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Since being drafted from Dallas Baptist in the third round of 2021, Dom Hamel has played in over 100 games and pitched more than 400 innings with different Mets minor league teams.
He stepped into Citi Field on Monday knowing his next inning would be his largest.
The Mets decided to bring up Hamel, a right-handed pitcher who had primarily been a starter but switched to a long-relief role in the bullpen this year. In a corresponding move, they sent righty Austin Warren back to Triple-A Syracuse.
“It’s been a long-awaited moment,” said Hamel, who was rated as the team’s No. 9 prospect in both 2022 and 2023, though his progress slowed last year due to challenges at Syracuse.
The righty started this season in the Syracuse rotation before he found better results as a two- or three-inning reliever. He owned a 4.12 ERA in his past 10 games and 19 ⅔ innings at Syracuse, a stretch in which he struck out 22 and walked one, which prompted the call that he has wanted for four years.
“Really I’m just trying not to leave them a choice,” Hamel said before the series opener against the Guardians. “I don’t want to go back. I’m up here. I’m thinking I’m up here for a reason. So I’m just going to do my thing and let it ride.”
The bullpen transition has helped him rise — as has an offseason delivery tweak. Inspired by the Yankees’ Luke Weaver and the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Hamel ditched his full windup and now operates out of the stretch with a slide step.
Weaver’s career took off when he made the switch. Informed earlier this year about the slide-step gospel spreading, Weaver was flattered and appreciative.
“It’s just about trying to find what is going to get you to an elite level and the confidence in trying — that is the most I take out of this,” Weaver said. “Hey, I was in the same boat [as Hamel]. I’ve tried every possible thing to try. Sometimes it just doesn’t really click or work. But the whole theme is to never stop trying. You never know when you’ll stumble across something that will change your life.”