Max Kranick, Tyler Zuber and other Mets Pitching Standouts
Spring Training is well underway
Max Kranick
As recently as 2021, Max Kranick was ranked as the Pirates’ #26 prospect, projected as a potential rotation piece. However, injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential in Pittsburgh. Although he has been with the Mets for a year now, many fans got their first real introduction to Kranick this week, as a stuff monster.
Summaries like this from Pitch Profiler on X went viral as Mets fans were shocked by his gaudy Stuff+ grades. As someone who took notice of Kranick last year, I’m excited to break him down for those just now hearing about him.
His arsenal is headlined by a four-seamer with some cut and above-average ride, boasting 18.3 inches of induced vertical break (IVB). He complements it with three distinct breaking balls: a hard gyro slider, a curveball, and what I find most intriguing, a "lifty" sweeper. This type of sweeper is becoming more popular, but in combination with two other strong breaking balls, it’s a unique offering in his arsenal. In Triple-A last season, he also mixed in a sinker, giving him something that moves arm-side and rounding out a true five-pitch mix. I believe Kranick should be a legitimate contender for a spot in the Mets’ rotation, the question is whether he can stay healthy.
Tyler Zuber
Another Met who impressed with his Stuff+ numbers was a 2024 trade deadline acquisition who showcased a revamped arsenal in his first spring outing on Sunday. This offseason, I collaborated on a joint thread with Zuber, where he opened up to me about the adjustments he had been working on, changes that were on full display in Sunday’s performance.
To summarize our thread, Zuber’s main goals were to add horizontal movement to his sweeper, creating more separation from his smaller gyro slider, and develop a changeup to help him attack lefties. Based on his outing, those adjustments seem to have paid off. Zuber added four inches of sweep to his sweeper and is now using a changeup with an excellent shape.
As a more supination biased pitcher, Zuber utilizes a Kick-Change grip to achieve this movement profile, something I previously broke down with Clay Holmes. He rounds out his arsenal with a low-slot fastball that plays well at the top of the zone and reaches the high 90s. With this revamped arsenal, Zuber has the stuff to be an effective Major League reliever.
Douglas Orellana
(Video: MLB)
Orellana has always been a prospect I’ve kept an eye on. His unique short-arm action, over-the-top delivery, and ability to reach the upper 90s with his fastball have made me eager to see Statcast data on him.
He features an extreme north-south arsenal, but despite coming from such a high slot, his fastball doesn’t have the IVB you’d typically expect. Instead, it has an outlier cut-heavy shape. While more IVB is generally desirable, there’s also value in unique pitch shapes, and with his velocity, this one could still be effective. Likely to start the year in Double-A, Orellana carries some reliever risk at 22, and his path to the majors has been anything but linear due to injuries. However, with his outlier stuff, his future is more bright than it is bleak.
Huascar Brazobán
After arriving at the trade deadline, Brazobán didn’t make the best first impression on Mets fans. While the stuff was there, his command issues ultimately led to a demotion to Triple-A. Now 35, he still has the potential to make an impact despite his age.
In his first spring outing, he impressed by striking out two of the batters he faced. His fastball velocity was slightly down, but that’s not concerning for an early spring appearance. What stood out to me was his lower arm slot. This could be unintentional, but it might also be a deliberate adjustment to improve his control. Regardless, Brazobán remains another intriguing relief option with great stuff for the Mets.