ST. PETERSBURG — They may not have gotten a win on the field Saturday, but they got a huge win for the player development department with the debut of right-hander Christian Scott.
The Mets‘ most heralded pitching prospect since Steven Matz in 2015 made his big-league debut Saturday night at Tropicana Field. He looked a little like a rookie when he gave up three straight hits and the tying run before even recording an out.
But then he struck out Randy Arozarena and got Harold Ramirez to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. After that, he looked nothing like a rookie, cruising through the rest of his outing.
Ultimately, the Mets lost, 3-1, to the Tampa Bay Rays to drop the series, but not because of Scott. Right-hander Adam Ottavino (1-1) walked in a run with two outs in the eighth inning and Sean Reid-Foley did the same.
Tampa Bay (16-18) right-hander Zack Littell held the Mets to one earned run over six innings and three other relievers blanked them the rest of the way.
Scott turned in a stellar performance, holding the Rays to one earned run on five hits. He walked one and struck out six. Not bad for a pitcher who wasn’t even a full-time starter two years ago.
A 24-year-old University of Florida product who grew up a few hours away in Coconut Creek, the Mets took Scott in the fifth round of the 2021 draft as a reliever. He was converted to a starter in 2022 and the Mets sent him to the Arizona Fall League after wrapping up the season to begin the full-time conversion.
Scouts said he didn’t have enough pitches, and some still think he doesn’t with only three considered major league quality, possibly four. He started the 2023 season late because of an oblique injury. He wasn’t even considered a top prospect heading into last season.
Scott dominated hitters last season, reaching Double-A Binghamton and pitching in the playoffs. He was named the Mets organizational pitcher of the year after striking out 107 hitters at three levels.
The Mets invited Scott to major league spring training this year and assigned him to Triple-A. He arrived ready, armed with a lower arm slot, a new sweeper and an understanding of when to use it. He continued to throw strikes for Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets expected him to have a big season, but they didn’t know he would excel so quickly.
Just about everything Scott does, he does quickly. He worked efficiently, even with runners on base, though he didn’t have many of those after the first inning. He retired 10 straight after from the second through the fifth. Jonny DeLuca made it to third in the fifth and Scott struck out Jose Siri to strand him. There was a two-out walk in the sixth and a two-out single to former Mets shortstop Amed Rosario in the seventh.
The Mets (16-17) had Reed Garrett warm in the bullpen by the time Rosario reached first base and manager Carlos Mendoza was quick to make a change. Scott walked off the field to a standing ovation from fans of both teams. About 50 of Scott’s friends and family members bolstered an already Mets-heavy crowd.
Rosario stole second and made it to third on an errant throw by catcher Tomas Nido. A product of the same farm system who once received the same hype, if not more than Scott, threatened to put the rookie right-hander on the hook for a loss.
Garrett struck out DeLuca to keep the game tied. Garrett celebrated on the mound as the dugout congratulated Scott.
Few could have foreseen this rise back when Scott was pitching in this very same state, but the Mets saw something that others didn’t.