Jordan Yamamoto Staying Focused on Task at Hand
Mets right-hander trying to keep an even keel with a rotation spot up for grabs
Image via New York Mets
The New York Mets dedicated themselves to depth this winter. Across the roster, actual major-league caliber players reside in spots formerly occupied by Four-A seat-holders.
If you’ve been following along over the last, I don’t know, maybe a decade or so, you know capable depth could make or break a team’s chances over the course of a 162-game season.
The bench has been propped up by the likes of Albert Almora, Kevin Pillar, and Jonathan Villar. The bullpen is deeper thanks to Aaron Loup, Mike Montgomery, and Jacob Barnes. And the starters’ stable is full of quality back-end arms in Taijuan Walker, Joey Lucchesi, and Jordan Yamamoto.
Aside from the camp-wide jockeying for position, Yamamoto, 24, is doing all he can with his opportunity.
After his 3.1-inning outing against the Nationals on Saturday evening in West Palm Beach, FL (one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts), the right-hander now owns a 1.08 ERA with five punchouts, one walk, and 0.96 WHIP over 8.1 innings this spring.
That’ll do…
In the absence of Carlos Carrasco this spring (set to throw a side session on Sunday after missing time due to arm soreness following his second COVID vaccination shot), Yamamoto is one of a handful of Mets hurlers that have the opportunity to take a step forward in the eyes of the organization.
Following his appearance on Saturday, Yamamoto spoke about the task at hand and his mindset as he pushes on.
“If my name gets called, I’m gonna go out there and perform to give my team the best chance to win,” he said. “Hope and pray for a speedy recovery [for Carrasco] but it doesn’t change anything. I’m still out there to compete and I’m still out there to prove that I belong in the big leagues. I don’t want to go anyplace else.”
By all accounts, the former Marlins farmhand is well-equipped for the challenge.
Despite unsavory surface numbers over the past two seasons in Miami (6.20 ERA/5.44 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 48 walks, 95 strikeouts in 90 innings; 19 appearances, 18 starts), there are certainly bright spots.
Yamamoto’s 1.14 WHIP in 2019 was more than palatable for a rookie pitcher, his 5.9% barrel rate that year sat comfortably below the 6.4 percent league average, and his arsenal gives off its own glow of encouragement.
In his rookie campaign, Yamamoto’s four-seam fastball (..171/.284/.324; wOBA for middle-slash), cutter (.200/.270/.320), and slider (.082/.149/.143) had run values of -5, -6, and -3, respectively. Those are bonafide weapons.
Under the tutelage of Mets pitching coaches Jeremy Hefner, Ricky Meinhold, Jeremy Accardo, and the rest of the organization’s revamped analytics/research and development departments, hyperbole aside, the sky’s the limit for Yamamoto.
As friend-of-The Apple Mathew Brownstein discussed on the latest episode of Simply Amazin’, Yamamoto — as well as a number of other Mets pitchers — has deception on his side with regards to spin axis on his offerings.
Per Statcast, the spin axes on Yamamoto’s four-seamer and slider virtually mirror each other, rotating at 1:30 and 6:30 (imagine the minute hand on a clock). Try standing in the box and picking that up in a millisecond or two. Oof.
Again, just an impressive ceiling. Should be an exciting final few weeks of camp on this front. Stay tuned.
The Mets lost, 4-3, to the Nats on Saturday (box score) in West Palm. Right-hander Ryley Gilliam inherited a 3-2 lead to start the ninth but a string of base hits, two wild pitches, and a Mark Vientos error at third base sealed the deal in the Nats’ walk-off win.
J.D. Davis and James McCann each contributed a hit apiece. Davis is now 4-for-12 with five walks and a strikeout this spring and McCann is 6-for-16 with a double.
Left-hander Daniel Zamora and righties Edwin Diaz (two strikeouts), Jeurys Familia (hit, walk, strikeout), Miguel Castro (two groundouts and a flyout), and Drew Smith (hit, two strikeouts) all turned in scoreless innings of work behind Yamamoto.
The Mets take on the Cardinals at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie on Sunday at 1:10 PM EST. The game will be televised on WPIX and broadcast on WCBS 880 AM.
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Question about the hands on a clock rotating at 1:30 and 6:30. But wouldn't this be the hour hand not the minute hand? Otherwise the minute hand would be on the 6 for both 1:30 and 6:30.