Tylor Megill making himself a lock to crack Mets' rotation

Tylor Megill’s strong spring training performance has him trending toward a spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation.

Feb 12, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill (38) pitches during a Spring Training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Tylor Megill continued his strong spring showing for the New York Mets on Tuesday afternoon.

In four innings against a Houston Astros lineup that featured every major league regular except Christian Walker, Megill allowed no runs on two hits, recording five strikeouts and one walk. He has given up just one run in 6.2 total innings this spring, reaching up to 98 mph—well above his average four-seam velocity of 95.7 mph in 2024.

With Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea set to miss the start of the regular season, Megill is competing with Griffin Canning and Paul Blackburn for the final spots in the starting rotation. Canning struck out five over 3.2 innings on Monday and has yet to allow a run this spring, while Blackburn has given up seven runs (six earned) in his first few outings since returning from offseason back surgery.

Megill, 29, has made the Opening Day rotation in each of the past few years. When asked what he needs to do to hold onto that spot in 2025, the veteran right-hander was quick to respond.

“Consistency. That’s always been my downfall, I’d say. Being able to string together continual good starts,” Megill said, adding that he has gotten in ruts where he has made three or four bad starts and then came back to make a few good starts. “As long as I can stay consistent, I think the outcome’s gonna be very, very good.”

Entering 2024, Megill had a career 4.72 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 8.7 K/9 rate, and 1.5 home runs allowed per nine innings across his first three seasons. But in 16 appearances (15 starts) last year, he posted a career-best 4.04 ERA over 78 innings, with a stronger WHIP of 1.31. His strikeout rate surged from 18.5% in 2023 to 27% in 2024, and he allowed just 0.92 home runs per nine innings.

However, as Megill noted, his performance was not always consistent. On May 28, he tossed seven scoreless innings against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out nine while allowing only three hits and a walk. In June, he posted a 7.43 ERA and never pitched more than 5.1 innings in five starts that month.

Megill was optioned to Triple-A on June 30 and returned a month later. But with Peterson back from injury and Blackburn acquired in a trade, he was out of the rotation. When Blackburn got hurt in late August, Megill got another chance and ran with it.

In September, he posted a 2.45 ERA over five starts—including a key 100-pitch performance in the season finale doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, where he threw 5.2 innings of three-run ball to help clinch a Wild Card spot in Game 1.

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Megill expanded his pitch mix from five to eight in 2024, adding a cutter, sweeper, and an especially effective sinker that produced a +7 run value. Over the final month of the regular season, he drastically increased his sinker usage against right-handed hitters, which helped fuel his success.

According to Statcast, he also added six inches of vertical drop to his splitter/forkball, a pitch he began experimenting with in 2023 but threw 99 more times last season. It generated a 42.9% whiff rate. Megill’s four-seam fastball (-7 run value in 2023) also developed into a positive pitch (+2 run value) for him.

So far this spring, Megill’s stuff has continued to impress. Despite having a minor league option remaining, the right-hander is making a compelling case to join Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes in the Mets’ starting rotation come Opening Day.