A.J. Minter’s first Mets appearance ‘checked a box’ in Opening Day quest

JUPITER, Fla. — A.J. Minter isn’t prepared to declare himself ready for the Opening Day roster, but he took a significant step in that direction on Wednesday. 

The lefty reliever, who has taken it slow in camp after undergoing left hip surgery last season, pitched a perfect fifth inning against the Cardinals in his Grapefruit League debut.

It was Minter’s first time facing hitters in a game since Aug. 11 of last year. 

Overall, he threw 10 pitches (eight of which were strikes) and finished with one strikeout. 

“The first one is always the hardest,” Minter said on a day the Mets won 2-0 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. “We definitely checked a box today and it was definitely successful.” 

Minter arrived in January on a two-year contract worth $22 million as the Mets’ biggest bullpen splash of the offseason. Minter, 31, spent the first eight seasons of his major league career with the Braves. 

The plan is for Minter to start pitching every third game in spring training, with an eye toward the March 27 opener in Houston. But the Mets aren’t going to rush Minter, who has estimated he might need at least five appearances in exhibition games to be ready for the season. 

“It’s hard to tell,” Minter said, when asked about Opening Day. “I am going to do everything I can, but at the same time we are going to be smart about it. And if that means taking a few extra weeks, it takes a few extra weeks. 

“The hardest thing is just being patient and not pushing things and I think we have done a really good job of having a plan together and saying no, telling me no when I need to be told no. The training staff has been great. The coaching staff has been great. [Wednesday] was definitely a long time coming. It was a lot of hard work this offseason, and it’s all starting to pay off.” 

Minter struck out Alec Burleson on a cutter for the second out of the inning to highlight his afternoon. Minter threw two four-seam fastballs, each of which registered 93 mph. 

Was he pleased with that velocity? 

“Yeah, but if I’m honest with you, no,” said Minter, who averaged 94.5 mph with the four-seamer last season. “Of course I want to see it a little higher, but I think that is just part of you want to simulate those game scenarios, and throwing bullpens and live [batting practice] you don’t get that extra adrenaline, so the plan is to keep throwing in games and hopefully we’ll see that velocity creep back up.” 

Minter pitched to a 2.62 ERA in 39 appearances for the Braves last season. Mets brass was intrigued by Minter’s success against both lefties and righties. Lefties had a .684 OPS against Minter last season. Righties had a .603 OPS against him. 

“He is a big weapon, there is a reason we brought him in — this is a guy who has a World Series ring, which is something a lot of us don’t have,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He is used to pitching in high leverage and as a lefty this is a guy who can get righties out. When you look at those numbers, that four-seam, changeup, cutter, those are elite pitches. With the way teams are deploying their roster, when you have a guy that can get lefties and righties out it’s important.” 

Minter appreciates the manner in which he’s been embraced by the Mets after pitching for the rival Braves his entire career. 

“It feels like I am part of the family now,” Minter said.