How Tylor Megill Can Claim Long-Term Spot In Mets’ Rotation This Season

Find out how Tylor Megill can claim a long-term spot in the Mets' rotation moving forward.

It may be early, but starting pitcher Tylor Megill has already looked impressive during Mets' camp.

In preparation of his second season in the big-leagues, Megill took the mound in a simulated game on March 16th and tossed three scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed just two hits, while inducing seven ground ball outs.

On Sunday, Megill faced the St. Louis Cardinals in what was his first taste of Grape Fruit League action this spring. He produced three shutout innings, gave up two hits, struck out three and walked three. The hard-throwing righty touched 97 mph on his fastball, which averaged 95.8 mph on the day. 

He also unveiled a new pitch that he added to his arsenal during the offseason, a cutter, which he threw a total of three times yesterday. This pitch runs in on left-handed batters, and Megill developed it in the winter to complement his four-seam fastball and changeup.

Megill, who is competing for a spot in a crowded Mets' rotation, is off to a solid start as he makes his case to factor into the team's long-term plans.

With veteran starters, Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco, recovering from offseason surgery, Megill has a chance to fill-in for one of these pitchers if they're not ready by Opening Day.

When the Mets' rotation is at full-strength, Megill and lefty David Peterson are expected to serve as depth starters for Triple-A Syracuse. Peterson allowed four runs in three innings, which included two home runs, during his outing on Sunday.

“Obviously it lingers in the back of my head, but I can’t let that get to me,” Megill told reporters. “At the end of the day there is going to be a lot of pitching and there is going to be a lot of need for arms, so whenever my name is called I am going to be ready and just keep working.”

Walker and Carrasco are both looking to bounce-back this season after underwhelming campaigns in 2021. But if one of these arms cannot get back on track, Megill could have an opportunity to steal a spot in the rotation at some point this year. He will also be standing by as a replacement option, should another starter go down due to injury this season. 

Following the season, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, Carrasco and Walker could all become free agents. And if Megill can take the next step in his development, assuming he receives a proper chance in the big-leagues, he'd ultimately be staking his claim as a piece in the Mets' rotation moving forward. 

It's also a good sign that Megill has already caught manager Buck Showalter's attention.

“I like the presentation, the whole body language,” Showalter told reporters. “I have got a lot of people telling me about him and they have more experience with him and I lean on that, but he’s pretty athletic for a big guy. I’d be pretty picky not to say that’s what they look like.” 

Megill made his big-league debut in June of last season when the Mets were desperate for starting pitching as a result of a significant amount of injuries on their staff.

The 26-year-old dominated early-on, but fell off a bit down the stretch to finish with a record of 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA across 18 starts. However, he is believed to have hit a wall as a result of throwing a total of 130 innings between the major leagues and minor leagues. Megill's previous career-high was 71.2 innings in 2019.