PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets have a front line of young starting pitchers that includes Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Christian Scott, but the group behind that initial wave is also promising.
One of those young arms, Zach Thornton, was on display Sunday against the Blue Jays, and for a second straight Grapefruit League start, the lefty was solid.
Thornton allowed one earned run on four hits with one strikeout over 3 ²/₃ innings in an 8-1 victory at Clover Park.
The game was called after five innings because of rain.
“He is a strike-thrower, but this is a guy that can get the fastball in to righties,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “There is a lot to like about him. He’s not afraid. Even when there were times he was behind in counts, he went right after guys.”
The 24-year-old Thornton, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, has pitched to a 1.35 ERA in his two Grapefruit League appearances.
He finished last season at Double-A Binghamton.
The Mets assigned the following players to minor league camp: Carl Edwards Jr., Joe Jacques, Ryan Lambert, Kevin Parada, Ryan Clifford, Jackson Cluff, Grae Kessinger, Jacob Reimer, Ji Hwan Bae, A.J. Ewing and Jose Ramos.
Clifford, Reimer, Ewing and Lambert are among the organization’s top prospects.
“It’s been a great camp for a lot of your young players,” Mendoza said. “It’s a credit to them and credit to player development, because [the players] came in with the mentality of trying to make the team, even though that probably wasn’t [realistic]. But they showed they can play at this level. I liked how they went about their business. Before the games, the questions they were asking, and then the way they went out there and competed.”
Marcus Semien blasted his second homer of the spring and hit another ball that was caught at the fence.
It might be a sign that the second baseman, who has posted a .602 OPS in the Grapefruit League, is getting on track at the plate.
“I’m not worried about him,” Mendoza said. “He’s a guy that has been in the league for quite a bit now. Obviously not the way he wanted it, but he’s tinkering with mechanics and has hit a few balls hard this spring with no results.”
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