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

2) The Question Mark: Joey Lucchesi

Unbelievably, Joey Lucchesi has only about 50 more MLB innings than Peterson does at this point. Missing all of 2022 and pitching only sparingly since coming to the Mets will do that. As well as we know his name and think we’ve grown familiar, Lucchesi has mustered just 85 innings with New York. He had 299.1 with the San Diego Padres.

Lucchesi remains a bit of a question mark. He successfully rattled off 9 starts with the team last season, finishing 4-0 with a 2.89 ERA. A poor strikeout rate and a somewhat high walk total in those limited opportunities never gave him much of a chance to prove himself this spring. He got knocked around in his audition and has been in the minors ever since.

This year’s numbers with Syracuse are good, but not great or overpowering. At 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA after 5 starts, we can see his continued success at preventing runs. However, with just a strikeout rate of 6.9 per 9 innings and a walk total of 4.5 per 9, Lucchesi looks potentially disastrous one level up.

The best argument for Lucchesi over these other guys is experience. He has also been fully stretched out and healthy this year. It’s like dropping Rambo behind enemy lines to rescue someone. This Rambo, however, only has a couple of sharp forks to defend himself. Lucchesi feels like more of a temporary option if he was to ever replace Houser in the rotation.