The New York Mets are busy filling out the margins of their roster ahead of spring training, and their latest move is the definition of a low-risk, low-reward flyer. The team has signed right-handed reliever Mike Baumann, via Jon Heyman of the New York Post, a pitcher who hasn’t seen a Major League mound since the 2024 season. Don’t expect this signing to move the needle in Queens; this feels like classic spring training inventory meant to soak up innings in Port St. Lucie rather than a legitimate attempt to bolster the big-league bullpen.
A Detour Through Japan Offered Little Hope
Baumann spent last season overseas looking to rebuild his value with the Yakult Swallows in Japan, but the results were hardly inspiring enough to warrant a guaranteed roster spot. He posted a mediocre 4.20 ERA over just 15 innings of work, numbers that don’t exactly scream “MLB ready” for a contending team. He is coming into camp to compete for a job, but given the Mets’ depth, the most likely outcome here is that Baumann serves as insurance at Triple-A Syracuse, waiting for an injury crisis to get a call-up.
The Radar Gun Tells a Misleading Story
Looking back at his last MLB stint in 2024 paints a clear picture of why he is available on a minor league deal: he has a big arm with very little deception. Baumann averaged 96.6 mph on his heater, ranking in the 86th percentile for velocity, and used elite extension to make it jump on hitters even faster. But velocity means nothing if professional hitters aren’t fooled by it.
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His underlying metrics were alarming, ranking in the 10th percentile for Chase Rate and the 32nd percentile for Whiff Rate. Essentially, batters see his pitches extremely well out of the hand and refuse to expand the zone, leading to too many walks (33rd percentile BB%). When they did connect, they punished him, resulting in a 19th-percentile Hard-Hit rate. Until he learns to harness that velocity into effective outs, he is just another hard thrower destined for the minor leagues.