Does a Healthy Spring Mean Redemption for Matt Allan?
In 2019 the New York Mets took a chance with right-handed pitcher Matt Allan. Selecting him 89th in the 2019 MLB Draft they paid him a hefty $2.5 million bonus and were set to revolve their draft class around his arm. It’s 2025 now and if all had gone according to plan Mets fans would be looking forward to watching their favorite powerhouse pitcher back on the mound this season. That has yet to happen.
The first of Matt Allan’s setbacks was the monster that was the COVID-19 pandemic. It robbed many athletes of time to develop, compete, and do what they love. In 2021 sports made their gradual return and Allan should have had the opportunity to become what the Mets had drafted him to become. Instead, he was plagued by injury, undergoing two surgeries in less than a year. A second UCL revision surgery in 2023 was just another setback for Allan. With four seasons and three surgeries behind him, it becomes hard to imagine Allan ever getting a shot to be the athlete that the Mets believed he could be back in 2019.
It’s now been almost six years since Matt Allan was selected by the Mets to become one of their best-developed athletes, and finally, he is looking toward a healthy professional season of baseball. Allan, when healthy, has the potential to be a key member of the Mets’ bullpen. He’s been throwing bullpens and batting practice at camp this pre-season, finding his footing again. Once camp breaks and the season begins fans can expect Allan to report to an affiliate for the first time since the 2019 season.
Time is on his side, at only 23 Allan has his entire career still in front of him. He has pushed through each setback improving as an athlete despite not having played a regular season of baseball in almost six years. He also still has time to overcome the physical and mental setbacks faced by pitchers who have undergone multiple Tommy John surgeries. If he continues to ride this momentum and remains healthy fans may soon get to see the Matt Allan that the Mets took a chance on in 2019. His recovery and persistence these past five years show that he does have what it takes to achieve his goal of finally getting to pitch in the Majors.
