John Curtiss Making Strong Bid For New York Mets Bullpen Spot

Curtiss, who missed all of 2022 due to injury, has looked sharp in his Spring Training appearances so far.

Last April, the New York Mets made a move that likely flew under the radar for most when they signed right-handed pitcher John Curtiss.

Curtiss, who was slated to miss the entirety of 2022 while he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, signed a two-year, major league pact with New York.

The team had eyes on the future when making the deal, and now that Curtiss is finally healthy, he's put on display his skill set so far this spring.

The 29-year-old has appeared in four games for the Mets so far and has struck out eight hitters and has yet to allow a run over 3 2/3 innings.

John Curtiss looked great in his Mets debut, only needed 13 pitches in a perfect inning.

Touched 96 with rise and had a pair of whiffs on his slider.

Should firmly be in the bullpen mix but he has options should he not make the Opening Day roster. pic.twitter.com/5cgZrpSBqk

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) February 26, 2023

Prior to tearing his UCL at the end of 2021, Curtiss was starting to come into his own as a reliever.

During the shortened 2020 season, Curtiss played with the Tampa Bay Rays and had a 1.80 ERA and was worth 0.4 fWAR in 17 games (25 innings).

Between the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers in 2021, Curtiss was worth 0.3 fWAR and had a 3.45 ERA in 41 games (44 1/3 innings).

As Resnick mentions in the tweet above, Curtiss has already regained his velocity, already flashing a fastball in the 96 mph range.

This is a good sign, as Curtiss throws his four-seamer about 50 percent of the time. It's also a pitch that ranked in the 77th percentile when he last pitched in 2021, according to Baseball Savant.

If Curtiss could also return to limiting walks, like he did in 2020 when he surrendered just three, it would be a big asset to his game.

In a small sample so far this spring, Curtiss has looked strong and seems well on his way to showing they made a shrewd move.

“I was thrilled to come here because I wanted to be on a contender,’’ Curtiss said (via the New York Post). “I couldn’t be more grateful to be here with this team. I’m sincerely trying to pay them back for the favor they did for me last year. 

"It truly meant something to me and I want to make it worth their while.”

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