Happy first day of the Winter Meetings! While we anxiously wait for whatever BVW has up his sleeve in Vegas, let’s talk about a pitcher who’s season ended this year in Vegas.
Due to the injuries and trades on the 2017 Mets team, Chris Flexen got an extended look throughout the end of the season finding himself in 14 games, 9 starts pitching 48.0 innings with a 7.88 ERA. Going into the off-season, he was considered the Mets 9th best prospect by Baseball America who rated him with a 50 fastball, 55 curveball, 45 slider, 50 change-up and a 50 for control. Chris, like Nimmo also endeared himself to the fans through an appearance at the Queens Baseball Convention (and since he spoke first, he technically was the first ever current player of the Mets to do so at the QBC).
The closing words on his profile for BA is how the Mets generally see him. Right now he doesn’t have a knockout pitch so his ceiling is a 5th starter or a reliever. Unfortunately for Chris, he pitches for the Mets who used him in 4 games last year, once in May, twice in June and then once in July, which was not conducive to developing any sort of rhythm. So Chris allowed 9 earned runs, but 13 total off 14 hits in 6.1 innings.
In August he was diagnosed with torn meniscus which ended his season. While he struggled in random appearances at the major league level last year, he posted a 4.40 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in Las Vegas, which isn’t the easiest thing to do. The WHIP speaks more towards the concerns about him, but a 4.40 ERA over 92.0 innings in Vegas isn’t bad.
Right now he projects to be in Syracuse on Opening Day. With the Mets incredibly thin at starting pitching and long relief, he looks to come up as soon as someone is injured.
