Major League Baseball

Mets prospect Marcos Molina finally back in action after TJ surgery

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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On Monday, October 24, RHP Marcos Molina gave up two earned runs over two innings in his third outing of the Arizona Fall League. Thanks to Tommy John surgery, it also happened to be just his third major outing in 14 months.

On August 17 2015, Molina recorded a loss for the St. Lucie Mets in what would be his last game before having the surgery. So far in the AFL, Molina hasn’t exactly been pitching spectacularly, but has been getting by well enough.

There have even been some times where Molina has shown flashes of brilliance during his two weeks back. In his second game, against the Surprise Saguaros, Molina gave up just one hit and a walk over three Innings. That outing was however sandwiched by a combined 6.75 ERA against the Peoria Javelinas and Glendale Desert Dogs.

In Molina’s defense, the Javelinas happen to lead the league in numerous hitting categories. His splits between starting and appearing as a reliever also suggest Molina has a bright future ahead. His most recent outing was as a reliever, where he earned a 9 ERA, along with an unearned run. In his two starts, Molina pulled together a combined 1.80 ERA, though with a 1.6 WHIP.

Once Molina starts going deep into games later in the Winter and next season, expect his numbers to change to represent something closer to what he was doing in 2014, where he pitched to a 1.78 ERA over 12 Starts.

The one thing Molina truly needs to work on is his striking hitters out, which has always been a flaw for the young pitcher.

After seven Innings, Molina stands at a 5.1 K/9 rate, which is a steep decline from his 8 K/9 rate in 2015. Of course, it’s going to take time before Molina can really pick things up again. He just needs to re-calibrate himself basically, after going a year without pitching. However, it’s better to do so sooner because this is a guy with a lot of potential down the road.

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