In a farm system of pitching prospects that have been flopping for the most part, left-handed reliever Roy Merritt has stood tall. Merritt recently has been promoted to AAA Buffalo after a year and a half of solid pitching at AA Binghamton.
Merritt deserves such mentioning because he has demonstrated consistency out of the bullpen that many other Minor League Mets prospects have yet to achieve.
The 24 year-old southpaw was selected in the 28th round of the MLB Player Draft in 2007, without much hype surrounding his name. Now his arm has the Mets organization talking him up. A 3.98 ERA in 28 appearances in Binghamton, along with 33 K’s and a 1.18 WHIP have helped the young thrower earn a promotion.
His pitching has been consistent from year to year for the last couple seasons, since he first appeared in the minors in 2007.
Merritt began to make a name for himself in 2008 with the Brooklyn Cyclones. He appeared in 25 games for relief work and posted a 2-0 record with 1.49 ERA. The sidearming lefty baffled left-handed hitting, as he struck out 55 batters in 42.1 innings of work.
He’s got upside as a late inning reliever, could be a dominant lefty specialist, and has experience finishing games. In four Minor League seasons, Merritt has collected 26 saves and struck out 165 in 180.2 innings.
Roy Merritt could be a Major Leaguer in the near future, the Mets must be intrigued by the unorthodox lefty arm and his ability to suppress left-handed hitting.
A handful of good looking relief appearances at Buffalo could be enough to punch his ticket to the big show, especially if the Mets want to manage their young pitching more effectively. Merritt could be the answer in addressing the current status of Jenrry Mejia.
Mejia is younger, and should be given the opportunity to develop his stuff and flourish in the minors as a starter. With Merritt on the active roster, the Mets would have another arm that provides some youth and the ability to be effective in close games, not just a barely mature young arm for mop-up work.
Having just made his first appearance with Buffalo, Merritt pitched two scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Be on the lookout for Roy Merritt, especially if he continues to put up quality innings at Buffalo over the next month.
This article was also featured on The Daily Stache .
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