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?
Harol Gonzalez has been with the Mets for a while, so you probably know his name by now. He was 19 when first played with the Mets in 2014 and started to play in the states the following year, starting in Kingsport. He first started to make noise on prospect lists in 2016 after posting a 2.01 ERA over 85.0 innings (he was the average age for the league) Since then he’s had success mixed in with set backs.
He literally had one start in AAA Las Vegas in 2018 and had to work his way back in 2019. In 17 games and 97.1 innings in Binghamton, he posted a 3.14 ERA and earned a stint in Syracuse where he was 2.2 years younger than the average player. In 8 games and 40.1 innings with a 2.68 ERA. He was slated for more AAA experience in 2020.
So now he is in camp on an NRI and is probably in the same grouping as Oscar De La Cruz. The Mets are looking at what the starting pitching depth looks like beyond the pitchers battling it out for a 5th spot in the rotation. With BVW trading away multiple upper minor league starting pitchers over the last few seasons, Gonzalez really is the next person up (in terms of players that have been in the Mets system for their career). We are hoping he gets an extended look this spring.
