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When Christian Scott was not rehabbing from internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow last season, he tried to stay upbeat.
He read motivational books and traveled, keeping a fresh perspective in the wake of the September 2024 injury that derailed a promising first step into his major league career with the Mets.
The recovery process can feel like a "lonely place," as manager Carlos Mendoza said, but now Scott is back where he's comfortable on the mound.
"Obviously not pitching for 18 months, I’d say the biggest thing is getting your timing back down," Scott told NorthJersey.com. "Usually the last thing that comes back is command, so even days that I’m struggling a little bit with command, I have to go out there and compete in the strike zone as much as I can."
Eighteen months can feel like an eternity when you have a zero in your win column, especially after turning in three quality starts in the first four starts of a major league career with nothing to show for it.
He finally earned that result last week when he secured his first career win in start No. 16, striking out a season-high eight batters and allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks to the Marlins. Now, he's 1-0 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 30⅔ innings
Scott had heard it from his brothers after a few close calls. He admitted it was impossible not to think about at times during and in between starts. The Mets were careful early on with Scott, who walked five batters and only lasted 1⅓ innings in his first start of the season on April 23. He did not eclipse the 90-pitch mark until his sixth start of the season.
"Not being able to go deep in games early on, that obviously doesn’t help, but being able to give myself and the team the best chance to win a game and go five or six or seven innings, however long they want me to go," Scott said. "It’s just about competing in the strike zone at that point in my at-bats, lower the pitch count and just stay consistent throughout the year."
With Kodai Senga working back from lumbar spine inflammation and David Peterson scuffling in a starting role, the production of Scott, who opened the season in Triple-A Syracuse, has become a vital piece of the Mets' rotation.
In Sunday's start, the 26-year-old right-hander deployed a near-even mix of fastballs and sweepers, getting four of his strikeouts with the latter. He topped out at 96.4 mph.
"If we can get that version, which I’m pretty confident we will, that’s another factor for us to turn this thing around," Mendoza said. "He’s too talented. He’s got electric stuff and he’s going to continue to help us."
Scott said he feels "night and day" from where he was as a pitcher when he made his debut on May 4, 2024, against the Rays in Tampa, Florida.
The righty, who was a reliever at the University of Florida before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, had relied more heavily on his fastball and sweeper back then. He mixed in a gyro slider.
Now, Scott has added a cutter and all but abandoned his slider. The cutter is a pitch that Scott feels works well off his four-seam fastball and can run in on left-handers.
"Being able to really tunnel both those pitches and obviously have the cutter be able to hold vert at the top of the strike zone has been huge for me and be able to limit a little bit of damage there to lefties," Scott said. "Just trying to do that to get me out of at-bats a little bit easier and hopefully get some weak contact is kind of the goal with that pitch."
Scott is also tinkering with a kick changeup to try and round out his repertoire.
"I’d love if you could pick something up and be amazing at it right away, but being able to throw that consistently in games, it’s a lot different to throw that in a bullpen rather than a game setting," Scott said. "Being able to have more reps at that and more confidence for that in games is kind of the goal for that pitch."
After a long road back, Scott can finally say that No. 1 is out of the way. He reveled in the postgame celebration.
With the weight of that accomplishment alleviated, Scott is hoping the second triumph will come a little bit sooner..
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Christian Scott of NY Mets evolved after elbow surgery
Continue reading...
He read motivational books and traveled, keeping a fresh perspective in the wake of the September 2024 injury that derailed a promising first step into his major league career with the Mets.
The recovery process can feel like a "lonely place," as manager Carlos Mendoza said, but now Scott is back where he's comfortable on the mound.
"Obviously not pitching for 18 months, I’d say the biggest thing is getting your timing back down," Scott told NorthJersey.com. "Usually the last thing that comes back is command, so even days that I’m struggling a little bit with command, I have to go out there and compete in the strike zone as much as I can."
Eighteen months can feel like an eternity when you have a zero in your win column, especially after turning in three quality starts in the first four starts of a major league career with nothing to show for it.
He finally earned that result last week when he secured his first career win in start No. 16, striking out a season-high eight batters and allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks to the Marlins. Now, he's 1-0 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 30⅔ innings
Scott had heard it from his brothers after a few close calls. He admitted it was impossible not to think about at times during and in between starts. The Mets were careful early on with Scott, who walked five batters and only lasted 1⅓ innings in his first start of the season on April 23. He did not eclipse the 90-pitch mark until his sixth start of the season.
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"Not being able to go deep in games early on, that obviously doesn’t help, but being able to give myself and the team the best chance to win a game and go five or six or seven innings, however long they want me to go," Scott said. "It’s just about competing in the strike zone at that point in my at-bats, lower the pitch count and just stay consistent throughout the year."
With Kodai Senga working back from lumbar spine inflammation and David Peterson scuffling in a starting role, the production of Scott, who opened the season in Triple-A Syracuse, has become a vital piece of the Mets' rotation.
In Sunday's start, the 26-year-old right-hander deployed a near-even mix of fastballs and sweepers, getting four of his strikeouts with the latter. He topped out at 96.4 mph.
"If we can get that version, which I’m pretty confident we will, that’s another factor for us to turn this thing around," Mendoza said. "He’s too talented. He’s got electric stuff and he’s going to continue to help us."
Scott said he feels "night and day" from where he was as a pitcher when he made his debut on May 4, 2024, against the Rays in Tampa, Florida.
The righty, who was a reliever at the University of Florida before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, had relied more heavily on his fastball and sweeper back then. He mixed in a gyro slider.
Now, Scott has added a cutter and all but abandoned his slider. The cutter is a pitch that Scott feels works well off his four-seam fastball and can run in on left-handers.
"Being able to really tunnel both those pitches and obviously have the cutter be able to hold vert at the top of the strike zone has been huge for me and be able to limit a little bit of damage there to lefties," Scott said. "Just trying to do that to get me out of at-bats a little bit easier and hopefully get some weak contact is kind of the goal with that pitch."
Scott is also tinkering with a kick changeup to try and round out his repertoire.
You must be registered for see images attach
"I’d love if you could pick something up and be amazing at it right away, but being able to throw that consistently in games, it’s a lot different to throw that in a bullpen rather than a game setting," Scott said. "Being able to have more reps at that and more confidence for that in games is kind of the goal for that pitch."
After a long road back, Scott can finally say that No. 1 is out of the way. He reveled in the postgame celebration.
With the weight of that accomplishment alleviated, Scott is hoping the second triumph will come a little bit sooner..
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Christian Scott of NY Mets evolved after elbow surgery
Continue reading...
