Undrafted NY Mets minor league pitcher signed last summer is worth keeping an eye on

Grant Hartwig made it to the majors last year with the label of being an undrafted free agent by the New York Mets several years ago. Although non-tendered by the team in November only to rejoin shortly after, he remains a candidate to give them some relief innings in the coming year.

No one is less shy about providing players with a chance to do the impossible than David Stearns. Something about the way he operates hints that he gets a kick out of clever, smaller moves. This is where Jonathan Pintaro enters the picture.

Already 27 with only 1 game of experience at the Triple-A level, Pintaro’s path to professional baseball is an unusual one. He was still pitching in college at 24 after which he joined the MLB Draft League and spent some time in Independent Baseball without harrowing results. A 4.40 ERA in 3 starts last year for the Glacier Range Riders of the Pioneer League (they play in Montana) didn’t scare the Mets off from making Pintaro one of their more fascinating minor league projects. He rewarded them well in his first stretch of affiliated ball going from Brooklyn to Syracuse in one quick leap. 

Jonathan Pintaro is a Mets minor league pitcher to keep an eye on

Used as a starter 15 times and a reliever two other instances last year by the Mets, Pinataro managed to go 3-6 with a 2.68 ERA in his 74 innings. A walk rate of 3.4 per 9 and strikeouts coming in at just over one per inning at 9.1 per 9, he had many of the favorable metrics to suggest he belongs as a candidate to provide the Mets with some pitching depth. 

Pintaro was one of the players the Mets sent to the Arizona Fall League in the autumn where the results weren’t as great, but the sample was also significantly smaller at only 10.1 innings of work. By choosing to send Pintaro to the AFL, the Mets let off a hint that they’re still intrigued by this late bloomer.

Four shutout innings in Triple-A is all we know of him at the highest minor league level. Amazingly better at preventing runs in the Mets minor league system than he ever was in college or Indy Ball, he’s a puzzling player far different from the run-of-the-mill minor league free agent signing.

Pintaro should be a guy who gets a chance in Triple-A next year to see if he can maintain his pose and prove last year’s positive results were no fluke. Many far more notable Mets pitchers have faltered with Syracuse. How will Pintaro handle it?