Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana praise Mets’ young rotation: ‘Future is bright’

Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana, two of the most prominent pitchers in New York Mets history, said Saturday that the franchise’s newest wave of rookie starters gives the team reason for optimism.

Speaking at the Mets’ alumni game at Citi Field, Martinez and Santana praised Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat for their early-season work after the club turned to rookies to fill September rotation spots. "I think the Mets look bright for the future," Martinez said on the field before the festivities, urging the club to continue drafting and signing international prospects to bolster a young core.

Martinez, a first-ballot Hall of Famer who won 219 major league games including 32 with the Mets from 2005-08, said rapid exposure to big-league competition can accelerate development. "If they happen to have success right now as rookies, by the second year, they feel like they can be successful at a very early age," he said. Martinez added that early experience also builds resilience: "...build some grit. The good thing is, if they happen to have success right now as rookies, by the second year, they feel like they can be successful at a very early age. That’s what we want. We want to see the young players develop quickly and also build the grit to have failure and also enjoy success."

Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who threw the only no-hitter in Mets history in 2012, echoed those views. "I think they have great arms. I think they have great futures," Santana said. He compared the current group to the young staff that carried the Mets to the 2015 World Series, pointing to the club’s history of integrating homegrown talent with big-league readiness.

On the field this weekend, the trio produced mixed results. Tong struggled in Friday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers, allowing six runs in the first inning in a game started by Jacob deGrom. Sproat followed with a strong outing Saturday, working six scoreless innings without issuing a walk before the Mets' bullpen surrendered three runs in a 3-2 loss. McLean was slated to make his next start Sunday.

Martinez urged organizational patience and continued investment in scouting. "You need to have a creative vision. The Mets right now have a great display of players from all over, and I hope they continue to do that," he said, citing examples of past homegrown standouts such as Jacob deGrom and David Wright.

The Mets’ September experiments with youth reflect roster decisions made to evaluate depth and prepare for future seasons. Bringing rookies into high-leverage roles in the final month has precedent in New York, and Martinez and Santana framed the current plan as a constructive step toward building a sustainable rotation.

The Mets will determine the trio’s short-term roles based on the remaining September starts and the club’s offseason plans. For now, the alumni visit provided a visible endorsement from two of the franchise’s most decorated pitchers that the club’s next generation of arms is worth watching.