Credit: Corey Sipkin, New York Post

MMO Fan Shot By: Mickey Parrella

The New York Mets did a lot this offseason to improve the roster up and down. With all of the movement and roster transactions, it can be kind of hard to track everything.

It’s a lot, and can make your head spin. But, one of those moves that the front office made this offseason that really caught my attention was the move to sign Sam McWilliams to a major league contract. It was fascinating for a lot of reasons. I also understand that the average Met fan or even the really die-hard Met fan can be left confused by this move.

Why would the Mets sign a player to a major league contract with no prior major league experience?

Well for starters, McWilliams isn’t some unknown commodity. He has been in the loop as someone with a lot of potential for years now. Drafted out of High school in Tennessee in the eighth round by the Phillies, he has always been somewhat of a project, as McWilliams has been involved in multiple trades throughout his career.

He was first traded to Arizona in 2016 for Jeremy Hellickson. McWilliams was later traded to Tampa Bay in 2018 for Steven Souza Jr. Then in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, he was selected by the Royals, and he was given a clear opportunity to make the club.

Unfortunately, he struggled mightily in spring training with a 15.43 ERA in 4 and ⅔ innings and was sent back to Tampa and the inconsistencies continued in the minors that year. After he tore up Double-A with a 2.05 ERA in 15 appearances (11 starts), he was schooled in Triple-A as he pitched to a 8.18 ERA in 11 appearances (8 starts).

With his career on the line, McWilliams knew he had to make massive changes if he was going to achieve his dream of making the big leagues. After the 2019 season, he changed his pitching mechanics and changed his repertoire. He ditched his sinker, and focused on his four-seam fastball and slider instead.

With these adjustments, McWilliams began to produce promising results at Tampa’s alternate site. His fastball velocity increased, reaching as high as 98 MPH. His slider became sharper, as his confidence grew.

After the 2020 season, he elected free agency and sent out the pitching data from the alternate site to teams. They were impressed by what they saw, and a bidding war ensued. The Mets made the ultimate commitment, offering a major contract that would pay him 750,000 dollars, far more than the minimum, despite not pitching a single game in the big leagues. He would sign on November 20, 2020, marking the first big league signing of the Steve Cohen era.

I know that a lot of people love rooting for the top prospects. I love that too. But what I love most is looking at guys that are under-the-radar. As he tore up Triple-A in 2014, I was a big proponent of Jacob deGrom before his promotion. I was also a big fan of TJ Rivera, who also racked throughout his entire minor league career, even though he was an undrafted free agent.

Same can be said for Jeff McNeil who had similar success in the minors, but seemed to get little love at first. All three guys contributed to the Mets in positive ways in their careers. Rivera was a big reason the Mets made the playoffs in 2016, even with all the injuries they sustained throughout the year. McNeil became one of the best pure hitters in the league, and Jacob deGrom became the best pitcher in baseball.

I’m not saying Sam McWilliams is going to be Nolan Ryan. But I trust my gut, and I think McWilliams has the chance to prove that he could be a stroke of genius by the Mets front office. I can definitely see McWilliams as the pitcher that Robert Gsellman was supposed to be. The long-man option in the pen.

If we are being honest, Gsellman still hasn’t proven to be trustworthy coming out of the bullpen, even though he has been given numerous opportunities. I think McWilliams has a chance to beat him out, with the potential of maybe becoming a starter in the near future, if given the chance.

I think McWilliams has the look of Noah Syndergaard with his long, blonde, curly hair and 6-foot-7 build, but with more of the personality of a humble hard-worker like Jacob deGrom. I think McWilliams could be an unsung hero for the Mets. We just have to wait and see.