The last couple of days we previewed pitchers in the prospect vein for the New York Mets, today we look at a veteran trying to push his way onto a major league roster this season.
Felix Pena was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 2009 and made his major league debut in 2016 as a 26-year old. He was traded to the Angels in 2017 and stayed with the Angels until he was released in 2021, and then signed by the New York Mets.
For the majority of his career he has been a reliever in the majors, with 2020 as his best season. He posted a 4.05 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 1.313 WHIP over 25 games and 26.2 innings. His 2018 season is also interesting – he started 17 of the 19 games (92.2 IP) he appeared in posting a 4.18 ERA, 4.04 FIP and a 1.241 WHIP.
Felix Pena spent most of last year in the minors, pitching in 31 games, making 7 starts, and logging 68.1 innings with a 8.43 ERA. He had much more success in the Dominican Winter league, making 7 starts (33.0 innings) with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.879 WHIP. Looking at his stat cast – he tosses a fastball and sinker in the low 90’s. He also has a slider and a change up in the mid 80’s. 2020 was the last year he pitched enough to register in the percentile rankings where he was in the 70’s or better for xwOBA, xSLG, BB%, Fastball Velocity, and Hard Hit%. But he was only in the 8th percentile for chase rate.
Depth is important for the Mets. His mix of starting and long relief does make him an intriguing player.
