Reverse splits can make NY Mets minor league pickup useful in 2025

While you were sleeping, or maybe just paying attention to other things in December, the New York Mets made a much quieter move at the tail end of the MLB Winter Meetings. They lost a lot in the Rule 5 Draft. Only one player was brought to the organization. It came in the minor league portion of the draft with the club snatching up Los Angeles Dodgers minor league pitcher Michael Hobbs.

Some control issues and being just over 6 months away from turning 26 with no experience above Double-A doesn’t exactly give Hobbs a big label of “pay attention to me.” There is a reason the Dodgers left him unprotected. The Mets saw something in him and after looking through his track record a bit, it could be his reverse splits.

After a full year in Double-A pitching to a 2.97 ERA in 57.2 relief innings, the natural step is for Hobbs to be a member of the Syracuse Mets this coming year. What he may also turn into is a suitable option for the team to promote in a case where they could use some outs against lefty hitters.

Mets Rule 5 Draft pick Michael Hobbs has been making lefty hitters look foolish these past two years

Righties aren’t supposed to get lefties out this well. Don’t tell that to Calvin who’d then relay the information to Hobbs.

Last year, lefties batted .173/.311/.240 against him in 91 plate appearances. The OPS was a difference of exactly 100 in comparison to righties who hit .240/.333/.318 when Hobbs was on the mound.

This wasn’t a one-off either. Hobbs concluded the previous year in High-A with a .174/.308/.327 slash line against him from lefties. Righties batted .215/.356/.317. While a little closer, he was better against lefties.

Hobbs isn’t about to bump someone off the Opening Day roster. However, with the Mets building a ball club wide open to provide some backup to lefty A.J. Minter, Hobbs is a candidate to join the revolving door of relievers and be a guy they can call upon from the bullpen for big outs in a spot that a player of his handedness isn’t always the first you’d expect.

Thus far, the holes in Hobbs’ game have included too many walks (5.2 per 9) and not enough strikeouts. The latter is at 9.6 per 9 in his career but a lowered 8.2 per 9 in 2022 and at 8.1 per 9 last year. The more strikeouts he has, the wilder he seems to get, reaching 11.4 strikeouts per 9 in 2023 but with 5.9 walks per 9 to go with it.

The minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft rarely produces immediate results. After looking through recent previous draft results of the minor league phase, no star was born from it. These are the type of players you might be able to milk a few partial season from. The Mets aren’t expecting Hobbs to be Edwin Diaz. Sean Reid-Foley for a couple of days might be good enough.