More than 40 years ago, on April 7, 1984, the New York Mets sent a lanky, 19-year-old right-hander to the mound at the Houston Astrodome and witnessed the dawning of a pitching phenomenon. Drafted two years earlier in the first round out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida, Dwight Gooden threw five innings that day against the Astros, striking out five while allowing one run on three hits and was credited as the winning pitcher.
Gooden went on to win 17 games in his rookie year while losing just nine and led the majors with 276 strikeouts in 218 innings â a rate of 11.4 per nine innings, which was then an all-time record.
Four decades later, the Mets have another 19-year-old in their system who according to one prospect analyst shows “legitimate ace potential.”
Though it would be unfair to compare him to a legend such as Gooden, and in fact he is estimated to be three years from his MLB debut, Peter Kussow may represent the hope for the future of Mets starting pitching at a time when the starting rotation at Citi Field does not seem to have much of a future.
Starting Rotation Cost Mets Season in 2025
After their historic signing of free agent Juan Soto in December 2024, the Mets got off to a fast start in 2025, sitting 21 games over .500 at 45-24 as late as June 12.
But it was all downhill from there as the Mets experienced a collapse of historic proportions, winning only 38 games for the remainder of the season to finish out of the playoffs entirely. There were a lot of reasons for the disaster, but the primary culprit had to be the starting rotation.
A series of injuries decimated a starting group that, as Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball recounted, “made 13 turns of the rotation together, with none of them pitching to an ERA over 4.00. (Kodai) Senga led the pack with a 1.47 ERA, but (David) Peterson and (Clay) Holmes each pitched to sub-3.00 ERAs as well (2.49 and 2.95, respectively).”
The Mets so far this offseason have yet to make an addition to their starting staff, and reportedly were never seriously involved in negotiations for Japan import Tatsuya Imai, who agreed to sign with the Astros on New Year’s Day.
Mets Looking to Future for Pitching
It would appear that the Mets see rebuilding their starting staff as a long-term project, and that’s where Kussow comes in. The Wisconsin teenager out of Arrowhead High School in Hartland was committed to pitch college baseball at Louisville. Otherwise, he may have been picked higher than No. 133. But the Mets were able to lure him to the pro ranks with an $897,500 bonus, substantially more than the $555,800 designated for his draft slot.
“Peter Kussow is the crown jewel of the Metsâ 2025 draft class,” wrote analyst Mikey O’Connor on Friday. “Up to 97 with a firm ride-run fastball. Tight gyro slider in the mid 80s. Itâs a foundation of 2 plus pitches and the slender 6-foot-5 righty has room to add velo. Kussow has legitimate ace potential.”
MLB Pipeline called the high-schooler “Wisconsin’s best prospect this year,” adding “it seemed like Kussow flew under the radar more than he should have.”
Without yet having thrown a single professional pitch in a competitive game, Pipeline already ranks Kussow No. 27 among all Mets prospects.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mets 6-Foot-5, 19-Year-Old Righty Eyed For ‘Ace Potential’ After Imai Miss appeared first on Heavy Sports.