PORT STREET SEA — As he reported to camp last week, Edwin Diaz declared he thought he was “going to be the same guy” this season.
Through his first swing and subsequent words, his teammates confirmed the same on Friday.
The Mets closer bested Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Harrison Bader in a live batting practice session, confirming that Diaz’s often unhittable talent was still intact.
Diaz rattled his teammates at Clover Park by inducing five whiffs in eight swings against some of the club’s top batters.
Did that slingshot right-hander on the mound look like the superstar who became the Mets’ $102 million man after a ridiculous 2022 season?
“Yeah,” Alonso said after a particularly impressive at-bat.
Alonso saw three pitches and was leading by a theoretical count of 3-0.
A sharp and hard slider followed, but the big first baseman aimed for it, but missed.
Diaz turned to a fastball at the top of the zone to finish off Alonso, and Alonso also swung through the ball.
“His slider looks really sharp,” Alonso said. “His fastball always has explosive power. He looks really good.”
Diaz threw 20 pitches in total, allowed two pitches from Lindor to be in play, lofted what would have been a flyout, nearly grounded out to second base, and struck out Alonso and Bader with overwhelming strikes. Ta.
Diaz faced a batter for the first time this spring on February 15, and reported that his fastball peaked at 96 mph, but he felt good after that.
In both sessions, Lindor stood in the box.
Even Diaz has proven to be dominant in the build-up, though Lindor has signaled his friend hasn’t quite released himself yet.
“He looked a lot better today than he did last week,” the shortstop said. “His slider was sharper. His fastball went farther. He’s starting to look more like Diaz.”
There was no trumpet, but there was another powerful statement from Diaz, who missed all of last season after tearing the patella tendon in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic.
Lacking their best relief pitcher, the Mets’ bullpen has been a glaring weakness in what has been a lost season for the club, ranking second from bottom in FanGraphs’ tally of wins above replacement. was.
Diaz said he could have been ready to return by the end of the season, but upside is doubtful for a Mets team that is far from playoff contention.
A year later, Diaz, who Lindor admitted the Mets missed “a lot” last season, has emerged as a key addition.
David Robertson was an excellent closer before moving to the Marlins, but the team’s depth continued to be exposed.
Having Diaz at the back end of the bullpen will be a comfort to new manager Carlos Mendoza. He said, “It was really, really good to see Diaz lower his blood pressure live.”
Diaz will not immediately appear in an exhibition game, as the Mets’ Grapefruit League season begins Saturday at home against the Cardinals.
His post-surgery progress does not include fielding yet.
“The most important thing is that he gets comfortable on the mound facing hitters before we move him to the next step, whether that’s covering base, defending bunts, defending his overall position.” Mendoza said. “Like I said, he’s moving around and feeling good and that’s what we want.”
The Mets want the same pitcher who hit just .160 in 2022 and turned Citi Field into a nightclub every time “Narcos” entered.
The Mets want the same right-hander who posted a 1.31 ERA, 17.13 strikeouts and 32 saves per nine innings and earned him the National League Cy Young Award and MVP votes.
There were early signs from several of Diaz’s teammates that their best pitcher was back a year after surgery.
“Feedback from the hitters,” Mendoza said before following. “They’re excited to get him on the mound.”
