- Source: Tylor Megill
Tylor J. Megill (born July 28, 1995) nicknamed "Big Drip", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. He pitched five innings of a combined no-hitter on April 29, 2022.
Early life
Megill was born on July 28, 1995, in Long Beach, California, to Julie and Kevin Megill. He attended Los Alamitos High School where he was a pitcher on their baseball team.
College career
Undrafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Loyola Marymount University where he played college baseball. In 2015, his freshman year, he pitched 57 innings, going 6–3 with a 3.95 ERA. After that season, he transferred to Cypress College where he spent 2016, and went 11–3 with a 3.72 ERA over 17 games (16 starts). Following the season, he transferred once again, this time to the University of Arizona. In 2017, his junior year, he pitched to a 2–3 record and a 5.55 ERA over 35+2⁄3 innings, mainly in relief. As a senior in 2018, he went 1–3 with a 4.73 ERA over 32+1⁄3 innings, striking out 38 and collecting six saves. After the season, he was selected by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.
Professional career
Megill signed with the Mets and made his professional debut with the Brooklyn Cyclones, going 1–2 with a 3.21 ERA over 28 relief innings. In 2019, he began the season with the Columbia Fireflies and earned promotions to the St. Lucie Mets and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies during the year. Over 22 games (11 starts) between the three clubs, Megill went 6–7 with a 3.52 ERA, striking out 92 batters over 71+1⁄3 innings. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to Binghamton, now members of the Double-A Northeast League, to begin 2021. After pitching to a 3.12 ERA over 26 innings with Binghamton, he was promoted to the Syracuse Mets of the Triple-A East League on June 1.
On June 23, 2021, Megill was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his first major league start against the Atlanta Braves that day and pitched 4⅓ innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs (one home run allowed) with two walks and four strikeouts on 92 pitches. He earned a no-decision as the Mets won the game by a score of 7–3. On July 23, Megill earned his first major league win after pitching six shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the game, he also collected his first career hit, a single off of Blue Jays starter Steven Matz. Megill started a total of 18 games for the Mets, pitching to a 4–6 record, a 4.52 ERA, and 99 strikeouts over 89+2⁄3 innings.
At the start of the 2022 season, Megill was named the team's Opening Day starter due to injuries to Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. He was described in the New York Post as "maybe the most unlikely" Opening Day starter in Mets history. On April 29, 2022, Megill threw the first five innings of a combined no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. On May 15, he was placed on the injured list with right biceps inflammation. Megill returned from the injured list in September as a relief pitcher and struggled in his appearances out of the bullpen. He was placed on the COVID-19 injured list shortly before the final game of the regular season and two days before the start of the team's playoff series against the San Diego Padres.
Megill was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2023 season. On May 1, 2023, Megill hit Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. to start the second game of a double header. Acuña was forced to leave the game with a left shoulder contusion.
Megill was named the Mets' fifth starter entering the 2024 season after beating out José Butto in spring training. On August 2, Megill was sent to Triple-A as Paul Blackburn made his first start for the Mets; previously, he was used in the bullpen for the July 31 game against the Minnesota Twins. However, Megill was called back up ahead of the August 30 game against the Chicago White Sox, earning his first win since June 16.
Personal life
Megill's older brother, Trevor, is also a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
References
External links
Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet