Our first “Views From the Field” feature on FH Freeway is a big one, as we take a look at Mets pitching prospect Matthew Allan.

Matthew Allan

Allan, a third round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, was arguably the top right-handed pitcher available in this past year’s draft. Despite that, there were some caution signs that pushed him down to the third round. Allan had a strong commitment to the University of Florida and reportedly asking for $4M, scaring off some teams over the fact that he may not be willing to sign a pro contract. A second issue wasn’t as big, but a still a bit of concern, as Allan has a bit of an unorthodox throwing motion. Allan has a lot of arm action in the back of his delivery, something that’s very evident when seeing him for the first time.

Still, that did not not scare off the Mets, who signed him to an above-slot $2.5M bonus ($667.9K slot). The Mets, as a result, had to change up their draft strategy a bit, as they selected college seniors from Rounds 4-10 to save money. Allan may very well be worth passing up on a lot of other talent, thanks to how high his ceiling is. MLB Pipeline gave Allan a 60 future grade with his fastball, a 60 grade on his curve, and a 55 grade on his change. If that’s what Allan turns out to be, he’ll be worth every penny the Mets gave up to get him.

FH Freeway got an up-close look at Allan on September 5, 2019 when he pitched for the Brooklyn Cyclones (SS-A) in a New York-Penn League playoff game against the Hudson Valley Renegades. Allan threw two scoreless innings that night, retiring all six batter he faced en route to a win against the Renegades. Allan came in relief to piggyback on Cyclones starter Nathan Jones’ performance, and Allan was quite effective in his outing.

Allan’s velocity was fine, as his 4-seam fastball was in the 93-97 MPH range, and the change was in mid-80’s. His breaking ball, a curveball, sat in the 77-79 MPH range. Allan did a good job of commanding his pitches, but faced a team unwilling to take any chances. In the six batters he faced, he could not get a batter to chase any pitches, but also did a strong job of picking the corners of the zone and not giving up much to hit. Allan’s only mistake was a curve that he hung up a bit to Renegades first baseman Jackson McGowan, but he didn’t pay for it as McGowan lined out.

And while Allan did show off that arm action in the back of his delivery, it didn’t really affect how his pitches came out in the front. Allan performed rather well in a level where the players are more experienced, and didn’t look fazed in his second start in New York. Here are FH Freeway‘s future grades on Matthew Allan:

• FB – 60
• CB – 55
• CH – 55
• Control – 60
• Overall – 55

We’ll have more “Views From the Field”, so be sure to keep checking out our site for those.