'Full-circle moment': Scott fans 7 in old cheering grounds

JUPITER, Fla. -- Christian Scott called it “a full-circle moment.” Growing up in Coconut Creek, Fla., Scott would routinely drive the 50-odd miles with his parents north to Roger Dean Stadium, which at the time was the closest Spring Training site to his home. The family would sit in the left-field bleachers, where Scott could lean over the back railing to ask visiting players for autographs as they walked to and from the clubhouse.

“I used to always envision myself out there,” Scott said.

Earlier this spring, Scott finally received the chance when he made a one-inning cameo in a Grapefruit League game. That was just a preview for what came Wednesday, as the Mets tabbed Scott to start against the Marlins. With about 30 of his friends and family members in attendance, Scott excelled, striking out seven batters over four innings, hitting 96.5 mph on the radar gun and generating seven whiffs with his fastball in the 6-3 win over the Marlins.

“It was cool to be able to go out there and show up for them and just compete at a high level,” Scott said.

The Mets’ top-ranked pitching prospect and No. 5 overall in their system, Scott broke out over three levels of the Minors last season, ending the year at Double-A Binghamton. He received an invitation to his first big league camp as a result and, while Scott was never a serious contender to make the team, he impressed Mets officials with his makeup, poise and stuff. The most important parts of that repertoire are a four-seam fastball, a sweeper and a slider, all of which induced at least one swing-and-miss against the Marlins.

“Man, it was special,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The fastball, it’s low release with rise and velo. It plays up, and we saw it today with the way he was attacking hitters. They were having a hard time picking it up. You’ve heard a lot about this kid, but watching him go about it today, and the way he threw the baseball? It was special. It was exciting.”

Given how little he has left to prove at Double-A, Scott, 24, figures to start this regular season at Triple-A Syracuse alongside fellow rotation prospects Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel. If things go well for him there, he’ll be just a phone call away from his Major League debut.

“I’m ready for whatever they have in store for me,” Scott said. “I’m going to go out there and compete at a high level, just throw strikes, fill up the zone. I have a lot of confidence in my stuff, so whenever the call may be, I’m going to be ready for it for sure.”

Half-done
Edwin Díaz completed the first half of an important step in his spring progression on Wednesday, firing 21 pitches against the Marlins. The closer is scheduled to throw in a Minor League game on Thursday, marking the first time he’ll pitch on back-to-back days since the 2022 Wild Card Series.

Díaz had been scheduled to go back-to-back in the World Baseball Classic last spring before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

“I know in the season, we will pitch a lot of back-to-back games,” Díaz said. “So that’s why I like to do it in Spring Training right before the start of the season, because when the season starts, we’ve got to be ready every single day.”

Díaz didn’t complete his inning against the Marlins due to some early control issues. By the time he found the zone, he had already thrown 21 pitches, prompting a visit from Mendoza and a pitching change.

On the road again
Following Wednesday’s game, a contingent of Mets boarded a bus for a three-hour ride to the Tampa Bay area, where some were planning to spend two nights in a hotel. The team has games scheduled Thursday in Lakeland, Fla. and Friday in Tampa.

Another group of Mets will head to Lakeland only for Thursday’s game, while still others will travel only on Friday. The entire team won’t reunite until Saturday, when the Mets begin their final two-game “homestand” in Port St. Lucie.

The Grapefruit League season will end with a second trip to Tampa on Monday. After that, the entire 26-man roster (plus perhaps a few extras) will fly together back to New York.