Tyler Rogers was never coming back to the New York Mets for the deal he got from the Toronto Blue Jays. They were quick on Friday night to find a much lighter and less proven alternative, signing Daniel Duarte.
Who’s this guy? 19.2 innings in the Mexican Winter League and no earned runs charged against him, he’s a recently turned 29-year-old with a lifetime 3.99 ERA in the majors. More notable is his heavy ground ball rate. It was at 50% in 2023 when he logged 31.2 of his 38.1 big league innings.
Daniel Duarte isn’t a solution to losing Tyler Rogers, it’s still a good move by the Mets
With minor league signings, it needs to be justified. This one is. We can see the precise appeal of Duarte and his heavy ground ball rate. Along with Rogers last year, several pitchers were among the best at keeping the ball on the ground. Clay Holmes and David Peterson are two of the prime examples. Nolan McLean, at 60.2%, is well on his way to becoming another of the league’s best.
Weak contact on his awesome sinker which held batters to a .195 batting average in 2023 and average exit velocity of 85.3mph, he should be considered a flier the Mets can get a little more from. He has one remaining minor league option, but as a minor league signing, he won’t occupy a 40-man roster spot to begin the year. He’ll first need to prove the strong showing in the Winter League can translate into success in Syracuse.
Duarte’s Triple-A numbers have been strong, posting a 3.34 ERA in 2023 in 35 frames. He has a 4.09 ERA overall in 46.2 career Triple-A innings with a very non-Tyler Rogers-esque 10.2 K/9.
Players, in particular pitchers, with even just a single attribute such as his ability to throw worm burners that stay on the infield have value. His .210 batting average against in the majors is something to work with as he pushes himself into the carousel that’ll swing back and forth between the majors and Syracuse.