Ranking 4 candidates to replace Adrian Houser in the rotation if his struggles continue

Adrian Houser has been one of the worst players on the New York Mets this season. It hasn’t been the result of bad luck, poor support, or any other excuse. When you walk more batters than you strike out, you’re the problem.

Fans are already prepared to move on from Houser in any capacity they can. The likeliest outcome is for him to first be replaced in the starting rotation. It looks like he’ll get at least one more opportunity to start for the Mets, especially with their lack of scheduled off-days coming up.

However, the Mets need to be proactive at making a change in the rotation if they want to avoid the spot in the rotation becoming an automatic loss. Armed with several options, this is how they rank in terms of the likeliness we see them.

4) The Seductive Prospect: Christian Scott

In last place of the four is Christian Scott. It’s nothing personal against him. In fact, this is the choice just about every Mets fan would pick. It’s not practical, though. Scott isn’t a member of the 40-man roster and with so many other more experienced starting pitcher choices for the team to summon first, Scott is more of a later season option.

Scott has made 5 starts for Syracuse and come away with a 3-0 record and 3.20 ERA. In those 25.1 innings of work, he has most notably struck out 36 batters. The WHIP is fantastic at 0.71 and the walk rate is at a very acceptable 2.1 per 9. The only negative is he has already surrendered 6 home runs. The concern here is that when he jumps to the big leagues the 2.5 per 9 rate of home runs allowed could explode.

Scott will have his place with the Mets at some point this season. Later on, even if others are healthy, he can differentiate himself. A spot start for Scott in the major leagues this year doesn’t feel all too necessary when he has some things to work on in the minor leagues anyway. Perhaps if the Mets get to the point where they are done with Houser completely, Scott could be someone to replace him in more than the rotation. Cutting Houser from the roster would be the move that gets him there.