3 NY Mets players who tricked fans into thinking they should play more than deserved

3) Tylor Megill

Tylor Megill hasn’t had a chance to pull at our heartstrings for quite some time. The staff’s perennial sixth starter had his opportunity to begin the year with the team due to injuries. For a while, it was looking like Megill had finally arrived.

Instead of Megill arriving, the usual story unfolded. He couldn’t stay healthy nor was he able to keep the good times rolling. Upon his placement on the IL, Megill had made 14 starts. At 5-5 with a 3.95 ERA and a 0.1 WAR, everything he had done up until that point suggested he was exactly what we always knew about him: average.

Megill owned an amazing 1.74 ERA in his first 6 starts of the season. His 39 strikeouts in 39 innings helped lead the way, although even when he wasn’t pitching his best the K rate was high. The thing about Megill is he sometimes seemed too caught in trying to strike everyone out. While other Mets pitchers have evolved to thrive with soft contact and/or groundballs, Megill had the mentality more desirable from a high-leverage reliever.

It’s a familiar conclusion to draw with Megill. His abilities as a starting pitcher have a clear limit. Why not throw him into the bullpen? His brother has been completely reinvented as a dominant reliever for the Milwaukee Brewers. Mets fans dream of the day when he stops fooling us into thinking he’s more than starting pitching depth.