Ryan Helsley was supposed to be a stabilizing force out of the bullpen for the New York Mets. Instead, his first stretch with the team has been a rollercoaster — and now he’s admitted what’s been behind the struggles: tipping pitches.
The hard-throwing right-hander, acquired at the deadline, hasn’t looked like the dominant version of himself the Mets thought they were getting. And Helsley himself is the first to admit it.
“I’m not trying to sound arrogant or anything, but I feel like my stuff’s too good to get hit around as consistently as it has since I’ve been here,” he told MLB.com. “We’ve played mostly teams in the hunt, and a lot of teams nowadays will have guys who look specifically for those things. It’s pretty glaring and obvious when I’m doing it.”
Knowing the Problem Is Half the Battle
The good news? Helsley seems confident that he has identified the issue. “I think I know how to fix it,” he told Will Sammon of The Athletic. “So it’s just being able to enforce that and that being my mental norm versus what I was doing to get my body to accept that and reinforce that.”
That self-awareness could go a long way in turning things around. Pitch tipping is one of the quickest ways to get shelled in today’s game, especially when opponents are armed with high-speed video, scouting reports, and hitters trained to pick up on the smallest of tells.
A Frustrating Start in Queens
Still, the struggles have taken a toll on Helsley. “Dude, it’s so frustrating,” he said. “I started out really great — my first three outings were good. The last five, six, seven haven’t been really that good. It’s definitely frustrating, especially being traded for and thinking you’re getting the polar opposite of what I’ve shown. But I know I’m capable of it. I’ve done it a lot in my career. I’m just trying to be that guy.”
The numbers back up the uneven ride. Since joining the Mets in August, Helsley’s been part of 10 losses — though not all were pinned on him. In his last four outings, however, he’s helped steady things, including key appearances that kept the Mets from bigger disasters.
For the Mets, the hope is simple: Helsley’s stuff hasn’t gone anywhere. The fastball still pops, the slider still bites. If he can smooth out his delivery and stop tipping, there’s every reason to believe he can return to form and be the high-leverage guy they expected. For Helsley, the path forward is clear.
