Dark Horse Met - 2025

[Centerfield]

Cast your predictions for Dark Horse Met of 2025 here!!!

A reminder of the criteria for Dark Horse candidacy.

1. Not reasonably expected to contribute this year. No projected starters. No big name free agents coming off a down year. Has to be someone we expect to be a fringe guy. (IOW, no Montas/Holmes)
2. Can't be a premiere prospect (or at least, no longer one). No Drew Gilbert, Acuna, Clifford, etc. However, if Gavin Cecchini were to somehow resurface and make a contribution, he would qualify.
3. The type of player if he were hurt/released/traded prior to Opening Day you wouldn't care. Nick Madrigal fits that description. Dylan Covey too. Brett Baty does not.

Of course, your prediction can be that there is no Dark Horse Met this year. Given that we have so many known quantities, that may end up being the case. And no, the Dark Horse Met need not have released any hit songs (though it's a bonus if he has).

Good luck!

[MFS62]

Jose Butto will finally be unleashed , to strike fear in the hearts of opposing batters.

Later

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Griffin Canning is your man!

[metirish]

Reading the criteria i will go with Justin Hagnman, someone will get injured and Justin will step into thy void and be lights out

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Half you guys are gonna pick guys who get released in spring training. I think we need a few weeks of spring training to make a better guess.

Also, Butto shouldn't be eligible as he's already awesome

[MFS62]

Also, Butto shouldn't be eligible as he's already awesome

It was tough to squeeze out a pick through all those criteria.
Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'll say Jared Young. Not that I know a damn thing about him, but only because he fits the criteria and why not? If I turn out to be right, I'll collect the $10,000 jackpot!

[smg58]

Would Dedniel Nunez count?

[Centerfield]

Nunez and Butto already arrived in 2024.

Put it this way. Every entry in this thread should make you say “who”?

Think of how you felt about Jose Iglesias one year ago today.

[MFS62]

Nunez and Butto already arrived in 2024.

Put it this way. Every entry in this thread should make you say “who”?

Think of how you felt about Jose Iglesias one year ago today.

Are you saying it had to be somebody who hasn't been on the major league team before now? The original rules weren't clear about that.

Has to be someone we expect to be a fringe guy.

I took it as someone who unexpectedly makes a major contribution.
I guess that eliminates Brazoban, my second choice, too.
Later

[Gwreck]

How about Luke Ritter?

Infielder. Hit 26 homers in Syracuse last year. 27 homers in 2023 between Binghamton and Syracuse combined. Maybe Madrigal gets hurt and Ritter gets a shot.

I read about him in Will Sammon’s piece today in the Athletic. I’m not sure I knew about this guy before today.

[roger_that]

Rules are too lax. To be really fun, a dark horse should be someone the Mets haven't even signed to a contract yet.

[DocTee]

Paul Blackburn. Because why not.

[Fman99]

George Harrison

[smg58]

Blake Tidwell and Dom Hamel will combine for over 50 meaningful innings on the major league club.

[metsmarathon]

you want a dark horse? i'll give you a dark horse.

jonathon frickin' pintaro, a 27-year old who the mets signed last june out of the frickin' pioneer league, where he was posting a 4.40 ERA for the... uh... [checks notes...] frickin' glacier mother-fricking range riders.

the range riders! is that even a real team?!

here's what fangraphs has to say about hte guy:

The Mets picked up Pintaro last year out of the Pioneer League. He’s 27, so he quickly worked his way from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse. Across the three levels, he had a 2.68 ERA in 74 innings (four with Syracuse, 34 with Binghamton). He ended his year pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

yeah, that's a dark horse right there. let's go!

[Centerfield]

you want a dark horse? i'll give you a dark horse.

jonathon frickin' pintaro, a 27-year old who the mets signed last june out of the frickin' pioneer league, where he was posting a 4.40 ERA for the... uh... [checks notes...] frickin' glacier mother-fricking range riders.

the range riders! is that even a real team?!

here's what fangraphs has to say about hte guy:

The Mets picked up Pintaro last year out of the Pioneer League. He’s 27, so he quickly worked his way from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse. Across the three levels, he had a 2.68 ERA in 74 innings (four with Syracuse, 34 with Binghamton). He ended his year pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

yeah, that's a dark horse right there. let's go!

This is what I'm talking about right here. That's a real Dark Horse. Luke Ritter. Jared Young. Hagenman. These are some dark horses.

Griffin Canning? Paul Blackburn? GTFOH

Reminds me of an article I saw recently. It was like "Breakout Candidates for 2025!" and had names like Corbin Carroll, Jackson Merrill.

[Centerfield]

Half you guys are gonna pick guys who get released in spring training. I think we need a few weeks of spring training to make a better guess.

Sure. But the honorable thing to do is to guess before you see them in action. Real men make decisions with as little data as possible.

[Frayed Knot]

Real men make decisions with as little data as possible.

So this makes DJT a real man?!?!?!!

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Half you guys are gonna pick guys who get released in spring training. I think we need a few weeks of spring training to make a better guess.

Sure. But the honorable thing to do is to guess before you see them in action. Real men make decisions with as little data as possible.

All right then. You will SHIT YOUR PANTS when you get a load of Kevin "Night Train" Herget.

[kcmets]

Of course, your prediction can be that there is no Dark Horse Met this year.

There will be no dark horse on the 115-47 Mets this year.

[Centerfield]

To recap:

1. MMM: Griffin Canning
2. irish: Justin Hagenman
3. BG: Jared Young
4. MFS62: Huascar Brazoban
5. Gwreck: Luke Ritter
6. doctee: Paul Blackburn
7. Fman: George Harrison
8. mm: Jonathan Frickin' Pintaro
9. JCL: Kevin "Night Train" Herget
10. KC: NONE

A few notes.
*smg: Tidwell/Hamel. Neither guy is on BP top 10. So both are eligible. Please pick one!
*George Harrison. If he were alive, would have been the most likely to have a hit song. But he's dead. So seems like a long shot.
*Brazoban, Canning and Blackburn. I'll allow these. But these are definitely on the lighter side of the Dark Horse eligibility pool. They might be Dusk Horse Mets. Like say, Jose Valentin.

[Gwreck]

If Blackburn is even slightly good (save his rookie season of 10 starts, he’s never had an ERA+ above 100)…I’d be pretty shocked. Valentin was at least good once in his career before coming to the Mets. And, in fairness, so was Iglesias. Blackburn’s always been sub-par.

I think he’s an ok dark horse as I expect him to be either bad or not on the team.

[The Hot Corner]

Okay, I'll throw out my dark horse prediction. The Mets pen is once again deficient in left-handed options. There is A.J. Minter and hopefully, Danny Young. If something happens to them, then someone will need to step up and be the man. I present to you, Brandon Waddell who last pitched in the major in 2021. For his storied(?) career he has 12.2 IP to his credit while holding batters to a sub .300 avg. (.296) and 2.13 WHIP while surrendering more walks than strike outs. Should Minter falter (heaven forbid) and Young disappoint, then my man is ready to step into the void and be the lefty no one wants to see (especially Mets fans) coming out of the bullpen.

If he ends up making the team (at any point) and pitches effective innings, then he is a true contender for the 2025 Dark Horse.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

Newsday has an interesting feature about pitcher Justin Hagenman, a career minor-leaguer who got a major league contract. Suggests he might be our dark horse Met of 2025!

https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball ... m_term=sub