By Jerry Del Priore
Going into the season, pitcher Harol Gonzalez wasn’t on the New York Mets’ top 30 prospect watch list.
Perhaps it had something to do with his 1-16 record with a 4.80 ERA across three levels in 2018? Gonzalez especially struggled at Double-A Binghamton, going 0-9 with 7.79 ERA that same year.
But on Wednesday night, the right-handed Mets prospect struck out six batters across 6.2 hitless innings and Ryder Ryan secured the no-hitter, as the Rumble Ponies blanked the Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals), 7-0, at FNB Field. Gonzalez walked two and threw 57 of 91 pitches for strikes to help Binghamton to first no-hitter since July 23, 2006.
The 24-year-old Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native improved his record to 3-0 with 2.88 ERA in five games, four of which have been starts, in 25 innings of work this season.
The question is: does Gonzalez’s strong start to the year place him back onto the Mets’ prospect radar?
After all, considering his poor ’18 campaign, his eight-year minor league career numbers to date stand at a respectable 24-35 with a 3.73 ERA in 93 contests in 494.1 innings pitched.
Therefore, if Gonzalez continues to pitch well, he could be a viable future arm for New York. And you can never have too much pitching in baseball at any level.
A sports nugget: Gonzalez pitched for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2016, going 7-3 with a 2.01 ERA over 85 innings in 14 tilts, making the New York-Penn League All-Star team that year.
