Jacob Rhame

New York Mets: Jacob Rhame Year in Review

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For someone who pitched less than ten innings for the New York Mets, Jacob Rhame left a lasting memory on the 2019 season. He decided to pick a battle with Rhys Hoskins, and as we expected, it was not a battle Rhame would win. It also sparked a season-long rivalry with the Philadelphia Phillies.

2019 was the third season for Rhame in a Mets uniform. Three of his five appearances came during the first month of the season. The first resulted in Rhame allowing one run over 1.1 innings. The following to are his memorable outings of the season.

Rhame vs. Hoskins

On April 23, Rhame threw a scoreless ninth innings to cap off the Mets 9-0 win. It did not come without drama, after retiring the first two batters, Rhame threw behind Hoskins. He walked towards the mound, which drew small crowds out of each dugout. The at-bat finished with Rhame sailing another pitch towards the head of Hoskins. Both teams disagreed on Rhame’s intent which, carried over animosity to the following night.

Rhame came in the next night but was not successful. He allowed a home run to Hoskins, and his jog around the bases was similar to the one Bartolo Colon had during his home run. To Rhame’s credit, he handled the situation like a professional but received a two-game suspension.

Dead Weight

The Mets sent down Rhame while he still had to serve his suspension. This meant the next time he returned; he would have to wait for two games before he could pitch. Rhame remained in the minors for about three months before he returned, but would only pitch three more innings for the Mets in 2019.

Rhame has a live arm but has not found his footing in the big leagues. Much like Tyler Bashlor, his problem has been limiting the walks and home runs. He went under elbow surgery, which ended his season early and put an end to a rough year between the minors and big leagues.

Grades:

Pitching Repertoire: D+, Good mid-90s fastball, but his slider and change-up are not competent enough to be out pitches. The change-up has high potential as a swing and miss pitch.

Control: F, nine walks in 6.1 innings.

Composure: B, Preferably, he does not throw at anybody, but he handled the situation as good as anyone.

Intangibles: B, Looks to be mentally tough, and the situation could have been a distraction in the clubhouse.

Overall: D

 

New York Mets 40-Man Roster Overview: Jacob Rhame

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New York Mets‘ Jacob Rhame was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He spent the rest of the year with the Ogden Raptors where he had eight saves in the 20 games he pitched that season.

The next year he played with the Great Lakes Loons and had a 2.00 ERA in 51 games and was established himself number 23 prospect in the Dodgers organization.

Moving Up The Ranks and Facing Speed Bumps

In 2015, he played five games with the Tulsa Drillers and finished the game with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes where he continued his success with a 2.68 ERA and struck out 70 batters.

He moved up to the number 18 spot on the Dodgers prospect list heading into 2016. With the Oklahoma City Dodgers he saw his ERA rise to 3.29 as most pitchers do in the Pacific Coast League.

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His struggles continued in 2017 where he had a 4.31 ERA and dropped off the Dodgers prospects list before he was traded. Upon his arrival to the Mets he pitched six innings with the Las Vegas 51s and only allowed one run.

When he was brought up to the Mets as part of the September roster expansion he struggled giving up nine runs in nine innings and had an alarming 2.11 WHIP.

Rhame barely makes the Mets top prospects list at number 30. He is very reliant on his fastball which sits at 95-96 mph and can hit the upper-90s. His secondary pitches are mediocre but his slider show some bite on it every once in a while and his change-up still needs work. He walked too many batters in his short MLB stint but he usually has had decent control.

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Decent has summarized his Spring Training allowing four runs in the nine innings he has pitched. Seven of his nine outings this spring has been scoreless.

The Mets see potential in Rhame since they have kept him with the team while most of the minor league guys have been sent down already. If he makes the team he likely will not see too many high leverage situations until Mickey Callaway feels he is ready for them.