PORT ST. LUCIE — Tylor Megill seems to be a lot thinner than final season however insists he’s misplaced only some kilos.
“That’s what everyone is saying, that I look skinnier, but I haven’t lost weight,” Megill stated. “Maybe like five pounds. That’s about it. I guess I just leaned out.”
If there’s a ritual of spring in Mets camp, it’s Megill arriving and not using a assured roster spot, as rotation depth.
Most of the time, an damage to a different beginning pitcher has allowed Megill to interrupt camp with the workforce.
This spring, he sits behind Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, David Peterson and Griffin Canning within the obvious pecking order of a six-man rotation.
Megill, who has a minor league possibility remaining, is taking the strategy that even when he isn’t with the workforce to start the season, there must be loads of alternatives for him.
“I am used to it, but it’s not something I want to be doing,” Megill stated of bouncing between Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets. “I want to be starting every five days or six days in the big leagues, not the minor leagues. Obviously, in ways, it sucks being in Triple-A, but at the same time, you can’t be down about it, can’t pout about it. You still have to go about your business and work, stay positive and help others around you. It’s about you and your career, but at the same time, too, it’s about trying to help others get better.”
Megill final season pitched to a 4.04 ERA in 16 appearances (15 of which had been begins) for the Mets.
His greatest work occurred over his last six begins for the workforce, after getting back from Syracuse in August.
Over that stretch, he pitched to a 2.32 ERA.
“I threw a lot of strikes and started going deeper into games, which is good,” Megill stated. “It’s always been my goal to go as deep as possible and try to figure that out at Triple-A. Obviously, it translated when I got back. The pitch count was way lower. Finishing up the fifth and then being able to go into the sixth and finish the sixth inning. That has always been my problem, the fifth and sixth innings. When I came back, the fifth and sixth innings were completely different.”
On Friday, he threw two innings of stay batting apply and allowed a homer to Brett Baty.
Supervisor Carlos Mendoza stated he’s already spoken with Megill concerning the chance he’ll start the season with Syracuse.
“He is competing — that is what we told him,” Mendoza stated. “Make sure you get ready, and we’ll see what happens. He is going to make a lot of starts for us.”
