Pitcher Makes New York Mets Debut 13 Years After They Drafted Him

This pitcher made his New York Mets debut 13 years after they drafted him.

Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

Better late than never.

The New York Mets drafted pitcher Adam Kolarek in the 11th-round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and on Saturday he finally got called up to the big-league team, 13 years later.

On Sunday, Kolarek made his debut, recording two outs in relief on 14 pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 34-year-old never got to play with the Mets in his first stint with the organization, as he was released in 2015.

“I could’ve never guessed that this is how my season was going to continue,” Kolarek said Saturday, per Newsday. “It’s been pretty surreal, honestly. You can’t make this up. You can’t plan this stuff out. So it’s been really cool to come back and put these colors back on.”

The Mets acquired the left-hander with Phil Bickford for cash at the trade deadline in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kolarek has spent the majority of this season in Triple-A, where he has posted a 2.55 ERA in 35 1/3 innings with two organizations.

Kolarek tossed 5 1/3 innings for the Syracuse Mets, where he was reunited with manager Dickie Scott, the former farm director of the organization when he was drafted.

“I even joked when I got traded over, because I really didn’t make it to Triple-A, either. I was there for a week to fill in when I was really young,” Kolarek said.

Kolarek made his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017, who picked him in the Rule 5 Draft that year. The Rays traded him to the Dodgers in 2019, who then dealt him to the Oakland Athletics in 2021. Kolarek re-signed with the Dodgers ahead of the 2023 season.

For his big-league career, Kolarek holds a 3.73 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 171 appearances (40 starts) and 144 2/3 innings.