Mets’ Christian Scott Shines After Delivery Adjustment While On Rehab
Christian Scott refined his delivery during a stint on the injured list to open the season.
Since his return in early May, the 24-year-old righthander had been among the most successful pitchers in the Mets’ system.
The 2021 fifth-rounder out of Florida recorded a 2.98 ERA with 58 strikeouts and 10 walks in 51.1 innings through his first 11 starts, the final four for Double-A Binghamton.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Scott was throwing his fastball in the 94-96 mph range, impressing the Mets with his ability to maintain his velocity throughout his outings.
“He has shown the ability to utilize where his fastball plays a lot more than he did in the past,” Mets farm director Kevin Howard said. “He’s obviously shown the ability to throw it there more often.”
Howard credited the minor league rehab staff for helping Scott develop a delivery that relies on building momentum with his lower body to maximize velocity instead of rotating his upper half.
Scott has downplayed the sinker he favored in college and gotten results with a mix focused on his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup.
“What I see from him now is, through that whole process, he has learned to get the same amount of velo with less effort on the things that were causing the injury,” Howard said. “I really think he’s one of those guys where a minor injury turned into a blessing in disguise.”
Scott worked as a reliever in college and worked in a hybrid role last season at Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn.
“I don’t think he’s a major surprise,” Howard said. “He was a high draft pick for us, and he’s shown the big velo in the past and the good stuff.
“It’s just a really good job by the rehab group that helped him, and a really good job by our pitching group, especially our Double-A pitching coach A.J. Sager, just getting the most out of him.”
