Former NY Mets player had an excellent spring training, but here's the catch

When the New York Mets picked up Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Eric Orze, a few things were accomplished. The team officially made it known they were moving on from Harrison Bader. Stamped in ink, their desire to favor experienced high-level defenders over anything else in center field became known. Siri is a fascinating player with some tremendous skills. He also has a tendency to disappear at times offensively.

Of little concern was what the Mets gave up for him. Orze was nothing remarkable, failing to secure an out in his first of two appearances last year. Although his minor league results were promising in a career that saw him shoot up through the farm system quickly, he was never a top prospect nor someone the team had to hold hostage.

Based on the spring training results, there might be some seller’s remorse if all you do is look at things at a quick glance. Orze has 6.1 innings and a 1.42 ERA. To go along with it, he has given up only 2 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 10 batters.

Here’s the catch, former Mets pitcher Eric Orze is excelling against inferior competition

Baseball-Reference’s Opponent Quality statistic helps tell us exactly the level of competition a player is going up against in spring training. Because there’s such a mix of superstar talent and guys who’ll be in A-Ball, it’s an important distinction. Relievers tend to get a lot of those lower level players because by the time they enter games in spring training the reserves have come in.

Orze has been terrific but the Opponent Quality suggests he’s averaging players below the Double-A level. An Opponent Quality of 5 is High-A with 7 being Double-A. He’s well below the latter at 6.1.

Orze may very well turn out to be one of those brilliant former Mets pitchers who makes the team regret sending him elsewhere. In particular, because he landed with the Rays, the fear feels possible. They have a knack for getting the most out of pitchers.

Fresh from his most successful Triple-A season in what was his third straight full season at the level, it’s reasonable to expect Orze to see significant playing time in the majors. He was 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA in 61.2 innings for Syracuse in 2024. Big strikeout numbers at 12.3 per 9, he has some nice stuff Tampa Bay will be hoping can translate into some big league success. He hasn’t pitched for the Rays this spring since March 17 when he threw a perfect 1.1 innings against the Mets. A depth piece this year, he’s the kind of fringe major leaguer who can be a useful asset for MLB’s most creative ball club.