Mets’ out-of-nowhere prospect on verge of incredible rise from Mexican League to MLB bullpen

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Alex Carrillo has an MLB right arm.

New York Mets fans might not know that name, even diehards. But it's about time they did.

Carrillo took a remarkably unlikely path to reach the precipice of the major leagues, having made his Triple-A debut on Tuesday night for the Syracuse Mets against the Rochester Red Wings.

He began his college baseball career at Pina Community College in California. He could only turn that into a spot at NAIA Faulkner University.

From there, he got three games with the Rangers' Rookie ball team, but then he was released in 2019 and hadn't been back in affiliated ball until this season.

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Carrillo spent time in the Frontier League, the Mexican League and the Venezuelan Winter League.

Finally, the Mets gave him a chance this year. He started off with 19 appearances at Double-A Binghamton before being moved to Triple-A Syracuse.

And on Tuesday night, Carrillo showed off some of the nastiest stuff in the entire Mets' system.

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound right-handed throws from about 10 o'clock in a near-sidearm motion, almost like a whip.

And when he unleashes the baseball, it rips through the air with nasty tail and incredible velocity. He topped out at 99 miles per hour and consistently sat 98.

When Carrillo went to the breaking ball, it swept across the plate at an average of 86 miles per hour.

The pitches worked in context, too. Carrillo came into the game with the bases loaded and no outs. Then he went strikeout, popout to the first baseman, strikeout.

Quite the Triple-A debut, and one that will certainly have the Mets' front office watching closely.

Carrillo may not have traveled a simple path to this point. But here he is now, in Triple-A, one step from the big leagues, with an arm that certainly belongs just based on raw talent.

He'll have to prove himself every time he takes the mound, because that's what NAIA graduates who spend five years in independent ball have to do.

But if he throws the way he did Tuesday night in upstate New York, the proof will be right there for everyone to see.

Carrillo is a big-league talent, no matter where he came from. All that matters now is where he's going.

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