There aren’t a ton of elite pitching prospects in the New York Mets’ farm system right now but one player to keep an eye on in the coming years is starting pitcher Matt Allan. Former Mets’ GM Brodie Van Wagenen manipulated his 2019 draft bonus pool to snag Allan in the third round, adding an infusion of elite talent to a farm system that has lost a ton of it in recent years. Allan’s path to the major leagues has been slowed by Tommy John surgery and we will check in on the status of the Mets’ top pitching prospect in this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.
Allan, who is just 21 years old, was rated as the 13th best prospect in his draft class but fell to the third round due to signability concerns. The Mets offered him $2.5 million dollars, nearly four times the slot value of the 89th pick in the draft, to add Allan to the organization. Allan was a standout at the alternate site during the 2020 season before a torn UCL required Tommy John surgery in May of 2021, sidelining him after just six professional appearances. The Mets were careful with Allan prior to the surgery, having him throw just 10.1 innings in that span, but he did flash some promise by striking out 14 batters while working to a 2.61 ERA.
MLB.com has Allan rated as the organization’s sixth-best prospect as he has fallen out of the top five due to the delayed timetable caused by the surgery. That timetable was pushed back a bit as Allan needed another surgery to transpose a nerve in January, but the Mets are preaching patience with their top pitching prospect.
The new plan appears to be to try and get Allan into action by the end of the season, but the organization is completely fine with Allan not pitching at all as long as his recovery progresses smoothly. The Mets have the luxury of time with Allan, who is still just 21 years old and has Top of the rotation potential if everything goes according to plan. Scouts fell in love with Allan’s fastball that averaged 96 miles per hour to go along with an elite curveball. The Mets were encouraged by the progress that Allan made with his changeup at the alternate site in 2020 since that pitch’s development will be key to his future as a starter.
Allan will likely begin his path to the majors with St. Lucie to get his feet wet and spend time at all four levels before he reaches the major leagues. That puts a potential ETA for Allan no earlier than 2025, especially if he doesn’t pitch this year, but Allan would still be only 24 if that occurs. Patience will be key for Mets’ fans eager to see a potential star pitcher develop and it appears that both Allan and the organization have bought into that mantra.
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