The New York Mets’ most successful minor league affiliate this season was their AA team in Binghamton. The newly rebranded Binghamton Rumble Ponies advanced to the Eastern League playoffs before falling in the first round to the Trenton Thunder. One of the big keys for the Rumble Ponies’ success was a solid pitching staff featuring several of the Mets’ top pitching prospects. An unlikely addition to that group emerged this season as Corey Oswalt, the Mets’ seventh round draft pick in 2012, had a breakout campaign for the Ponies. As a result, Oswalt is the subject of this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.
After a solid but unspectacular first few years in the pros, Oswalt was pushed to AA Binghamton this season despite going 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA in 14 appearances (13 starts) for High-A St. Lucie last year. The jump from Single-A to Double-A is a big test for a prospect, and the Mets were curious to see how Oswalt would handle it. Oswalt was regarded as a project when the Mets first drafted him since he didn’t start pitching until his senior year of high school, but it looks as if things finally came together for Oswalt this season.
In 24 starts for the Rumble Ponies, Oswalt went 12-5 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, and he tossed two complete games (including a shutout for good measure). Oswalt pitched 134.1 innings for Binghamton this year and posted a solid 119:40 strikeout to walk ratio. MLB.com has Oswalt ranked as the Mets’ 28th best prospect, and their scouting report notes that he relies on a fastball that sits between 90-95 miles per hour. Oswalt’s second best pitch is an improving slider, and he also uses a changeup and curveball in his repertoire. The upside for Oswalt appears to be as a back of the rotation starter, which wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Mets since they suddenly have a ton of questions about their seemingly endless pitching depth from the start of the season.
The Mets will have to make a decision about Oswalt this winter since he is eligible for the Rule V draft for the first time. Oswalt could easily be taken by another team since he isn’t too far from the major leagues, so the Mets may have to put him on the 40 man roster if they want to keep him in their farm system. The Mets do have some open 40 man spots to play with this winter, so it will be interesting to see if they feel that Oswalt has developed well enough to merit one of them.
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