Chris Flexen

New York Mets: Chris Flexen Year in Review

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Chris Flexen’s first two years with the New York Mets were the complete opposite of thriving. It was evident that he needed more work before contributing at the big league level, and it showed again during the 2019 season.

Flexen came into Spring Training in better shape than in previous years. Out of necessity, Flexen made a spot start on April 20, and it was precisely the type of outing Mets fans had seen before. He only pitched 4.1 innings and allowed six runs while walking four batters.

Bullpen Only

At this point, the Mets sent Flexen back to the minors and decided he would become a reliever. His velocity increased and recalled him for the May 4 game against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a game which left very bitter tastes in everyone’s mouths. The Mets wanted to avoid using Flexen due to his lack of success, but they had no choice by the time the 17th inning came around.

Flexen escaped the 17th without any damage, but the 18th was a different story. The combination of his lack of control and Angel Hernandez behind the dish led to three walks to load the bases. Ryan Braun had a two-run single to steal the win away from the Mets.

Flexen went back to Triple-A the following day and waited until June to return. It was the only point of the season where he stayed in the big leagues for an extended period. He allowed three earned runs in his six appearances and had good strikeout numbers. It was not enough for the Mets to deem him as a valuable asset to the bullpen. After June ended, Flexen only made one more appearance all season.

The Mets released Flexen in mid-December, and it put an end to a horrendous career with the Mets. His career ERA is 8.07, and he always struggled with walks, allowing 7.1 per nine innings over his career. Flexen still has a live arm, which may intrigue some organization to take a risk with him in the minors.

Grades:

Pitching Repertoire: D, Fastball gained velocity in the bullpen, but his off-speed was often flat and down the middle.

Control: F

Composure: F, Not the guy you want in the game if you want to win

Intangibles: C

Overall: F

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Chris Flexen

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The 23-year old and number 14 prospect in the New York Mets’ organization, Chris Flexen is up next on the New York Mets player overview.

Flexen’s Journey:

In 2012 the Mets took Flexen in the 14th round in the MLB Draft out of Memorial High School in Newark, California. Flexen spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons in rookie ball and his ERA went from 5.62 to 2.09. Flexen also earned Topps APP Player of the Year and Short-Season/Rookie All-Star honors.

In 2014, Flexen spend the year in regular A ball and posted a 4.83 ERA in 13 starts. After spending parts of 2015 in the Rookie, Low-A, and Single-A leagues, he had a 2.42 ERA and was moving up the ranks in the Mets farm system. Flexen continued his success in 2016 in High-A, pitching 134 innings and having aa 3.56 ERA.

2017 became a year of highs and lows for Flexen. It started in spectacular fashion by having a 1.76 ERA in 61.1 innings between High-A and Double-A. Flexen earned a call-up in late July to help a decimated Mets rotation but showed he was not ready to pitch at the big league level.

There was no number that could be used as a positive for him. From a 7.88 ERA to a .321 average against to a K/BB ratio of 36/35, he could not catch a break. Flexen is heading into his age 23 season and still has another year to develop in to the pitcher he has been in the minor leagues.

His body language showed defeat and a lack of confidence in September. The Mets will look for him to regain his confidence in the minors and learn from the minds of manager Mickey Callaway and pitching coach Dave Eiland in Spring Training. Flexen has good stuff but was still a raw prospect and would not have seen big league action if the Mets were not out of the playoff race. It will be a long shot for Flexen to make the team out of Spring Training, but a successful 2018 in the minors will give Flexen a good opportunity to come back to the Mets.