Who is Dom Hamel? A closer look at New York Mets pitching prospect who racked up 10 strikeouts in 2nd minor league start
New York Mets minor league pitcher Dom Hamel is starting to turn some heads. The hard-throwing righty got his second career start in Triple-A and rose to the occasion.
Hamel went five strong innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out 10 batters. He had electric stuff on the night, from his fastball to his offspeed pitches.
This performance was great to see as Dom Hamel got roughed up a bit in his first triple-A start. During that start, he went 2.2 innings, giving up five runs while walking seven batters.
The Amazins are eager to see what Hamel can bring to the rotation. Last season, he led all Mets minor league pitchers with 160 strikeouts in 124 innings of work.
Taking a closer look at Mets pitching prospect Dom Hamel
Dom Hamel made a name for himself while attending Yavapai College, a community college in Arizona. He would spend two seasons there before transferring to play for Dallas Baptist University.
In his first season with the new program, Hamel was the team's Sunday starter. However, the following year, he worked his way to becoming the team's Friday night starter, which is reserved for the team's best pitcher.
In 2021, the Mets selected Hamel in the third round of the MLB Draft. He signed for $755,300 and made his way to minor league camp. He was promoted to Double-A in 2023 and pitched there all year.
Hamel has a fastball that he commands well, which averages 92 mph. He has a high spin rate on his fastball, which helps him miss barrels and is extremely effective up in the zone. He also possesses a high-spin rate curveball, slider, and changeup but generally relies on his fastball and curveball.