For minor-league pitchers in the Mets organization in 2010, it hasn’t taken a whole lot for any given pitcher to stand out. For left-handed starter Robert Carson, it has required some time, but now he is raising the bar for young prospective pitchers in the Mets farm system.
Drafted in the 14th round of the 2007 MLB Play Draft, Carson has over three years of minor league experience under his belt. He’s made 51 career minor-league starts, putting together an 18-17 with an ERA of 3.33 while compiling 202 strikeouts. His command has held him back for the past couple of years, and if he can put it together, he should rise through the minors now that he’s 21 years-old
Carson appears to be settling in with the single-A Port St. Lucie Mets. After about four up and down starts in April, Carson has excelled more often than not over his last 10 games started. On the year, he is 6-4 in 14 starts with a 4.54 ERA. Over his last ten starts, his ERA is looking sharper at 3.47 and he has put together a 1.29 WHIP. In this span, he is 6-1 and has contributed five quality starts, impressive because many minor-leaguers lack the ability to pitch deep into ballgames.
Several areas of his game need a little bit of work before talking about any definite future with the Mets big league club.
Carson is nearly untouchable when there are no men on base. But that can’t be said for when he’s dealing with runners on base or in scoring position. Fixing up his pitching in clutch situations will make him look better.
Carson will also be more attractive to scouts if he can shut down left-handed batters. He has been somewhat effective against lefty bats, but he has given up his fair share of runs to them. Carson is still young, so he has time to focus on fooling lefties with his three pitches, and picking up more velocity on his standard 91-93 mph fastball.
Again, it is good to know that the Mets have young left-handed pitchers that have time for growth and development in the minors.
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