NY Mets: 1 area Tylor Megill needs to improve most

Pencil Tylor Megill in as a member of the 2022 New York Mets rotation. I’m only using pencil because the season is not yet complete and there’s no telling what the Mets could add this offseason.

Megill has definitely pitched well enough to be considered for a rotation job next year. Through 15 starts, he has given the club 77.2 innings and a 4.06 ERA. Definitely not something to grab at you, it’s his other metrics that we should cling on with nothing but positivity.

A walk rate of 2.3 per nine coupled with a strikeout rate of 10.2 per nine, we get a guy who knows how to throw strikes and do it effectively. Add in a 1.19 WHIP on the year for the rookie no one saw coming, the Mets have an impressive young arm with a future ahead of him.

Not all has gone incredibly well for the 3-4 Megill. If there’s one area he needs to improve, it’s how many home runs he is giving up.

Home runs have been a killer for Mets rookie Tylor Megill

Through this early point of his career, Megill has surrendered 1.7 home runs per nine innings of work. For more perspective, it averages out to 34 dingers for every 176 innings pitched. He has already given up 15 this year which is amazingly close to the 20 walks he has issued.

With rookies, there’s some give and take. Megill is giving opponents very few free passes. This has resulted in a few too many long balls.

Of course, this sample size isn’t incredibly great and when we look game-by-game, there is a positive twist we can take.

In 5 of his 15 starts, Megill didn’t allow a home run. Twice he gave up two and in one very bad outing versus the San Francisco Giants, Megill was tagged for four home runs. The Giants have hit home runs against everyone this year so if there’s one team to go crazy on you, it’s them.

It’s possible Megill might simply be one of those starting pitchers who rack up Ks and occasionally has to turn back and watch a pitch fly over the outfield fence a bit more often than we’d like. The key for success here is to make sure those extra home runs he gives up are nothing more than solo shots. Let the guys who hit home runs against him trot around the bases by themselves.

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Megill doesn’t need a complete overhaul to become a better pitcher. Finding a way to keep the way in the park might be all it takes.