Get To Know A Non-Roster Invitee: Connor Grey

Non-roster invites (NRIs) to spring training run the gambit from top-tier prospects to veterans trying to get back on major league rosters to minor-league players who never got their shot. Connor Grey falls into the latter category.

A New York state native who graduated from St. Bonaventure in 2016, Connor Grey was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks back in 2016. He made some noise back in 2017 when he posted a 2.87 ERA over 18 games and 103 1/3 innings spread over four levels of minor league ball. This included a 100-pitch perfect game. The following season showed success again at AA ball, posting a 2.93 ERA over 10 games but hit a roadblock in AAA, posting a 9.39 ERA and 2.478 WHIP in seven games.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. There was no minor league baseball in 2020 and Grey was essentially cut from the Arizona system. He started to pitch for an independent team in Chicago which is how the Mets found him. The Mets have signed him as a minor league free agent multiple times since then.

Grey started out with Brooklyn in 2021, 3.7 years older than the average player in the league. When Grey was in the Arizona system, he was used primarily as a starter until 2019. The Mets immediately switched him back to his starting role. In Brooklyn, he made four starts with a 3.22 ERA and 1.075 WHIP so he was bumped up to Binghamton. He faced a few more hurdles but finished the year with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.168 WHIP.

The Mets then brought Grey back last year where he pitched exclusively with Syracuse. Grey was 28 years old, only one year older than the average AAA baseball player. Last year was tough for Grey. He had a 6.38 ERA and a 1.668 WHIP over 104 1/3 innings. But, he pitched over 100 innings, which by itself is an accomplishment.

Grey also came frustratingly close last year to making his major league debut. He was added to the Mets roster in a late August series against the Yankees but wasn’t used. Then was designated for assignment, then had to be resigned by the Mets.

I see two different ways Connor Grey fits with the 2023 Mets. If the Mets need a spot starter for one turn in the rotation, and there is no one in the bullpen who can do that (and Showalter doesn’t want to do a bullpen game), Grey could be called up to eat some innings. Or, if the Mets have to turn a long man in the bullpen into a starter, and the innings are starting to add up on arms in the pen, Grey could be called up to become that long man for an afternoon (maybe on a doubleheader day). One thing the Mets have shown us over the years is you can never have too many healthy arms. Grey was *this close* to making his debut last year, I have a feeling the circumstances for his debut will happen at some point this year.

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