Grant Hartwig
If you are looking for one player in the New York Mets’ organization that made the biggest rise in 2022, one name that comes to mind is right-handed reliever Grant Hartwig. Last year, Hartwig made an appearance at each of the four levels in the system in his first full season of professional baseball.
Due to the 20-round limit in the MLB Draft, Hartwig ended up signing as an undrafted free agent out of Miami (Ohio) in July 2021. If the draft was 40 rounds like there was in the past, you would think someone would have taken the chance on selecting him.
Nevertheless, Hartwig had a strong 2022, to say the least. The 25-year-old had a 1.75 ERA in 39 appearances (6-2 record) with 83 strikeouts to 24 walks in 56 2/3 innings of work. In addition, he held opponents to a .187 batting average.
That success earned Hartwig a trip to the Arizona Fall League this year. While he did have some struggles in Arizona (10.00 ERA, 8 Ks, 4 BBs, in nine innings), it had to be a good experience for him to face some top competition:
Overall, Hartwig may not have the greatest strikeout totals, but he did a great job last year in making sure opposing hitters were hitting the ball on the ground. According to FanGraphs, the six-foot-five reliever had a ground-ball rate of over 48% at Low-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn, and Double-A Binghamton. Additionally, he threw 62% of his pitches for strikes, so he is able to pound the zone at an effective rate.
As Michael Mayer pointed out back in December, Hartwig was being used for multiple innings as a reliever. With his starter experience, that could go a long way in getting him a big-league debut at some point in his career.
Grant Hartwig.
In the latest MLB Pipeline ranking of the Mets’ system, Hartwig is listed as the 22nd best prospect in the organization. Further, they say his slider is his most devastating pitch, and it pairs with a fastball that is usually around 93-94 MPH. He also features a changeup.
“His best pitch by far is a low-80s slider with good vertical and horizontal break that gets the majority of his whiffs. Speaking to the confidence he has in the breaker, he throws it about as equally as the fastball, sending batters at three different levels either lunging or frozen in place.”
While Hartwig probably won’t make the big-league roster out of camp this spring, he should get a chance to shine at Triple-A Syracuse. He only appeared in two Triple-A games a year ago and did not allow a run across three innings.
With a chance to face more experienced competition, it will be fun to see if the numbers Hartwig had last year can continue into 2023. If they do, the Mets may have found themselves a diamond in the rough going forward.
