We’re long past the point of this Mets season where there’s any real value in handicapping what might’ve been. If, if, if basically equals blah, blah, blah for a team playing out the string, even if they’re on a heater now.
What might be, though? Now there’s a juicy topic. And after watching Zac Thornton’s performance on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, it’s thrilling to wonder what might be for the 24-year-old lefty, who should have a real chance to impact next season’s starting rotation.
The Mets smashed six home runs in trouncing the Yankees, 12-2, in a Subway Series laugher. But Thornton’s sharp seven innings stood out beyond what, in truth, was a meaningless rout that’s good mostly as banter fodder for Met fans.
Yes, Thornton already had established himself as a rotation hopeful for next season with what he’d done over his first 12 starts. But this outing – two runs and five hits in matching his season-high in innings against a brawny contender – felt like something even more substantial.
Especially since he was coming off his worst start of the season, one in which he’d been clobbered for four home runs by the awful Giants.
“It was great, fun to watch, especially after the last outing,” said Mets interim manager Andy Green. “Seeing somebody bounce back like that – I think we value resilience at an incredibly high level, and to see it show up in a stadium like this, in a game like that, it's fun. He was on attack from the get-go and had some of the best velocity we’ve seen from him.”
Thornton enjoyed an uptick in fastball velocity Saturday and it was so apparent that Juan Soto cited it when he talked to the media after the game. Thornton hit 95 mph six different times with his four-seamer and the pitch averaged 93.6, up 1.5 mph from his season average, according to Statcast.
“I didn't know the numbers coming out of my hand, but I was getting good results from the hitters, so I'm gonna keep throwing it,” Thornton said.
Asked about Thornton’s four-seamer, Green joked that Thornton’s recent haircut didn’t cost him any velocity. A good thing. Then the manager noted the real benefits: “It gives him so much more margin when he can live at those numbers.
“It speeds guys up even more, makes them make earlier decisions on cutters, opens hips up faster, gives him the outer half (of the plate) access when he needs it or wants it. In every regard, velo just makes it easier, especially if it comes with the same command, which it has and it did today.”
That’s part of what gives Thornton, who’s 4-5 with a 3.44 ERA, some intrigue – he’s been able to show some development this season while in the majors. For instance, he’s walked one or none in each of his last six starts after doing it only three times in his first seven starts. He’s realized he’s at his best when he’s in full attack mode, pounding the strike zone – he threw 61 of his 81 pitches for strikes on Saturday.
Thornton was clearly stung by his clunker against the Giants. His only recourse was to do better the next time he got a chance, which was Saturday. “The feeling of defeat,” Thornton said. “You know, it’s not a good feeling. So you do anything to not have that feeling.”
The Mets have often talked about how much they value Thornton’s competitive engine. Francisco Lindor recalled that, a few weeks ago, he had made a mistake during one of Thornton’s starts.
“I made an error and he looked at me like, ‘I got you,’” Lindor said. “And to me, that’s somebody that’s going to grind, that’s going to compete and not back down from any challenges. We’ve been seeing it all year.”
Including Saturday. Before the game became a rout, the Yanks had a glimmer of hope, putting two runners on with one out in the seventh when they trailed by four. Green went to the mound for, as he put it, “a heat check, see where [Thornton] was mentally, see where his head was, where his eyes were.”
Thornton looked at Green and pledged to get a double-play grounder. Then he did. Anthony Volpe hit into a 5-4-3 twin kill that basically ended the competitive phase of the game. Thornton let his emotions pour out as he neared the dugout, roaring and pumping his arms.
“Pretty impressive to call it like that and to get it,” Green marveled, referring to the double play. “I don’t know that I’m going to believe every single time he says it, but it was a great way for him to end a really good start.”
“Let’s go,” Thornton said after the game. “Big time, to get out of that jam.”
As potential future pieces such as Thornton have emerged, the Mets have thrived, even if their dreams for 2026 cratered. The Mets are 22-13 since selling at the trade deadline, as stars such as Lindor and Soto have been able to play together more after dealing with injuries.
They’re known quantities, though. Soto and Lindor have to be good-to-great next year if the Mets want their “might be” to be contention-worthy.
Thornton could help a lot. He seems to know it. He certainly wants the chance.
“I feel like every opportunity I have here, I’m still trying to prove myself, prove that I can compete at the major league level,” Thornton said. “Prove that I can be on this ‘27 roster in the rotation.”
Might be good.
