Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

After going undrafted for four straight years at an Arizona high school, Yavapai (Ariz.) JC and his first season at Dallas Baptist, Hamel should go somewhere in the third- to fifth-round range in 2021. That might have happened a year ago if not for the shortened season, as teams didn't have enough time to figure him out. In his lone full season with the Patriots, he finished second in NCAA Division I with 13 victories and set a school record with 136 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings. 

Hamel is a darling of teams that favor analytics because his fastball, slider and curveball all have high spin rates. He works at 91-94 mph and reaches 96 with riding life up in the zone with his heater, which he likes to bust inside on hitters. His breaking balls can blend together at times but they play well off his fastball, with his low-80s slider featuring late bite and his mid-70s curveball showing downer action at their best. 

Hamel exhibits feel for changing speeds and shape with his breaking pitches, and he also has some aptitude for using a low-80s changeup with some sink. Scouts who have seen him the last two years think he's doing a better job of pitching under control and locating his pitches this spring. He has a ceiling of a No. 4 starter and also could be a useful multi-inning reliever at the next level.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Hamel was Draft-eligible four times before finally signing with the Mets as a third-rounder out of Dallas Baptist in 2021. After setting a DBU record with 136 strikeouts in his final collegiate spring, he kept the K’s coming by leading the Mets system with 145 in 119 innings between Single-A and High-A in his first full Minor League season. Hamel spent all of 2023 with Double-A Binghamton and led all qualifiers at the level with a 30.4 percent strikeout rate while posting a 3.85 ERA over 124 frames.

The 6-foot-2 right-hander only averaged 93.6 mph on his four-seam fastball last season, but the pitch played above the velo with its carry up in the zone. He excels at getting chases out of the zone on his late-biting, low-80s slider -- in part because of spin rates that can touch 3,000 rpm -- and that has helped fuel his strikeout rate in recent years. He doesn’t get the same chase rate on his mid-70s curveball or mid-80s changeup, though the former can flash above average because of his feel for spin, and he’s worked in the occasional upper-80s cutter as a fourth secondary.

Hamel needs to live on and around the edges of the zone for his arsenal to be at its best, and when he’s eliciting swings, that can help rack up the K’s. When he’s facing more disciplined batters, the walks can be an issue and that could lead him out of the rotation. He’ll aim to remain part of the starting conversation in his first excursion to Triple-A in 2024 with a move to relief potentially not far off if he can’t break through.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

After being Draft-eligible four times between high school, junior college and Dallas Baptist, Hamel finally caught on as a Mets third-rounder in 2021 after he set a DBU record with 136 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings. New York sent the right-hander to Single-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn in his first full season, and he impressed at both assignments by leading Mets Minor Leaguers with 145 strikeouts in 119 innings. His 3.25 ERA in that span also placed second among qualifiers in the system.

The Arizona native is a favorite of anyone who loves spin rates. His 91-94 mph fastball, which can touch the mid-90s on occasion, plays better than its velocity alone because of its spin and carry up in the zone. A low-80s slider shows special spin rates in the 2,800-3,000 rpm range, and low-level hitters couldn’t handle that type of late bite. His mid-70s curveball is also in the upper reaches of the 2,000s for spin rate, but its lack of velo allows it to hang a little longer, making it more of an average offering. A mid-80s fading changeup gives Hamel an option against lefties that breaks the other way from his slider, and he’s credited that with improving as he got more experience in pro ball, though it still has some ways to go.

The former Patriot did battle some control issues with an 11 percent walk rate, perhaps because such spinny pitches can be difficult to land in the zone consistently. He’ll also be 24 for the entire 2023 season, putting him on the older side for a pitcher in his second full season. The metrics give hope that his stuff should carry him into the upper levels and potentially a shot at the Mets rotation by 2024.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Hamel was Draft-eligible four times out of an Arizona high school, Yavapai (Ariz.) Junior College and his first year at Dallas Baptist. The fifth time was the charm after he set a DBU record with 136 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings as a senior. The Mets selected the right-hander in the third round and signed him for exact slot value at $755,300. After such a full spring, Hamel made two abbreviated starts in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, striking out seven without walking any of the nine batters he faced.

Hamel is a spin-rate darling with his fastball, slider and curveball all featuring quite well on that scale. The fastball comes in at 91-94 mph, touching 96, and it plays well up in the zone too, making it an even better pitch in the modern game. The low-80s slider is a bit ahead of his mid-70s curveball because of its late bite, but the two breaking pitches can bleed into one another at times. A low-80s sinking changeup rounds out the arsenal.

The 6-foot-2 hurler showed some improvements in control in his final year on campus, and if a four-pitch repertoire wasn’t enough to earn him a starting projection, then that should definitely help. Hamel has been 23 for his first full Minor League season, and after solid results at Single-A and High-A, he could primed for an even bigger takeoff next summer.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

After going undrafted for four straight years at an Arizona high school, Yavapai (Ariz.) JC and his first season at Dallas Baptist, Hamel finally went to the Mets in the third round in 2021. He might have gone a year earlier if not for the shortened season, as teams didn't have enough time to figure him out. In his lone full season with the Patriots, he finished second in NCAA Division I with 13 victories and set a school record with 136 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings. Hamel signed with New York for exact slot value at $755,300.

During the Draft process, Hamel was a darling of teams that favor analytics because his fastball, slider and curveball all have high spin rates. He works at 91-94 mph and reaches 96 with riding life up in the zone with his heater, which he likes to bust inside on hitters. His breaking balls can blend together at times, but they play well off his fastball, with his low-80s slider featuring late bite and his mid-70s curveball showing downer action at their best. 

Hamel exhibits feel for changing speeds and shape with his breaking pitches, and he also has some aptitude for using a low-80s changeup with some sink. Scouts who have seen him the last two years think he did a better job of pitching under control and locating his pitches this spring. He has a ceiling of a No. 4 starter and also could be a useful multi-inning reliever at the next level.

Awards

INT Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
04/28/2024

EAS Pitcher of the Month

Month	Team
09/2023

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2022

SAL Pitcher of the Month

Month	Team
09/2022

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/29/2024	RHP Dominic Hamel assigned to Syracuse Mets.
	03/07/2024	New York Mets Prospects activated RHP Dominic Hamel.
	02/01/2024	New York Mets invited non-roster RHP Dominic Hamel to spring training.
	03/29/2023	RHP Dominic Hamel assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.
	03/26/2023	RHP Dominic Hamel and assigned to New York Mets.
	02/09/2023	Puerto Rico activated RHP Dominic Hamel.
	07/04/2022	RHP Dominic Hamel assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.
	04/07/2022	RHP Dominic Hamel assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.
	09/10/2021	RHP Dominic Hamel assigned to FCL Mets from Mets Organization.
	08/17/2021	RHP Dominic Hamel assigned to Mets Organization.
	07/28/2021	New York Mets signed RHP Dominic Hamel.