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.
Brycen Mautz named Texas League Pitcher of the Week
SPRINGFIELD, MO (April 21, 2025) - Minor League Baseball announced on Monday that Springfield Cardinals starting pitcher Brycen Mautz has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 14 – 20. This is the third Pitcher of the Week award he has received in
Travelers take both ends of doubleheader over Cardinals
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cardinals (8-7) fell in both games of a doubleheader against the Arkansas Travelers on Saturday. Game one went by a 5-2 final while game two finished 3-2. Springfield lost five of six games in the series. GAME ONE: W: Michael Hobbs (1-0) L: Pete Hansen
Cards fall to the Travs in close Friday battle
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cardinals (8-5) dropped their second straight game with a 5-3 loss to the Arkansas Travelers on Friday night. Springfield scored all of their runs in the second inning but could not muster more offense for the remainder of the game. W: Peyton Alford (1-0) L:
Cashew Chickens drop first 2025 game
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cashew Chickens (8-3) fell to the Arkansas Travelers 5-2 on Thursday night. The back-and-forth series between the two Texas League North Division rivals has seen two wins for Arkansas and one for Springfield. W: Dylan File (1-1) L: Tekoah Roby (0-1) SV: Juan Burgos (1)
JJ Wetherholt swats first Double-A homer in win
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cardinals (8-3) slugged out three home runs in the third inning en route to a 10-3 win over the Arkansas Travelers. St. Louis' top prospect JJ Wetherholt left the yard for the first time with Springfiled with a two-run shot in the third inning. W:
Springfield drops series opener to Arkansas
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cardinals (7-3) fell in the series opener to the Arkansas Travelers by a 7-5 final on Tuesday night. Brycen Mautz struck out the first five batters he faced in his first start at Hammons Field. He faced the minimum in five innings of work in
RJ Yeager homers twice in Cardinals slugfest win
AMARILLO, TX - The Springfield Cardinals slugged four home runs, including two from RJ Yeager, in a 17-12 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Sunday afternoon at Hodgetown. Ramon Mendoza and Brody Moore each added their first home runs of the season to help carry the Cards to a
Cards drop Saturday night contest in Amarillo
AMARILLO, TX - The Springfield Cardinals allowed season-highs in runs and hits in a 15-3 loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Saturday night at Hodgetown. The loss was Springfield's first of the series and ended the club's four-game win streak. *Decisions: *W: Spencer Giesting (2-0) L: Max Rajcic (1-1)
Springfield Cardinals win fourth straight
AMARILLO, TX - Tekoah Roby struck out five over four-scoreless innings in his second start of the season, and the Springfield Cardinals topped the Amarillo Sod Poodles for the fourth-straight night, 3-2, on Friday night at Hodgetown. Roby surrendered three hits and did not issue a walk as he extended
Springfield moves to 5-1 on season with win in Amarillo
AMARILLO, TX - Jacob Buchberger blasted his first home run of the season and Ixan Henderson tossed five-scoreless frames to lead the Springfield Cardinals (5-1) to an 8-4 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles (1-5) on Thursday night at Hodgetown.
JJ Wetherholt breaks out in Cardinals win
AMARILLO, TX – The Springfield Cardinals (4-1) rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth to come back and beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles (1-4), 10-9, on Wednesday night at Hodgetown. Carlos Linarez delivered the game-tying single and Chase Davis drove home the go-ahead run with a sac
Chase Davis hits two home runs in Cardinals win
AMARILLO, TX – The Springfield Cardinals (3-1) blasted four home runs, including a pair from Chase Davis, en route to a 16-7 win over the Amarillo Sod Poodles (1-3) on Tuesday night at Hodgetown. Jeremy Rivas, Dakota Harris, Leonardo Bernal and Davis all had three hits in the contest to
Max Rajcic named Texas League Pitcher of the Week
SPRINGFIELD, MO (April 7, 2025) - Minor League Baseball announced on Monday that Springfield Cardinals starting pitcher Max Rajcic has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 31 – April 6. This is the second time in his career that he has won
Cardinals win 700th game at Hammons Field
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Springfield Cardinals reached the 700 home win plateau with a 5-0 shutout win in game one of a doubleheader against the Wichita Wind Surge on Sunday afternoon. Despite losing game two 10-2, the Cardinals took two of three games to win their first series of the
Springfield cruises to chilly Opening Day win
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Springfield Cardinals cruised to an Opening Day victory on Saturday night 6-2 over the Wichita Wind Surge. Jeremy Rivas and Dakota Harris each drove in a pair of runs as the Cardinals picked up their first win of the season on a chilly night in the
RAIN OUT: Opening Day April 4 postponed
SPRINGFIELD, MO - Friday night's Opening Day game between the Springfield Cardinals and the Wichita Wind Surge at Hammons Field has been postponed due to rain. Tickets to Friday’s game can be exchanged to any 2025 Springfield Cardinals regular season home game. Details on how to exchange are listed below.
2025 Cardinals Opening Day FAQ
Opening Day at Hammons Field is set for 6:35 PM on Friday, April 4, 2025 against the Wichita Wind Surge. Here's everything you need to know when making your way to ballpark or tuning in to the first game of the year. IF YOU SEE THIS MESSAGE: Tonight's game is
Cardinals announce Hammons Field upgrades for 2025
SPRINGFIELD, MO – With Opening Day just around the corner on Friday, April 4, the Springfield Cardinals and the City of Springfield are excited to announce that Hammons Field is currently undergoing the largest renovation in stadium history. Over four million dollars in upgrades spread across various projects continues to
Springfield Cardinals release new signature sandwich at Hammons Field
The Springfield Cardinals are excited for fans to try their brand new signature sandwich starting on Opening Day April 4, 2025. Introducing the Cheesy Chicken Mac Stack. Only available in Springfield, the Cheesy Chicken Mac Stack features ranch dressing, chicken strips, mac and cheese, french fries, nacho cheese and pickles
Springfield releases 2025 Opening Day Roster
SPRINGFIELD, MO – The St. Louis Cardinals and Springfield Cardinals have announced the 2025 Springfield Cardinals Opening Day Roster. Led by 2024 first rounder and St. Louis’s number one prospect JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals Double-A Affiliate features seven of MLB Pipeline’s Top-30 Cardinals Prospects, each of the Cardinals last three
Cardinals release 2025 Promotional Schedule
With Cardinals Baseball set to return to Hammons Field on April 4, we're excited to unveil our promotional schedule for the 2025 season! This year's schedule boasts more theme nights than we have ever had before as well as your favorite weekly promotions, the return of the Springfield Cashew Chickens
Austin French to perform postgame on Cardinals Faith & Family Night
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cardinals are excited to announce that Christian music artist Austin French will headline the second-annual Faith & Family Night Concert, presented by The Wind, at Hammons Field on August 15. Get ready for an inspring evening at the ballpark with French's concert, a Cardinals game
Jason Schwartz named new voice of Springfield Cardinals
SPRINGFIELD, MO - The Springfield Cardinals are excited to announce that Jason Schwartz has been named the team's new Play-by-Play voice starting in the 2025 season. Schwartz becomes the fifth lead broadcaster in the franchise's history, which began in 2005. "We're ecstatic to have Jason join our franchise's list of
Springfield Cardinals announce 2025 Coaching Staff
SPRINGFIELD, MO (January 17, 2025) - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the Springfield Cardinals coaching staff assignments for the 2025 season. For the first time since 2021, Springfield will have a new manager in Patrick Anderson as well as two additional new personnel and four returners. After winning 2024