Summer League team for a $40,000 signing bonus. The Mets saw something in this 17-year-old who threw in the high-80s and could occasionally touch the low-90s.
Back then, almost no one knew who this pitcher was. Of course, now, we know that pitcher is José Quintana. Naturally, if the Mets knew what they had then, things probably would have worked out much differently.
Quintana did not impress in his extraordinarily brief time in the Mets organization. He would only make three appearances totaling 5 1/3 innings. Overall, he was 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA, 2.625 WHIP, 13.5 BB/9, and an 8.4 K/9.
Now, some of those struggles could be explained by a back issue Quintana was having. That back issue also could have meant his professional career was going to end before it even began.
During his rehabilitation program, Quintana was suspended for violating the terms of Minor League Baseball’s drug policy. According to him, he received something from a “sports medicine guy” at a Colombian rehabilitation facility. Following his poor 2006 performance and suspension, the Mets would release Quintana.
As Quintana would tell MiLB.com, “I had four months where I was out of baseball, and I totally thought I was done. But I had really good people around me, especially my family, who supported me throughout all this.” Fortunately, for Quintana, the New York Yankees saw something in Quintana and gave him a second chance.
Quintana pitched well as a Yankees prospect but could not make it past High-A. As a minor league free agent, he signed with the Chicago White Sox. He would make his Major League debut in 2012. This set him on a path where he was an All-Star, and now, he has returned to the Mets as a sage veteran 34-year-old left-handed starter.
It’s simply astonishing. The first 17 years of Quintana’s life led to him signing a deal with the Mets to begin his professional career. The next 17 years of his life were his professional journey which again led him back to the Mets organization.
Albeit unwittingly, Quintana blew his first opportunity with the Mets. The odds are he isn’t going to blow this opportunity. In the end, this is a great redemption story and a story about a player learning from his mistakes and making the most of his chances.
