The Mets invited three big starting pitching prospects to camp this year: Dominic Hamel, Christian Scott, and Mike Vasil. Similar to Scott, Vasil is another pitcher who saw his stock rise considerably last season. At the end of the 2022 season, he was listed as the No. 21 prospect in the Mets system by MLB Pipeline. At the end of last season, he was listed as the #9 prospect. In the 2024 pre-season Mets prospect rankings by the Athletic, Vasil is #10. Both organizations predict that he’s going to make his major league debut at some point this season.

Vasil is primarily a fastball-cutter pitcher. He also mixes in a curveball and changeup to offset his low-90s fastball. One of the more interesting notes from MLB Pipeline Vasil used to throw a two-seam fastball in college, but the Mets worked it out of his arsenal after drafting him.

The Mets drafted Vasil in the eighth round back in 2021, where he made a few starts totaling only seven innings in his first year with the Mets. Vasil quickly turned heads in 2022, posting a 2.19 ERA over 37 innings in nine games in St. Lucie, earning himself a promotion to High-A Brooklyn.

He didn’t dominate in Brooklyn, pitching to a 5.67 ERA over 33 innings. Vasil did get better at striking players out in Brooklyn though, jumping from a 9.5 K/9 to an 11.9 K/9. The difference was homers. He only gave up one homer with St. Lucie but three in fewer innings in Brooklyn.

Despite struggling, the Mets saw enough positive with Vasil in Brooklyn in 2022 to promote him to Double-A Binghamton to start 2023. Vasil improved at the higher level, and logged a 3.71 ERA in 51 innings.  However, homers became a problem again, as he allowed eight in a short sample size.

Still, Vasil was able to keep his strike numbers up and earned another promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Similar to 2022, his performance took a step back after promotion, but there was still a lot to like. His ERA jumped to 5.30, mostly due to a jump in walks (4.7 BB/9) but his strikeout (10.1 K/9) and homer numbers (1.2 HR/9) didn’t change.

If the pattern holds, then Vasil should improve his ERA in Syracuse this season. This improvement would be a massive step forward for the righty, as the Mets are in a rebuilding phase and Vasil could get the opportunity to pitch in the majors this season.

This hypothetical opportunity isn’t farfetched either. The 2023 Mets had 10 different pitchers start a game, and at some point this year the Mets will tap into their depth again. This spring we are going to be looking to see if Vasil keeps the ball in the ballpark and keeps his walk numbers down, as those were the two knocks on his game at the end of last season.

Then after the spring, the race begins. There’s going to be an open competition all season between Hamel, Scott, and Vasil, who has the upper hand due to experience over the other two. When the Mets need a spot starter, or maybe if he forces himself onto the major league roster, Vasil could be in Queens in 2024.