Get to know the Mets prospect throwing 104 mph — and their plans for him

The Mets’ scouting report on Raimon Gomez before they signed him in 2021 was that he had the potential to throw very hard.

At the time, Gomez was a 19-year-old in Venezuela with a fastball in the 91-93 mph range. Mets officials are just now beginning to understand the extent of “very hard” as it relates to the right-hander.

Gomez, in a start last weekend for Single-A St. Lucie, unleashed a fastball that registered 104.5 mph. It was the fastest pitch recorded by Statcast this season by any pitcher in MLB or the minor leagues, topping the 103.7 mph heater thrown by A’s reliever Mason Miller.

It was also the fastest recorded pitch by a minor leaguer over the past five seasons (Statcast’s data only encompasses that stretch).