Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away.
“Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
In recent years, Mets officials have done well to reverse their reputation as an organization that struggles to develop relief pitchers. The recent emergences of José Buttó and Dedniel Núñez provided evidence to that end, while the Mets similarly jumpstarted the careers of relievers from outside the organization, like Reed Garrett and Danny Young.
In Lambert, they hope to take the express route toward developing another bullpen gem. During his college years, Lambert was exclusively a relief pitcher, averaging less than an inning per appearance. His fastball sat in the upper 90s at Oklahoma and ran as hot as 102 mph during a game against Wichita State. Lambert lives for that sort of thing.
“I’m an adrenaline guy,” he said before Sunday’s 5-1 Spring Breakout victory over a group of Nationals prospects. “I love big situations. I think that brings the best out of you when you feel really nervous. You harness that energy and you never know what can happen. So who knows what I’ll touch here in the future?”
Mets prospect Ryan Lambert once drank THIRTY raw eggs per day for a month as he worked to bulk up 🥚 @PSLtoFlushing @SteveGelbs @JimDuquetteGM pic.twitter.com/gpN0AhT1eo
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 16, 2025
Lambert’s actual performance in Spring Breakout showcased both his bigtime velocity -- he hit 97 mph on multiple occasions -- as well as his present-day flaws. In an admittedly small college sample size, Lambert walked 7.3 batters per nine innings. Big, hard-throwing pitchers like him can struggle to repeat their mechanics.
Since turning pro, Lambert has worked on fine-tuning his delivery, but he struggled Sunday in walking two batters, giving up three stolen bases and allowing one run.
“For him, it’s strikes,” Mets senior vice president of player development Andy Green said. “The heater really rides. It’s a unique pitch profile. He can spin it in the zone with a slider. It’s kind of a classic reliever, two-pitch mix that might turn into something a little bit more in time. But if he fills up the strike zone, his stuff is going to play.”
Mets prospect Ryan Lambert says that he threw a 102 MPH fastball last year at Oklahoma:
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 16, 2025
"I'm an adrenaline guy. I love big situations." pic.twitter.com/sIOetPzHDd
When teams draft college relievers, the first question tends to be how quickly they might arrive in the Majors. Such players tend to be older -- Lambert will turn 23 before this season ends -- and more physically mature than other draftees. They’re typically experienced against advanced competition and, because relievers don’t need robust pitch mixes to succeed at the highest level, they generally require less development time than starters.
Lambert checks all those boxes as a player who could reach the Majors soon -- perhaps even as soon as this season if everything goes right. Admittedly, Lambert sometimes allows his mind to wander to those places, though he understands how much work still stands between him and his debut.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about that stuff, but that’s where I just go one day at a time,” Lambert said. “I trust myself, and I trust the Mets, and I believe I’ll be up there sooner than later.”
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
Back to Tobacco Road
Jonathan Santucci, the organization’s 13th-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline) and their top left-handed pitching prospect, returned to campus last autumn after the Mets selected him in the second round of the 2024 Draft. Back at Duke, Santucci was in the same documentary studies class as basketball star Cooper Flagg. He’s now one class shy of having enough credits to graduate.
Many elite college prospects like Santucci, who are drafted after their junior seasons, never earn their degrees. Santucci, who is majoring in sociology with a certificate in markets and management, plans to take an online course to complete his.
“Growing up, academics were just as important as baseball,” Santucci said. “I feel like I always worked just as hard in school as I did in sports, so I think that’s really important to finish that off -- the icing on the cake.”
Santucci threw a scoreless inning in Spring Breakout.
Muscling up
Another 2024 Mets draftee, 23rd-ranked prospect Eli Serrano III, packed 15 pounds of muscle onto his 6-foot-5 frame this winter, learning nutrition and weight training techniques at a team-sponsored strength camp. He’s up to around 210 pounds, which club officials believe will help him survive the grind of professional baseball.
“It’s almost another job, I’d say, just getting stronger,” Serrano said. “You’ve got to play baseball, but you’ve got to be able to go out there and be able to play 140 games every year, so you’ve got to be strong enough to do that.”
Drafted as a center fielder, Serrano is likely to end up in a corner, where his increased bulk would not be a hindrance. He started in left field in Spring Breakout.
My name is Jonah
Jonah Tong’s reward for a breakout 2024 season was a Spring Breakout start. The lanky right-hander, who has drawn Tim Lincecum comps, struck out three over two scoreless innings, hitting 97 mph on the stadium radar gun.
Last year, Tong jumped multiple Minor League levels from Single-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton, going from unranked on MLB Pipeline to No. 6 on this year’s Mets list.
“Probably not how I originally imagined,” Tong said of his 2024 season, which included a 3.03 ERA across three levels. “I spent a lot of time in a lot of different places, but I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
More than a feeling
The early offensive star of Spring Breakout was Boston Baro, the Mets’ 14th-ranked prospect, who hit a left-on-left, opposite-field homer off Nationals starter Alex Clemmey.
Not to be outdone was fourth-ranked Ryan Clifford, who added a deep homer more than halfway up the batter’s eye in straightaway center. On the social media site X, the Mets’ official player development account estimated the home-run distance at 449 feet.
Senior Reporter Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007.
Update from the Doubledays
Doubledays fans! I hope each and every one of you is doing great right now amid everything around us. I know that these times can be trying with Covid-19 going around but we will prevail. I just wanted to give you a quick update on a few things happening at
Doubledays Wrap Up Season With Loss to Batavia
AUBURN, NY - The Doubledays (30-46) were unable to play spoiler for the Muckdogs (41-35) on Monday. Their 7-0 loss not only ended Auburn's season, but also clinched Batavia's first playoff appearance since 2010.Lucas Knowles - the owner of a 2.57 ERA before today's matchup - was hit hard early
Doubledays Rout Muckdogs, 12-5
A six-run sixth inning was the deciding factor in the Doubledays' (29-45) victory over the Muckdogs (40-34) on Saturday. Coupled with superb pitching, the Doubledays were able to take Game 1 of their split series against Batavia, 12-5.The Muckdogs actually opened up the contest by putting pressure on the Doubledays.
Doubledays Split Doubleheader Against Crosscutters
The Doubledays (27-44) opened up their last road trip of the season by splitting their doubleheader against the Crosscutters (30-41) on Wednesday. Game 1 quickly turned into a pitcher's duel after it became clear that the Auburn's Eddy Yean and Williamsport's Leonel Aponte were on their A Game. Yean, fresh off
Doubledays Split Series With Crosscutters After 8-6 Win
The Doubledays (28-45) rode a hot start to victory against the Crosscutters (31-42) on Friday, holding off a persistent Williamsport team, 8-6, to split the four-game series. The Doubledays wasted little time knocking Williamsport starter Spencer Van Scoyoc out of the game. A leadoff triple by Cody Wilson and a subsequent
Doubledays Release 2020 Schedule
AUBURN, NY - The Auburn Doubledays - Class-A Short Season affiliate of the Washington Nationals - are excited to announce the release of the 2020 New York Penn League schedule. In addition to playing our Pinckney Division opponents 40 times throughout the season, Auburn will play 36 interleague games, including
Update from the Doubledays
Doubledays fans!I hope each and every one of you is doing great right now amid everything around us. I know that these times can be trying with Covid-19 going around but we will prevail. I just wanted to give you a quick update on a few things happening at the office. First,
Doubledays Best Muckdogs, 3-1
An outstanding effort on the mound from a familiar face put the Doubledays (30-45) over the Muckdogs (40-35), 3-1, in their last road game of the 2019 season.Pedro Gonzalez - in his first start for the Doubledays since getting demoted to the Gulf Coast League on July 10 - was
Doubledays Fall, 7-1, to Crosscutters
The Doubledays couldn't make it two in a row after taking the latter game of Wednesday night's doubleheader against the Crosscutters. A late-inning implosion on the mound led Auburn to fall, 7-1, (27-45) to Williamsport (31-41) on Thursday.Piggybacking starters didn't go as expected for the Doubledays. Sterling Sharp - pitching
Doubledays Secure Series Win Against Scrappers
AUBURN, NY - With runners on second and third and one out in the 10th inning, it was up to Jake Alu to break the dramatic standstill that was created the previous frame. The Scrappers tied things up at 2-apiece with two outs in the ninth inning to put a
Peroni Homers in Loss to Scrappers
AUBURN, NY - With a pair of dominant performances on both sides of the ball on Saturday and Sunday, the Doubledays (25-43) appeared to be in a good position to take their third straight victory for the first time since June 30-July 2. But after Monday's shaky 9-3 loss against the
Doubledays Pitching Secures Win Over Scrappers
AUBURN, NY - It's the second inning, and Doubledays pitcher Tyler Dyson gives up a two-out single to Johnathan Rodriguez. He gets to Michael Cooper to fly out to end the inning and Rodriguez is left on base. Nobody knows it yet, but Rodriguez will be the only batter keeping
Alu's Grand Slam Leads Auburn to Win Over Black Bears
AUBURN, NY - It was only the second inning, but third baseman Jake Alu was already given the opportunity to break Saturday night's game against the Black Bears open for the Doubledays. A .316/.333/.421 hitter his first 18 games with the Doubledays, the Boston College product had slumped to the
Doubledays Drop Doubleheader to Black Bears
AUBURN, NY - After taking two steps forward on Thursday with their first back-to-back wins since August 5-6, the Doubledays took two steps back. Auburn (23-42) dropped both games of a doubleheader against the Black Bears (36-29) on Friday - 8-1 and 5-6, respectively - which mathematically eliminated the Doubledays
Pena Homers in Doubledays Win Over Black Bears
AUBURN, NY - With a 33.33% strikeout rate and only two extra base hits through his first 28 games, to say that Landerson Pena was having trouble putting balls into play was an understatement. But with one swing of the bat, Pena reminded Falcon Park that - when he makes
Doubledays Snap Losing Streak vs. Spikes
On the cusp of losing their eighth straight contest after getting the short end of the stick during Sunday's doubleheader against the Spikes, the Doubledays made sure they were heading into the All-Star break on a winning note. Auburn (22-40) came out on top of Monday night's pitching duel against State
Doubledays Drop Doubleheader to Spikes
The Doubledays found themselves in a prime position to take the first game of a doubleheader against the Spikes on Sunday. Though Fausto Segura had surrendered a two-run home run to cut Auburn's lead to one in the seventh (and final) inning, his phenomenal track record this season proved that
Doubledays Drop Series Opener in State College
After an early morning bus trip to State College, PA, the Doubledays didn't seem to mind an extra hour of rest. Auburn pounced for an early lead against the Spikes as soon as the ominous black clouds that prompted a weather delay at Lubrano Park gave way. But that lead,
Doubledays Fall, 3-2, to Crosscutters
AUBURN, NY - The Doubledays (21-37) dropped game 2 of their series against the Crosscutters (24-36) on Tuesday, 3-2, as their offense failed to get rolling against Williamsport's arms. The game started off fast as both teams exchanged single runs in the first inning. Corbin Williams and Nate Fassnacht - who
Doubledays 2-Hit by Crosscutters
AUBURN, NY - With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the crowd at Falcon Park erupted as Jeremy Ydens poked a soft line drive into left field for a hit. The Doubledays were still trailing and nothing particularly big happened on the bases, but Ydens' bloop single
Doubledays Drop Rubber Game Against Black Bears
The Doubledays (21-35) fell to the Black Bears (31-25) in a rain-shortened affair on Tuesday, dropping the rubber game to West Virginia in eight innings, 7-2. Auburn starter Niomar Gomez struggled on the mound against the West Virginia offense. After allowing just one run over five strong innings his last outing
Doubledays Drop Game 2 Against Black Bears
The Doubledays (21-34) couldn't hold on to their early lead against the Black Bears on Monday, falling to West Virginia (30-25), 4-3.Tyler Dyson's longest start of the season was also his finest. The fifth-round draft pick out of Florida went four innings of one-hit baseball to keep the Black Bears
Bats, Pitching Carry Doubledays Over West Virginia
The Auburn bats (21-33) came alive against the Black Bears (29-25) on Sunday. Coupled with two stellar performances on the mound from Evan Lee and Gilberto Chu, the Doubledays ran away with a 7-2 win in their series opener against West Virginia.Lee's longest outing for the Doubledays proved to be
Doubledays Swept by Scrappers
The Doubledays (20-33) were unable to avoid the sweep in Mahoning Valley (25-29) on Saturday, dropping Game 3, 6-5, in extra innings. Todd Peterson - in the process of being stretched into a starter after three years in the bullpen at Louisiana State - had his finest start yet as a