Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen told Mike Puma of the New York Post that they are concerned that Rafael Montero was tipping his pitches during his major league debut last week against the New York Yankees.
Montero, 23, pitched a quality start, allowing three runs over six innings against the Bombers, but the Mets believe he could have been even better if he had done a better job disguising his pitch selection.
“I think we picked up a little something that he might be tipping, so we changed things to see if we can get that rectified,” Warthen told The Post. “Get him back to where he was in spring training with the big glove and not giving away things, and I think we’ll see a better outing.”
A team source also told Puma that Montero is a better candidate for the bullpen than Jacob deGrom because he has a rubber arm. That might come into play when Dillon Gee is ready to some off the disabled list next week. DeGrom is scheduled to pitch for the Mets on Wednesday against the Dodgers.
“It’s just great to have this kind of energy infused into the baseball club,” Warthen said about Montero and deGrom. “This kind of talent, it makes [bullpen coach] Ricky [Bones’] and my job so much easier, because these kids are hungry and they’re ready to learn.”
I’m pretty excited to watch these two kids pitch again, and I’m curious to see how Montero performs tonight against the Dodgers, now that he’ll be disguising his pitches better.
