The Mets used 66 players in 2025, with 46 of those appearing on a pitching mound at some point in their 162 games. While some 2025 performances are not soon to be forgotten (Juan Soto’s 43 home runs, Nolan McLean’s phenomenal second half), there are a fair number of players who, if you haven’t already forgotten they exist, will surely escape to the folds of your grey matter soon enough, lest you need a Mets/Mariners square on Immaculate Grid.

And so, over the next few days, we’re going to look back at some of the players who didn’t have career years, showed incredible promise, or made a huge impact on the team. This week, we’re remembering some 2025 guys.

Part I: Single Game Legends

Six players appeared in just one game for the Mets this year, all relief pitchers who were part of the non-stop bullpen carousel that the Mets used to (sometimes great, sometimes not) effect over the course of the year. We’ll look at the six hurlers in chronological order of their appearances.

Early on in Spring Training, the Mets inked ten-year veteran Ureña to a minor league deal. He would report to Syracuse at the start of the season, and was called up by the Mets in a late-April game against the Nationals. The game started out competitive, with Griffin Canning and old friend Trevor Williams keeping the game close for the first five, when the Mets were up 3-0. Ureña entered the game in the seventh inning and got a three-inning save out of the deal.

Sadly, the performance included a five run eighth inning, including give up home runs to both James Wood and Nathaniel Lowe. Ureña’s 15.00 ERA wouldn’t be enough to earn him another appearance for the Mets in 2025, but he did log six games with the Blue Jays, two with the Dodgers (against the Mets, no less), four with the Twins, and six with the Angels before the end of the season. Add to that his prior stints with the Marlins, Tigers, Brewers, Rockies, White Sox, and Rangers, and Ureña has now pitched for more than 1/3 of all MLB teams.

The Mets acquired Zuber mid-way through the 2024 campaign, but the veteran of 56 MLB games did not appear for the big league club for nearly a year after joining the organization. His Mets debut came in a 7-1 Mets loss to the Phillies in late June at Citizen’s Bank Park.

Over two innings, Zuber gave up three hits, leading to two earned runs while striking out three and walking none. Zuber would be optioned the next day, and designated for assignment less than two weeks later. Zuber would appear in nine games for the Marlins in August, including his final game for the Fish in which he gave up seven earned runs in one inning pitched against the Mets as part of a 19-9 Mets victory.

Jonathan Pintaro – June 25

Just three days after Zuber’s brief moment in the sun, the Mets called up Double-A pitcher Jonathan Pintaro to the big league club for a quick stop over before settling into Triple-A Syracuse, where he would make 17 appearances after his Citi Field debut. Pintaro’s sole game was a home game against the Braves, in which the Mets won 7-3. It took Pintaro 29 pitches to get two outs, as he gave up two runs on two hits with two walks and one strikeout.

After being sent back down, Pintaro struggled in his time at Syracuse, putting up a 5.22 ERA. Pintaro started all 11 of his Binghamton games but just five in Syracuse. His 10.4 K/9 will play, but his 6.6 BB/9 was troublesome and, if he can’t get that under control, he will likely not be back with a big league club for some time.

After debuting in 51 games with Tampa Bay in 2019, Poche missed the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season and all of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. A free agent after the 2024 season, Poche signed with the Nationals in February of this year. After making 13 appearances with the Nationals, Poche was DFA’d and elected free agency, signing with the Mets on May 7th.

Poche’s sole appearance for the club came just three days after Zuber’s, in a 9-2 Mets loss to the Pirates. Poche finished off the game for the Mets, relieving Huascar Brazobán with the bases loaded and just one out. Poche induced a groundout for the second out of the inning, but a run came in on the play. A walk, a single, a double, and a second walk followed, all leading to five runs scoring with Poche on the mound. A strikeout to Oneil Cruz mercifully ended Poche’s Mets tenure.

After the game, Poche was optioned to Syracuse, where he made 17 appearances over two different stints with the Mets, the second of which ended when he was released on August 2. Interestingly, Poche pitched against the Mets in José Ureña’s sole Mets appearance.

Pop appeared in 162 games before arriving on the Mets in July after his Seattle stint came to a close. He was only a Met for five days, and only appeared in their 6-4 loss to the Yankees. In an inning and one-third, Pop surrendered three runs on five hits with no walks or strikeouts recorded. One of those earned runs was a solo shot by Austin Wells.

Coming into a Subway Series game-a bullpen game to boot-is not easy, and Pop took the loss for the club. After he was DFA’d, he signed with the Cubs, and appeared in nine games for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

Of all the one-game wonders, only Hamel had any real prospect pedigree left at the start of the 2025 season. He was listed as 20th on the Amazin’ Avenue Prospect List for 2025 after being tenth in 2024, Hamel was also the only one-game pitcher to not give up a run in his time on the roster. In the Mets’ 7-4 loss to the Padres, Hamel pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Mets, facing six batters and giving up three hits, but not allowing any to score.

Hamel made 31 starts for Syracuse this year, putting up a 5.59 ERA. After his Mets’ appearance, Hamel was claimed off of waivers twice in September, first by the Orioles and later by the Rangers.