It is no secret that the New York Mets’ farm system is ripe with high-end offensive prospects, but light on elite arms. However, the lack of pitching depth has been somewhat softened by the emergence of Mike Vasil.
Vasil, who was taken by the Mets in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft from the University of Virgina, has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2023 season. He’s fast morphing into a real blue chip prospect for the Mets. You could argue that Vasil is one of the best pitching prospects in the system alongside Blade Tidwell.
Vasil had another gem of an outing on Friday night as he dominated for Double-A Binghamton again. The righty didn’t allow a run in six innings of work, giving up just one hit and two walks while striking out seven. He now boasts an incredible 34 K to 4 BB ratio in 22 innings this year.
Mets pitching prospect Mike Vasil tonight for Double-A Binghamton:
6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
The 2021 8th round pick has an incredible 34 K to 4 BB ratio in 22 innings this year.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 6, 2023
Mets fans already caught a tantalizing glimpse of what the 23-year-old is capable of following an impressive outing in spring training. Making his Grapefruit League debut against the Atlanta Braves, Vasil allowed six hits in three innings but flashed a pitch arsenal that would look right at home in the bigs.
He also issued no walks and induced three swinging strikeouts, despite facing elite hitters in the ilk of Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley. Vasil was locked in against the Braves and he proved in that outing that he has the skillset and the intangibles needed to thrive in Major League Baseball. He commanded his pitches like a seasoned vet and caused established hitters plenty of trouble.
His arsenal, which features a mid-90s fastball, a cutter in the upper-80s, a curveball that sits in the low-80s and a split change-up, will play in the major leagues, as will Vasil’s athleticism. He struck Olson out and made him look silly in spring training, and there is lots to like about Vasil’s high ceiling.
Vasil, who is the Mets’ No. 9 prospect in MMO’s rankings, is improving rapidly and he’s dramatically lowered his walk rate in 2023 while racking up an insane amount of strikeouts. Given the state of the Mets’ starting rotation to begin the year, and the lack of overall pitching depth within the organization, it perhaps isn’t out of the realms of possibility that Vasil could be inching closer to a call-up to the big leagues. Especially if he continues his current rise.
