A well-traveled pitcher in college is getting his chance in the pro ranks.
The New York Mets signed right-handed pitcher Andrew Carson to a minor league contract, according to a report from Metsmerized Online and others on Saturday. It’s likely he’ll start at Class-A St. Lucie.
https://twitter.com/mikemayer22/status/1888219249694416958
Carson took the off-the-beaten-path route to the Mets.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander is a Michigan native who started his college career at Bowling Green but redshirted the 2019 season.
He moved on to Lansing (Mich.) Community College for the next two seasons, finishing 7-0 with an ERA of 2.68 there. He made just 10 overall appearances, throwing 47 innings) but struck out 75, giving him a 14.36 K/9 ratio.
In 2022 and ’23, he pitched at the Division I level at Michigan State, where he finished with a 5-4 record in 48 appearances (six starts), posting a 5.06 ERA, saving three games and striking out 94 in 90.2 innings.
With one remaining season of eligibility, Carson made the unusual move of transferring to Division II Tampa, where he was part of the team that won the 2024 NCAA D-II National Championship.
He put up career-best numbers as a reliever at Tampa: 2-1 in 14 appearances with five saves. He had a 1.06 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 34 innings and was named to the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region (South) Team.
Lucas Still, Carson’s strength and performance coach, posted to X recently that Carson has been throwing from 94 to 96 miles per hour and hit 96.9 on the radar gun.
https://twitter.com/imstilllucas/status/1884403884413669655
Still offered his congratulations via social media:
Huge congrats to Andrew Carson on signing with the @mets!
Kid has nasty stuff, put up elite college numbers, and has put in the work to raise his velocity average and ceiling. Mets are getting a good one, excited to see what his future holds!