Minor League Mondays: Could Dominic Hamel Factor Into Mets' September Plans?

Pitching depth has been a strength for the New York Mets this season but that depth has been put to the test of late. Christian Scott is out for a while due to soreness in his pitching elbow while Kodai Senga's return to the big club last justed just one start due to a calf strain suffered fielding a pop up that will sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. With Jose Butto currently helping the bullpen, there is precious little depth beyond the current starting five in the organization. One guy who could help fill that void is righty Dominic Hamel, who is the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Hamel, 25, was the Mets' third round pick in 2021 out of Dallas Baptist and drew the organization's attention by punching out 136 batters in his final collegiate season. The Mets quickly moved Hamel through the system, seeing him spend a full season with AA Binghamton last summer, where he went 8-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 124 innings pitched.

Hamel was assigned to AAA Syracuse to start this season and his overall numbers don't look great (3-5, 6.35 ERA in 19 starts) but, like fellow prospect Mike Vasil, his struggles appear to be due in large part due to the usage of the ABS system in the first half of the International League season. Since the switch to a challenge-based system in the second half, Hamel has fared much better, delivering more quality starts as his walk totals have decreased over the past two months (34 through May as compared to 20 since).

There is some strong potential for Hamel's stuff as his repertoire is headlined by a rising four-seam fastball and a slider that has a ton of spin. That slider serves as Hamel's out pitch since it can dive out of the zone at the last second, offering a strong compliment to the fastball as compared to his other three offerings: a curveball, changeup and cutter, with the change having the most potential to be a third out pitch at the big league level.

The remainder of this season is critical for Hamel, who is currently rated as the Mets' 13th-best prospect according to MLB.com, as the team will need to decide whether to protect him on the 40-man roster after the season. Tylor Megill is currently in the AAA rotation and would figure to get the first shot at a big league start if the Mets need a sixth starter in the near future, but Hamel has a chance to get a crack in the majors if he can put together a strong month going forward.

Hamel's solid two-pitch mix gives him a floor as a big league reliever, which is worth monitoring since the Mets' long-term bullpen plans aren't set in stone outside of closer Edwin Diaz, but Hamel could also be a trade chip for the organization this winter. With several prospects on the verge of 40-man roster decisions, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns could opt to trade a guy like Hamel to get some kind of return prior to the Rule V Draft, where the Mets could theoretically lose him for nothing if he isn't on the 40-man at that point.

There is also some internal competition for Hamel at Syracuse as fast-rising prospect Brandon Sproat just showed up while Blade Tidwell, who is also a recent draftee, has been plying his trade in AAA for the majority of the season. Hamel will have to keep performing well to maintain his rotation spot, and if he can't it might make life easier for Stearns to make a tough decision this winter.