Steve Cohen Buys New York Mets New Pitching Machine
The Mets will soon be able to face any pitcher they please on command.
Well, sort of.
According to The New York Post, when the Mets return from their West Coast road trip this month, they will have a shiny new toy waiting for them at Citi Field.
The Mets organization purchased a new high-tech pitching machine from Canada that can replicate the delivery of any pitcher that they input.
“[The machine] will be the pitcher, so if we draw up Clayton Kershaw we will be facing Kershaw, his windup and everything and his pitches,” Mets’ hitting coach Eric Chávez told The Post on Thursday.
The machine, which can only be used pregame due to MLB rules, is used by just three or four other teams around baseball, according to Chávez.
Whether the machine will be a game changer or not is still up for debate.
“We have been trying to talk about it, anticipate it, but until we get it in our hands and touch it, see it, we’re not going to know how we’re going to be able to apply it exactly,” Chavez said. “It’s just going to be one of those things this year when we get it, trial and error and we’ll see what happens.”
This is just another step in Mets’ owner Steve Cohen bringing the team into the 21st century.
Mets’ outfielder Brandon Nimmo said he’s not surprised that Cohen continues to make improvements to the ball club.
“That’s one of the huge differences we have seen from the start,” Nimmo told The Post. “If it’s going to help the team succeed then [Cohen] is willing to do it, so it really doesn’t come down to a cost factor.”
The Mets' offense currently ranks No. 2 in all of baseball in batting average (.255), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.336), No. 8 in slugging (.405), and No. 2 in OPS (.641).
Read More:
- Mets Linked to These 3 Pitchers, Why It's Unlikely
- Steve Cohen Tweets Joke About Francisco Lindor Finger Injury
- Mets' Jacob deGrom Staying in New York, Could Throw Off Mound Soon
Follow Rob Piersall on Twitter (@RTPiersall), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
