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?
Keeping up with a theme this Spring, Tom Windle is the third pitcher we have looked at this spring (Oscar De La Cruz, Jerad Robinson) who is coming to the Mets as a free agent after not making the majors with their original team. Tom Windle was drafted in 2013 by the Dodgers and at the end of the 2014 season was traded to the Phillies (with Zach Eflin) for Jimmy Rollins.
Things were alright for Windle in 2015 – he posted a 4.26 ERA with Lehigh over 42 games and 50.2 innings before he was released by the Phillies. He was picked up by the Red Sox but only pitched 2.0 innings in 2019 in the Red Sox system. His last year in the minors is more or less what he has done in the minors. He has a 4.13 career ERA over 7 years and 505.2 innings and a 1.394 WHIP.
He’s competing with De La Cruz and Robinson for playing time, who are competing with the next tier consisting of Montgomery, Hunter and Vizcaino who are on the outside looking in behind Lucchesi and Yamamoto. (This was also written on 2/16, and I’m sure a lot has changed since then). Every spring rep is going to be important for Windle.
