Inside The Mets

Onset of decline may be rearing its ugly head for New York Mets closer

Age comes for us all, and it may be catching up to one of the best players on the New York Mets' roster.

Troy Brock

Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA;New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park.
Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA;New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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In what can only be described as an entrance akin to a WWE Superstar, Edwin Diaz's popularity has reached a new level during his tenure with the New York Mets.

The lights dim, the trumpets blare, and a flamethrower emerges from the bullpen ready to put the opposing team away. Diaz is only 31, missed all of 2023 with an injury suffered while celebrating in the World Baseball Classic, and has still accumulated an impressive 225 saves across eight Major League seasons.

It is a sight that the Queens faithful have not grown tired of, and seemingly never will. But the sands of time continue to fall, with age doing a rough number on everyone. Diaz is not immune to age, and a noticeable drop in the pitcher's velocity this spring could be marking the early stages of his dropoff.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com broke the decline down. Diaz has sat between 93 and 95 MPH this spring, while in years past, it has been much closer to 100. In 2023, before the injury, the veteran was averaging 99 MPH, and last year he was sitting at 97.

"One of the rival scouts watching Díaz on Wednesday," writes DiComo, "noted that he doesn’t quite look like 'the same guy.'"

He has not had the most promising spring line, either, though it has come in a small sample. Through just 2.1 innings, Diaz has allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out four. Per Baseball Reference, his opponent quality this spring has been slightly below Triple-A. With the injuries the team has already faced this spring, their top arm in the organization facing decline could be detrimental.

Read more: Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provides Sean Manaea injury update

A drop in velocity would not be the end of the world for Diaz: it just means the pitcher would need to change his approach. Instead of throwing first-pitch strikes 62.7 percent of the time, as he has throughout his career, he will need to live on the edges more and find better control of his offerings. The walk rate would need improvement, and the slider may need to become his most used pitch again, as it was in 2022.

Diaz's career is far from over, and there are ways around a potentially permanent drop in velocity. If the drop is here to stay, it just comes at the most inopportune time, and the veteran will need to up his game in other areas to remain as effective for the Mets in 2025.

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Troy Brock
TROY BROCK

Troy Brock is an up and comer in the sports journalism landscape. After starting on Medium, he quickly made his way to online publications Last Word on Sports and Athlon before bringing his work to the esteemed Sports Illustrated. You can find Troy on Twitter/X @TroyBBaseball

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