NY Mets: Three non-roster invitees to monitor during Spring Training

1) Outfielder Mallex Smith

Mallex Smith was signed by the Mets this past November to a Minor League deal after being outrighted off of the Seattle Mariners 40-man roster in September. It wasn’t necessarily a shocking move as Smith largely struggled with the Mariners in 2020 after an ugly slash line of .133/.170/.178 with an OPS of .348 in 47 plate appearances. What was more shocking was the quick fall that Smith had after an exciting 2018 breakout campaign.

In 2018, Smith had a .296/.367/.406 slash line to go along with 40 stolen bases and ten triples with the Tampa Bay Rays which led the American League. Smith also had a 3.5 WAR which was the second-highest by a position player on the roster.

While Smith took a step back offensively in 2019 after being traded to the Mariners, he still led the entire league with 46 stolen bases and had further solidified that he was a proven threat on the basepaths. Smith also had begun establishing himself as one of the best defensive center fielders in 2019, as he ranked 11th among center fielders in outs above average with six according to Statcast after finishing 37th in 2018. For further reference, Outs Above Average (OAA) is a range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved.

While it has been a significant drop-off in play last year for Smith, it’s important to remember he is only 27 years old and could benefit from a change of scenery, especially after a shortened season where he never was able to regain his footing. Defensively Smith has the ability to play all three outfield positions as a defensive replacement and he could be serviceable off the bench as a pinch-runner.

Smith will be in competition with Albert Almora and Jose Martinez to gain one of the remaining spots on the Mets bench this spring. Should Smith’s bat reemerge to his days back with the Rays, he would resemble a realistic option for the Mets group of outfielders on April 1st.

2) Reliever Arodys Vizcaino

The Mets currently have a hole in the bullpen after the loss of Seth Lugo for at least the first month of the season. While there a host of relievers that will be vying for a spot in the Mets bullpen this spring, one intriguing name is former Atlanta Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino.

The hard-throwing Vizcaino had signed with the Mets back in November to a Minor League deal. While it has been a struggle for Vizcaino to stay healthy throughout his career when he has taken the mound he has been regarded as one of the better relievers in baseball as evidence by his career 3.01 ERA.

The 30-year old reliever has not thrown a professional pitch since April 7th, 2019, as shortly after that appearance he would undergo surgery for a torn right labrum and a scar tissue clean-up in his throwing shoulder. There is no telling what kind of pitcher the Mets will have in camp this spring after Vizcaino underwent serious shoulder surgery, but it is exactly the type of low-risk high-reward move that could pay dividends should Vizcaino resemble the type of pitcher that carried a career 2.60 ERA against the Mets.

Vizcaino has long been known as a predominantly fastball first type of pitcher, which has on average topped out at 97 MPH throughout his career, to go along with his sinker that tops out around the same velocity. In some previous appearances throughout his career, his fastball velocity has reached as high as 101 MPH. Also in Vizcaino’s arsenal is a curveball and slider which he uses to compliment his fastball and a changeup that he very rarely throws.

While it’ll be tough to envision Vizcaino containing that same type of velocity after major shoulder surgery, he will be one of the more interesting arms to monitor this spring due to his previous track record as one of the better arms out of the bullpen in baseball. Should his previous level of performance return during games this spring, I would not be surprised to see Vizcaino as one of the final additions to the Mets bullpen.

3) Right-handed pitcher Ryley Gilliam

One of the younger arms in terms of experience that received a non-roster invite to Major League camp is right-handed pitcher Ryley Gilliam. Gilliam is one of the more intriguing young arms to monitor during Spring Training, as he was recently ranked as the Mets 21st best prospect by MLB.com last season but has a proven track record as a reliever and he had made it all the way up to Triple-A during his first full professional season in 2019.

A previous fifth-round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft, Gilliam was Clemson’s closer during his college days and he registered a minuscule 1.41 ERA in his final season over 27 appearances with 11 saves. Gilliam has the pedigree to be an effective late-inning reliever down the line for the Mets, but there is also the possibility that he impresses the coaching staff enough during Spring Training that he is brought back north.

According to MLB.com’s scouting report, Gilliam’s arsenal contains a fastball that sits between 94-96 mph, and a curveball gives him a quality second out pitch that contains plenty of arch. As a result of those quality pitches that Gilliam possesses, he currently leads all Mets Minor League pitchers with a 35 percent strikeout rate since 2018. Those types of strikeout numbers will stick out to the coaching staff which is a big reason why the front office invited him to big league camp.

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If those strikeout numbers continue to translate to games this spring, the Mets will have to seriously consider the possibility of adding Gilliam to the bullpen. Relievers are usually fast-risers through the Minor League ranks and I don’t envision that trend changing in Gilliam’s case. If he does not break camp with the Mets this spring, I don’t envision it will be much longer before we see him in Queens.