Minor League Mondays: Justin Jarvis Adds To Mets’ Pitching Depth

The New York Mets’ unexpected sale at the trade deadline allowed the team to re-stock its farm system with plenty of elite young talent. While hitters such as Marco Vargas, LuisAngel Acuna and Drew Gilbert dominated the Mets’ return, they did manage to add an interesting arm to their arsenal. That pitcher is righty Justin Jarvis, who is the focus of this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.

Jarvis, the Milwaukee Brewers’ fifth-round pick in 2018, had a breakthrough this season during his second stint with AA Biloxi. In 14 starts for the Shuckers, Jarvis went 6-4 with a 3.33 ERA and struck out 91 batters in 75.2 innings pitched. That performance earned Jarvis a promotion to AAA Nashville, where he struggled a bit, but his AA performance caught the eye of the Mets.

The Mets acquired Jarvis from the Brewers in a deal that sent outfielder Mark Canha to Milwaukee and assigned him to AAA Syracuse. It has been rough sledding for Jarvis in his Syracuse debut as he is 0-1 with an 8.53 ERA in two starts, but the Mets will give Jarvis plenty of runway to adjust to the next level of competition.

Jarvis has a solid arsenal of pitches headlined by a rising four-seam fastball that sits between 92-94 miles per hour. Offspeed offerings include a splitter and slider that sit in the low 80s while a curveball is his least used pitch. Command is very important for Jarvis since his stuff can get crushed if he leaves it over the middle of the plate.

Scouts believe there is back of the rotation potential for Jarvis, who is currently rated as the Mets’ 15th-best prospect according to MLB.com. Jarvis does add some important upper-level pitching depth for the Mets, who have had to use Jose Butto and Denyi Reyes as starting options at various points of the season. The plan appears to be for Jarvis to spend the rest of this season at AAA Syracuse and he will have a chance to show the big club what he can do in spring training of 2024.

Depending on how many starters the Mets add in the offseason, Jarvis could also have an opportunity to win a job in the rotation. If not, Jarvis will likely be in Syracuse’s rotation to start 2024 and could earn an opportunity by pitching well at AAA.