Pitching to Win: Mets Staff Showing Depth, Command, and a Whole Lot of Nasty
The 2025 Mets pitching staff is the best in the game. A 2.39 team ERA through the first 19 games leads all Major League Baseball. They’ve kept the Mets in every game, reduced the workload on the bullpen, and kept scoring margins tight enough for the offense to swing late. It’s been dominance by design.
Clay Holmes: 3.66 ERA | 19.2 IP
Kick-Change-Clay Holmes has made a legitimate case for staying in this rotation long-term. He’s no longer coasting on the comfort of that old 1-2 sinker-slider combo in those late innings of relief. Instead, he’s drawing from a deeper pitch mix, built for turning lineups over and giving the Mets six quality innings every time out.
Clay Holmes, Dirty 87mph Kick Change. 👌 pic.twitter.com/FVm35EwM1X
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 2, 2025
He’s shown he can record double-digit punchouts through a lineup (three times) and still keep hitters guessing. The walks are down, the first-pitch strike rate is up, and he’s pitching with pace. Holmes is learning how to pitch the distance, and it’s showing in how he manages game flow.
He’s setting traps instead of just relying on weak contact. He doesn’t have to be flashy—he just has to be unpredictable. So far, he’s been both.
Tylor Megill: 1.40 ERA | 19.1 IP
Tylor Megill has become a master of reinvention. Every spring, he’s added a new weapon, and now he’s sitting on a full arsenal that’s honestly a little excessive. The cutter, sweeper, and sinker have become fundamental tools—not just side projects—and he’s using them with intent.
Tylor Megill, Dirty 85mph Back Foot Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/mmezSQdRhk
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 4, 2025
Against righties, his 95 mph sinker has become a sledgehammer. Add in the back-foot slide and four-seam, and hitters have to cover every inch of the strike zone. He closed out 2024 with a lights-out September, and that confidence has bled into 2025. Through 19.1 innings, he’s sitting at a 1.40 ERA and locating with conviction.
David Peterson: 3.27 ERA | 22.0 IP
David Peterson has always had the frame and the extension, but in 2025, he’s added polish. He’s no longer relying on stuff to bail him out—he’s just pitching smarter. He’s using his sinker more as a primary weapon, locating it at the back foot of righties and burying it to lefties.
The sinker and four-seamer are setting up weak contact (57.9% GB), and the slider and changeup have enough depth to disrupt timing, especially the second and third time through the order.
David Peterson, Wicked 87mph Back Foot Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/iWZ8duPfqj
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 18, 2025
What’s most noticeable is the pace and presence. He’s working faster, getting ahead in counts, and finishing innings without letting one baserunner snowball into damage. He’s already logged multiple six-inning starts with minimal stress, and he’s been a consistent stabilizing presence.
He knows how to sequence economically. He knows how to miss barrels. And he’s pitching like someone who understands how to steal an extra inning before turning it over to the bullpen.
Griffin Canning: 3.43 ERA | 22.1 IP
Griffin Canning isn’t flashy on the mound, but he certainly is on paper. As one of David Stearns’ masterclass signings, he’s been giving the Mets exactly what they need. His slider and changeup have been key to navigating early counts, and his ability to stay composed in traffic has kept the Mets out of early-game trouble.
Griffin Canning with an amazing start
6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 16 Whiffs
3.43 ERA, pitching lab cooked
pic.twitter.com/Zoa7IxDqI8— Mets’d Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) April 18, 2025
With a handful of quality starts already under his belt, Canning has kept the bullpen out of crisis mode and the offense within striking distance.
Kodai Senga: 1.06 ERA | 17.0 IP
Kodai Senga has returned from his spring delay with glimpses of his 2023 form, and I’ll go as far as to say he is on a Cy Young Campaign. Despite some early command turbulence in his first innings, he’s settled in and regained his rhythm. The ghost fork is still dancing, the four-seamer still has ride, and he’s sequencing with more precision each time out.
Kodai Senga, Fastball and Ghost Fork Overlay.
(two different at bats…just to show movement). pic.twitter.com/jA43z48f41
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2025
Through 17 innings, he owns a 1.06 ERA. His last outing—a seven-inning shutout—was as smooth and complete as he’s looked all year. There’s a complete game in him this season. The stuff is too good, and the adjustments are too sharp.
Bullpen: Combined 2.10 ERA
This bullpen is unequivocally lethal. A 2.10 ERA across 19 games is more than a strong start. It’s a message. Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek have yet to allow a run through 7.2 and 7.1 innings, respectively. Huascar Brazobán and Max Kranick both have ERAs of 1.35 and have provided multi-inning relief without unraveling.
The Mets bullpen has walked just 23 of the 303 total batters they’ve faced this season.
After facing 303 batters in 2024, the Mets bullpen walked 46 of them.
7.5% improvement to start the year. #LGM pic.twitter.com/t560fS7JuE
— Carson (@MWCarse) April 19, 2025
A.J. Minter has handled high-leverage spots efficiently and masterfully. José Buttó has looked sharp in middle relief. Even Danny Young, still working out the kinks, has contributed crucial outs when needed.
Edwin Díaz remains the linchpin of the late innings. When he’s in the zone, instead of chasing swings, he’s still as electric as anyone in the game. His velocity is back, and the slider is biting again. When he stays focused on execution rather than deception, the ninth inning is his to own.
Mets pitching stats this season:
2.39 ERA (1st MLB)
2.61 SP ERA (1st MLB)
2.10 Bullpen ERA (3rd MLB)
194 K (4th MLB)Elite. pic.twitter.com/FN6z7Hz87A
— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) April 19, 2025
This is a staff built on variety, command, and competitiveness. They’re not always fireballers, and they don’t need to be. What they are is complete. The starters are setting the tone early, the bullpen is locking down late, and every arm on this roster looks capable and calculated. This is no longer a team hoping their pitching holds up—it’s a team energized by it.
