5 players the NY Mets are glad they gave another chance to

The New York Mets took a gamble on a handful of players on their roster this year. Not every pitcher, like Kodai Senga or Edwin Diaz, is an All-Star caliber hurler. The Mets gave a handful of pitchers coming off 2024 seasons where they were injured, did not perform as expected, or are taking a risk by putting them in different roles an Opening Day roster spot. The gamble has paid off for these five right-handers to start the season.

1) Clay Holmes

The Mets are giving Clay Holmes a second chance as a starting pitcher. Prior to signing with the Mets, he spent the previous three and a half seasons as a member of the crosstown rival New York Yankees. Holmes was a very effective closer for the Yanks during his tenure with them.

In total, the right-hander tossed 217.2 innings, pitching to a 2.69 ERA, 2.74 FIP, and 1.12 WHIP. Holmes owned both a healthy 26.6% K% and 7.7% walk rate, but his ability to induce ground balls and keep the ball in the park was almost unprecedented by any other pitcher during this time. 

He had a 67.8% ground ball percentage, the highest among any reliever with at least 150 IP during his time with the Yankees. His 0.41 HR/9 ratio was also the third-best. This is even more impressive when you consider Yankee Stadium is the second most home run-friendly park in baseball, according to Baseball Savant's park factors.

Holmes working as a starter isn't unprecedented. When the Pirates drafted Holmes in the ninth round of the 2011 draft, they expected him to be a starting pitcher and gave him a record-setting signing bonus for a ninth-round pick. Heading into 2013, Holmes was a top 15 prospect in their system by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He only made seven appearances as a reliever from 2011 through 2018 in the minor leagues. Holmes even made four starts in 2018 for the Pirates but allowed 13 earned runs with the same amount of walks in only 15 innings.

The Mets took a gamble using Holmes as a starter, but it has worked out well so far. It has only been two starts and 9.1 innings, but Holmes has only allowed three earned runs with ten strikeouts. Holmes continues to induce ground balls at a prolific rate of 67.9% and has yet to allow a long ball. The only downside is Holmes has walked six opponents, which has hindered his ability to reach five innings. But Holmes has looked like a decent starter thus far.