Dominic Hamel has gotten lost in the prospect shuffle

Taken in the third-round of the 2021 draft, Dominic Hamel quickly became one of the more talked about New York Mets pitching prospects immediately upon his arrival. He pitched only 3 innings after signing with the Mets in 2021. He followed it up by graduating from St. Lucie to Brooklyn in 2022.

As a college draftee, time was already working against Hamel when it comes to hype. The Mets weren’t going to have an under-25 pitcher make his debut and carry them to the Promised Land. Hamel already turns 25 next March but should be in the mix for some big league innings next year as long as his progression continues.

How have we forgotten about NY Mets pitching prospect Dominic Hamel?

Hamel spent all of the 2023 season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies where he made 25 starts and a relief appearance. The results gave him an 8-6 record and 3.85 ERA. The numbers weren’t outlandishly good like some of his teammates at certain points this year. Perhaps this is why Hamel has seemingly gotten pushed aside in favor of more recent draft picks like Blade Tidwell or any number of the guys we didn’t see coming, like Tyler Stuart.

Hamel made some progression. He cut his walk rate from 4.1 per 9 down to 3.6 per 9. He increased his strikeout rate by about the same, going from 11 per 9 last year up to 11.6 per 9 this season. There was a jump in the ERA, WHIP, and other areas. It should be expected. Double-A is significantly tougher than all levels of A-Ball.

Maybe most promising was a healthy season packed with innings. Hamel tossed 119 total in 2022 and added 124 more this season. Even if this averages out to just under 5 innings per start, we acknowledge minor league ball is as much about the learning process as it is proving yourself.

In MLB.com’s most recent update of the team’s top prospects, Hamel fell down to a far more insignificant number 16. This is partly to do with all of the additions the team made at the trade deadline and a new class of draftees. There are 7 prospects ahead of him on the list that weren’t a part of the organization when the year began.

Hamel may not be one of the more dazzling prospects to pencil into next year’s plans and yet he’s very likely going to earn some kind of a look. He starts for Binghamton in Game 2 of their Division Series against the Somerset Patriots on Thursday night. A win and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies advance.