Minor League Baseball

New York Mets Sign Hard-Throwing Righty With Interesting Background to Minor League Deal

Andrew Carson won an NCAA D-II national championship with Tampa, now looks to make his name in the pros.

Jami Leabow

Tampa Spartans Andrew Carson (17) during the DII Baseball Men's College World Series at USA Baseball National Training Complex in June 2024 in Cary, North Carolina.
Tampa Spartans Andrew Carson (17) during the DII Baseball Men's College World Series at USA Baseball National Training Complex in June 2024 in Cary, North Carolina. / Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images
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A well-traveled pitcher in college is getting his chance in the pro ranks.

The New York Mets signed right-handed pitcher Andrew Carson to a minor league contract, according to a report from Metsmerized Online and others on Saturday. It’s likely he’ll start at Class-A St. Lucie.

Carson took the off-the-beaten-path route to the Mets.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander is a Michigan native who started his college career at Bowling Green but redshirted the 2019 season.

He moved on to Lansing (Mich.) Community College for the next two seasons, finishing 7-0 with an ERA of 2.68 there. He made just 10 overall appearances, throwing 47 innings) but struck out 75, giving him a 14.36 K/9 ratio.

In 2022 and ’23, he pitched at the Division I level at Michigan State, where he finished with a 5-4 record in 48 appearances (six starts), posting a 5.06 ERA, saving three games and striking out 94 in 90.2 innings.

With one remaining season of eligibility, Carson made the unusual move of transferring to Division II Tampa, where he was part of the team that won the 2024 NCAA D-II National Championship.

He put up career-best numbers as a reliever at Tampa: 2-1 in 14 appearances with five saves. He had a 1.06 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 34 innings and was named to the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region (South) Team.

Lucas Still, Carson’s strength and performance coach, posted to X recently that Carson has been throwing from 94 to 96 miles per hour and hit 96.9 on the radar gun.

Still offered his congratulations via social media:

Huge congrats to Andrew Carson on signing with the @mets!

Kid has nasty stuff, put up elite college numbers, and has put in the work to raise his velocity average and ceiling. Mets are getting a good one, excited to see what his future holds!

It will be interesting to see Carson's progression through the Mets system as spring training begins this week.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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