Mets RHP prospect Jenkins changing things up post-Tommy John surgery in Fall League
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Look closely during the Tennessee Volunteers' celebration after they won the 2023 Hattiesburg Super Regional to send them to the Men’s College World Series and you’ll see Bryce Jenkins running full speed to launch himself into a dog pile behind the mound.
The native of Knoxville, Tenn., grew up attending games and watched the program blossom from $5 seats to needing to have his family on a waitlist in order to see him pitch in person under former head coach Tony Vitello, who recently made history by becoming the manager of the Giants. After three seasons on the mound for Cleveland State Community College, Jenkins transferred home and lived out an experience he thought he would only ever have when he closed his eyes.
“It was a dream come true,” said Jenkins of pitching for the Vols. “I always wanted to go there. … I trusted the JUCO route – those guys helped me a ton, believed in me through COVID. … Then I finally got that call to Tennessee and it was everything I could have dreamed about.”
Just under a month later, Jenkins heard his name called during the 17th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The Mets liked his high-spin breaking ball, and after a successful four-appearance stint in the Cape Cod League, he put pen to paper. Just over a year after pitching at the NJCAA level, he was making his pro debut.
But the fairy tale hit a pothole soon after the conclusion of the 2023 season. After earning a late-season bump to Single-A St. Lucie, Jenkins found out he needed Tommy John surgery that would wipe out all of his ‘24 campaign and more than half of ‘25.
Before the injury, Jenkins operated with a sinker and a four-seam fastball, both of which averaged around 92 mph. He had two distinct breaking balls that generated better than 2900 rpm routinely, including the slider, which topped out at 3020 RPMs with St. Lucie. But the pitches were similar speeds and sometimes bled into one another.
“I actually added in a new slider right before I got hurt,” said Jenkins. “We really started hammering down on that and then I got Tommy John. And then after that, it's just been right back to it, learning that pitch.”
Where better to see how it translates on the field than the late-season warm environs of Arizona? Jenkins combined to make 11 appearances between the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and St. Lucie during the regular season and is in the Fall League to rack up some much-needed innings.
After the injury, he’s tweaked things a bit. He topped out at 95.4 mph with his heater in the Florida State League in late August. He’s continued to differentiate between the two breakers, and while the slider may not be getting the elite spin rate it used to (around 2770 rpm in the AFL), he’s learning to rely on it with increased frequency in his relief role.
Now it’s just about reining all that in.
The good: Batters hit just .195 against Jenkins during the regular season. The bad: He walked 16 of the 59 hitters he faced. That continued during the early stages of the Fall League (eight walks in 3 2/3 innings) but sometimes, it’s not about the raw numbers.
“That's been the tough part,” said Jenkins. “You grow up and you're looking at all these stats and looking into all that stuff, but right now for me, it's just the opportunity to be out there after 17 months of not being able to play. It's overlooking everything. It's great to be back.”
The Fall League also serves as an opportunity for Jenkins, who will be heading into a pivotal age-25 campaign next year and has yet to pitch above A ball. He’s undoubtedly still learning who he is as a professional pitcher -- particularly after the surgery -- but also trying to make an impression on an organization that has been churning out exciting prospects on the mound over the past few years.
“I learned that the toughest challenge is being out of the game and then trying to jump back in it,” said Jenkins. “There's a lot of ups and downs and you just got to stay consistent and keep grinding away every day.
“I was just really excited to be able to come out here and continue to grow.”