Brooks Raley Has Been the Unsung Hero of the Mets' Bullpen

Not many things have gone right for the 2026 New York Mets, although they do have a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. They are still dancing around last place in the NL East, and to say that injuries have treated them poorly would be an understatement.

Brooks Raley, however, has been a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable first couple of months in Queens. He is the perfect example of how an MLB pitcher can dominate at the highest level with well below-average velocity.

The 37-year-old veteran ranks in the third percentile in fastball (or, in his case, sinker) velocity, but that 89.7 mph on average and his excellent secondary stuff have allowed him to rank in the 83rd percentile in strikeout rate, with 27.3 percent. Those stats were before taking the mound on Thursday and tossing a scoreless frame in the Mets' win over the Nationals, adding two punchouts to his season line.

Brooks Raley Is the King of Contact Management

How do you explain that kind of contrast? Usually, high velocity is directly correlated with a high strikeout rate, but Raley defies the odds in that department. He does it thanks to a unique pitch mix and a brilliant contact management profile.

Most of Raley’s pitches are sweepers, a pitch he throws roughly 45 percent of the time. The sinker is second in his arsenal at 23 percent, and he rounds out his repertoire with a cutter (19 percent) and a changeup (13 percent).

That stuff has helped him post an incredible 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings of work in 2026. The walks, eight, have been a tad high, but they have been offset by his 23 punchouts to this point. Not only does Raley strike out lots of hitters, but he is also a master when it comes to managing contact.

His 31.3 percent hard-hit rate is good enough to put him in the 87th percentile among all MLB pitchers, and it’s far from a fluke; his career mark is 28 percent. He limits hard contact like very few hurlers in baseball.

A Run-Prevention Asset

The Mets have certainly benefited from Raley’s reliability and overall excellence. Heading into the weekend, New York had the tenth-best bullpen ERA at 3.48, so you can see how the left-hander alone has positively influenced that number.

Entering Thursday, Raley was third among Mets’ relievers with 0.3 fWAR, behind Devin Williams and Huascar Brazoban and tied with Luke Weaver. He has the best ERA among his peers on the team, though.

Unlike some of the best lefties in the game, Raley can actually get right-handed hitters out consistently, which enables the manager to use him in almost any situation.

He has a 13.3 K-BB% vs. lefty hitters, and a much better 19.1 mark against righties this season.

All things considered, Raley has been a surprising asset for the Mets’ bullpen and figures to be a key pitcher in the upcoming weeks as they push to get out of their early-season hole.