Where does Jonathan Pintaro fit into the NY Mets' plans?

Jonathan Pintaro has had quite the baseball journey. He spent five years pitching for Division II Shorter University, posting a 3.38 ERA over 305.1 innings, before going undrafted in 2022. Instead of taking the beaten path, he decided to pitch for the Glacier Range Riders in the Pioneer League and finally signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets in 2024.

Despite his unorthodox background, he's found success in the organization, enough to be the organization's No. 21 prospect and get called up to the majors a few times. He has pitched 18 innings for the Mets over the past two years, but has spent the majority of his time in the minors. Fortunately for him, the uncertain future of the Mets could be exactly what he needs to become a Queens mainstay, if he plays his cards right.

Jonathan Pintaro's skillset could make him a viable back of the rotation arm for a rebuilding Mets roster

Although Pintaro has primarily been used as a reliever, his five-pitch arsenal suggests that he has starter potential in him. He's primarily reliant on his cutter which averages 91.0 mph and has enough movement to generate a respectable whiff rate. During his major league tenure, hitters missed on 29.3% of their swings against the pitch. He also throws a sinker and a four-seam, both of which sit in the mid-90s, and rounds things out with a changeup and a curveball.

In Triple-A, his arsenal helped him reach a 27.8% strikeout rate this year with a 28.9% whiff rate and for the most part, he's been similarly effective in the big leagues. His 4.15 ERA and 4.99 FIP are largely due to the three home runs he has conceded in this small sample of innings but his results under the hood are actually quite encouraging. Aside from his walk rate of 11.6%, his ability to miss bats, avoid hard contact, and get outs is better than his numbers suggest.

To further help his case, it doesn't seem like there's going to be a lot of competition in the future. Other than Nolan McLean, the rest of the rotation is far from locked down. 2027 will be the last year on the contracts of Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga and both players have come out of the bullpen on a few occasions. For Manaea, it was a temporary measure but for Senga, it seems like a longer-term assignment.

Jonah Tong has had some very encouraging outings as of late yet consistency continues to elude him as he gave up five home runs on his August 5th start against Triple-A Columbus. Other top prospects like Jonathan Santucci and Jack Wenninger are also potential options and like Pintaro, they'll have to earn their spots.

Opportunities have never come easily for the 28-year-old. Nevertheless, he has persevered through it all and is now on the cusp of being a full-time major leaguer, at least for the time being. On paper, he has what it takes to pitch regularly for the Mets, especially with such a depleted roster, but he'll have to back it up with results on the field.

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