Each year at 213 we look through the Non-Roster Invitees to spring training and get to know them a bit. Are they in camp to get a look at big league hitting/pitching to aid their development? Are the Mets just trying to get a better look at a future rookie? Are they a veteran trying to get back to the major league level? What can we expect from them this season?
Over the off-season the Mets signed Francisco Rios to beef up the Syracuse Mets roster and gave him an invite to the major league camp. Rios was most recently in Toronto’s system, playing with both their AA and AAA teams last year and spent time this off-season with the Mexican team, Diabolos Rojos.
Rios has been in the Toronto system since the start of his professional career making his debut with the DOSL Blue Jays in 2013 at the age 18. He’s moved up every level of the Blue Jays system since then although he has never made it to the major leagues. Overall in his career he has made 77 starts, 118 games, with 438.0 innings with a 4.44 ERA and a 1.432 WHIP. Last year he made only 9 appearances in 9 games across AA and AA with a 6.19 ERA over 16.0 innings (he spent a lot of time in extended spring training) 2018 he saw a little more action, but you have to go back to 2017 when he saw a full season of work, putting in 86.0 innings over 23 games with a 4.29 ERA.
Most likely Rios does not factor into the Mets plans for the major league season at all. But Rios is still young, he’s only 24, and the Mets need older starting pitcher prospects. Maybe they can revive his career and get him to put a decent season together. It’s something worth checking in on in the middle of the year if he was able to pitch on a regular basis.
