New York Mets reliever AJ Minter threw a perfect, 10-pitch fifth inning with one strikeout in his first Grapefruit League spring training outing on Wednesday.
It is a major step for the veteran southpaw, who is coming off hip surgery in August and is hopeful that he will be available out of the bullpen by Opening Day.
The velocity on his four-seam fastball was slightly down, averaging around 93 mph on Wednesday compared to the 94.5 mph mark he averaged last season, but it still had plenty of life and carry to it. His cutter was right at his recent 89 mph average and was the putaway pitch used to strike out Alec Burleson.
After spending the first eight years of his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves, which included a 3.28 ERA and a World Series title, the 31-year-old southpaw signed a two-year, $22 million deal over the winter with New York.
He is expected to perform as the set-up man for closer Edwin Diaz when fully healthy.
