3 Mets players with the most to gain this spring

Spring training for the New York Mets won’t feature a whole lot of battles outside of the bullpen. This doesn’t mean players can simply show up to Florida to stretch and talk about their winters. Plenty of guys have something to gain this spring.

In games, workouts, and other sessions with coaches, it’s these three Mets players who might have the most to gain this spring.

1) NY Mets pitcher Joey Lucchesi can climb the depth charts in two spots

Many would say Joey Lucchesi is the team’s eighth starter. He falls behind the major league five. Tylor Megill and David Peterson are also ahead of him, too.

A strong spring from Lucchesi may start to sway the narrative. Seeing as the player they gave up for him in the three-team trade back in 2021, Endy Rodriguez, is now a top 100 prospect in baseball we should expect the club to give him a big opportunity to find success in some role.

Lucchesi won’t be limited to only the starting pitcher depth chart. As a lefty, he’s someone the Mets may also consider as a bullpen arm. Keeping Lucchesi stretched out might be a more paramount desire for the club. This doesn’t mean he’ll never pitch in relief this season. In fact, he’s probably second in line behind Elieser Hernandez as the long-man.

If the team does indeed plan to use Megill and Peterson as Triple-A arms summoned to the majors to start as needed, we probably won’t see them appear out of the bullpen much. Lucchesi is someone who could give the Mets length. Hernandez has minor league options left and has yet to earn his 26-man roster spot.

Lucchesi can climb up two depth charts this spring. He has something to lose. He has even more to gain.

3) NY Mets pitcher Zach Muckenhirn can make himself a 40-man roster candidate

Who? It’s okay if you didn’t realize the Mets picked up Zach Muckenhirn this offseason. It’s equally as acceptable to not have the faintest idea who he is. The 27-year-old lefty was a minor league addition to the franchise back in November via free agent signing.

Should we expect Muckenhirn to grab a roster spot this year? Probably not, however, the chance to become a consideration for some innings and get his career trending in a different direction is there. The Mets have a couple of lefties in the mix for an opportunity this year. Muckenhirn is one of those players.

Last year in Triple-A for the Chicago White Sox, Muckenhirn had a 3.11 ERA in 55 innings of work. He has actually pitched very well over the last two years. A season prior in Double-A, Muckenhirn finished the year with a 1.77 ERA in 40.2 frames.

Muckenhirn falls into the category of guys who have nothing at all to lose when they enter camp this spring. He could just as easily be forgotten by the end of March. He could, however, become one of those minor league arms who captures our imagination and attention this year.

With a name like this, who isn’t rooting for Muckenhirn to win favor with the Mets in the spring and gain a chance later on in 2023?