Inside The Mets

Mets top bullpen acquisition reveals new post-surgery strategy

New York Mets reliever A.J. Minter's mindset switch was a huge reason for his recent success.

Grant Young

Feb 15, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher A.J. Minter (33) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 15, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher A.J. Minter (33) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The only notable acquisition the New York Mets made for their bullpen this past season was signing former Atlanta Braves reliever A.J. Minter to a two-year, $22 million deal.

There's no question that Minter is one of the premier left-handed relievers in baseball, as he produced a 2.62 ERA in 31.1 innings pitched for the Braves last season. However, his 2024 campaign was cut short because Minter required surgery on his left hip, which forced him to miss the final month or so of the regular season.

Now Minter is back to feeling fully healthy. And in a March 16 article from Mike Puma of the New York Post, the 31-year-old explained a mindset switch he made to improve his chances of success.

“I just started to realize I am not going to worry about velocity,” Minter is quoted saying in the article. “I am going to worry about getting ahead, mixing my pitches, and just I have to find a way to get outs differently instead of just rely on just my stuff. I ended up having a good second half in ’23, and it carried over to ’24.”

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He later added, “You can’t be scared, even though the velocity may not be what you want. You still have got to attack the zone and be aggressive. You do have to be careful with your location mix, sometimes.”

Minter staying healthy and having a good season will be a crucial aspect of not only the Mets bullpen's 2025 success, but that of the entire team.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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