5 NY Mets players who won’t make the Opening Day roster but can have a huge impact

3) Christian Scott

You didn’t forget about me, did you? Coming off of Tommy John surgery, Christian Scott was the first in the current line of young and fabulous Mets pitching prospects to debut. He didn’t dazzle in 2024. His short tenure in the big leagues was more in-line with Brandon Sproat. Acceptable might be a good way to describe it.

Unfortunately, an entire season missed has put him a little behind. He turns 27 in June adding on some pressure to become a stable force with the Mets. He was a reliever in college who became a starter after going pro. If the Mets are going to handle him carefully, a relief role might not be a bad idea.

Helping his case is how well Scott has thrown strikes. He’s walking just a little over 2 batters per 9. He has strikeout capabilities, fanning batters at an 11.3 K/9 rate in the minors thus far.

Scott would probably fit the best with the Mets as a limited inning starter they can turn to early in the year. As important as it is for him to get and remain healthy, there’s no point in wasting the whole season by being too cautious. If he’s going to make a 3 inning start in Syracuse and the Mets need the arm in the big leagues, why not?

In the middle of the 2025 season, there was plenty of discussion about David Stearns pulling an old Milwaukee Brewers trick and using top starting pitching prospects out of the bullpen. We never saw that implemented. This year, with Scott and others competing for innings, it almost has to happen.