It’s a year of keeping close tabs on New York Mets prospects and not just because the big league team is bad or anything. Quite the opposite. Fans are keeping a close eye on the farm hands because we’ve come to realize there is something special happening, in particular with the pitchers getting developed.

This Sunday we’ll see Blade Tidwell make his MLB debut. A little later in 2025, a much more under-the-radar arm could become someone they turn to. Felipe De La Cruz was just called up to Syracuse after pitching to a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings in Double-A working as a starter and reliever. A fantastic strikeout rate of 13.2 per 9 in limited action, he did the impossible by tossing 6 shutout innings of 1-hit ball for Syracuse at home on Friday.

He did it with 53 strikeouts out of 70 pitches, relying mostly on his slider and a sinker.

Did Felipe De La Cruz just make himself a candidate for the big league roster?

You may have noticed one important physical attribute about De La Cruz. Throwing left-handed might get you in trouble at school in the 1950s. In today’s world, if you can throw hard with that arm, it gets you a professional baseball contract. Right now the Mets have an opportunity open on the big league roster for a lefty to claw their way to the show.

One start certainly won’t elevate De La Cruz significantly. However, his rise through Double-A was quick. He pitched last year exclusively in Brooklyn working mostly as a starter, going 3-9 with a 4.25 ERA. He struck out batters at a rate of 9.8 per 9 with 3.8 walks per 9. Predictably, because it was Brooklyn, the lefty managed to go 106 innings with only 2 home runs hit against him. He had just as many in Binghamton this season prior to his promotion.