With Rene Rivera at the top of the disabled list, the Mets decided to add right pitcher Franlyn Kilome, the team’s ninth-best potential client, to the major league roster. The Mets acquired the high right in the craft that sent Asdrubal Cabrera to the Phillies at the trade deadline in 2018 and awarded him to Double-A Binghamton where he ended the season. Shortly after the season, Kilome underwent Tommy John Surgery, effectively ending his 2019 season before it started. Kilome will not only attempt to pitch in a competitive game for the first time in over a year, but he will do so having never pitched above the Double-A level. Assuming his things have fully rebounded after his surgery, Kilome reckons he’s contributing out of the bullpen for the Mets, even though the health of the team’s throwing staff could potentially force him to leave any time soon.
Bought by the Phillies at age 18 for $ 40,000 in 2013, Kilome made his professional debut with the GCL Phillies the following season. He pitched quite well in the Gulf Coast League, posting a 3.12 and 3.80 FIP ERA with 25 strikeouts and 11 walks in 40.1 innings pitched. After spending all of 2015 in the New York Penn League, Kilome began her first full-season dance season in 2016 at age 21 with the South Atlantic League’s Lakewood BlueClaws. Kilome took off with the BlueClaws and managed to make his way through the lists of potential customers. Kilome recorded an ERA of 3.85 and a FIP of 3.28 in 114.2 innings pitched in 23 starts. Never a particularly great strikeout pitcher during his stint at short-season levels, Kilome knocked out more than a quarter of the hitters he faced, which was good for 10.20 strikeouts for nine innings. With strikeouts came an increase in walking, as Kilome walked nearly four batters for nine innings. Walking would prove to be a lasting problem for Kilome, who sometimes struggles to keep his big 6 ‘6 ”frame in pace.
Kilome was promoted to the Clearwater Threshers of the Advanced-A Florida State League to start the 2017 season and has continued to pitch relatively well. He ended up posting a career best 2.59 ERA and a 3.54 FIP in 97.1 innings pitched in 19 starts before being promoted to Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. While his run-prevention numbers continued to be solid, Kilome struggled to command the strike zone, walking 3.42 hitters for nine innings and seeing his strikeout rate drop by just over five percent. His performance prompted the Phillies to promote Kilome to the Eastern League towards the end of the 2017 season, and Kilome continued to hold his own despite struggling with his leadership. He posted an ERA of 3.64 and a FIP of 4.27 in 29.2 innings, despite walking 4.55 batters for nine innings, and saw his strikeout rate drop to just 6.07 batters for nine innings. .
The Phillies decided to postpone Kilome in Double-A to kick off 2018, where he struggled to find his balance. Kilome’s command issues continued into 2018, with his walk rate remaining stable at 4.50 batters for nine and his strikeout rate hovering at 7.02 batters for nine, and he was no longer successful. to keep an eye on his race prevention numbers. Kilome reached career highs with both a 4.24 ERA and a 4.33 FIP in 102 innings pitched for Reading. With an outside shot at a playoff spot, and possibly partly due to his fights, the Phillies decided to trade Kilome with the Mets for inside Asdrubal Cabrera on July 27, 2018.
The Mets kept Kilome in the Double-A Eastern League after the trade, and the just managed to overturn his season with the Rumble Ponies. While he posted an ERA of 4.03 across 38 innings, his FIP was much lower at 3.17 and he knocked out 9.95 hitters for nine. Perhaps most encouraging, Kilome managed to keep his walks to a minimum, walking only 2.37 batters for nine innings. Kilome’s strong performance after the trade caused speculation that he might end up contributing to the Mets’ launch staff at some point in the 2019 season. That speculation would prove short-lived, as Kilome underwent Tommy John Surgery afterwards. the 2018 season, ending its 2019 campaign before it started.
Kilome will enter the 2020 season having not participated in a competitive game since September 2, 2018, having operated on October 25, 2018. While we don’t know what Kilome’s things will be like after his return, there is the potential for a pretty good arsenal to two shots that could play very well outside the bullpen. Kilome’s fastball was in the mid-90s before Tommy John, and it’s not unreasonable to think it could hit higher in short bursts. Kilome completes his fastball with a very good curveball that is in the high 70s and low 80s and features a strong 12 to 6 movement. He occasionally mixes in a decided change in the 80s, but the Campo lags far behind the other two in terms of effectiveness. The combination of Kilome’s leadership fights and lack of a third throw would make him perfect for a bullpen role, even as Mets’ injury situation pushes him to early rotation in short order.
