Mets prospect Jordan Humphreys is a sleeper to watch this season

New York Mets pitching prospect Jordan Humphreys appears to be healthy for the first time since 2017. Can he pick up right where he left off before Tommy John Surgery?

The last time Jordan Humphreys pitched a full season in the minor leagues for the New York Mets was back in 2017. Then, at 21-years-old, he went 10-1 with a 1.42 ERA with the Columbia Fireflies of the Single-A South Atlantic League. He graduated to St. Lucie for a pair of starts, ultimately finished the year with 13 appearances and a 1.79 ERA.

Humphreys seemed like he was on track to a promising professional career. The former 18th round pick became an underdog prospect in the system to watch.

Unfortunately, his year was cut short due to elbow soreness which then led to Tommy John Surgery. Humphreys missed all of 2018 and made just two starts with the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2019. He did appear in 11.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League, picking up right where he left off with a 0.77 ERA across four appearances.

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Now seemingly fully healthy again, Humphreys is a TJ Surgery Graduate we can look forward to seeing rebound. The now 23-year-old righty is probably another year away from knocking on the big league door.

That said, there’s no reason to believe he doesn’t make a big climb up the minor league system in 2020.

As a professional pitcher, Humphreys has averaged more than a strikeout per inning and less than two walks per nine. Numbers like these are hard to find even from the most noteworthy of prospects.

Typically, you can’t find a pitcher with such an incredible balance of striking out men and not surrendering free passes at the same team.

Since Humphreys last pitched regularly, a lot has changed with the Mets. Changes to the front office, the manager’s seat, and the farm system’s most notable names stand out most.

Many of the Mets’ top pitching prospects in recent years have been traded away with the best currently on the board still a few years away. Humphreys could end up as an exception. A leftover from the Sandy Alderson era taken in the 2015 draft, he has an opportunity to save what has thus far been a weak class.

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So far, the 2015 Mets draft has been underwhelming. Interestingly enough, Thomas Szapucki is the fifth round selection who is in a similar spot as Humphreys. Forgotten because of injury, he’s yet another prospect we could see make a big climb in 2020.