PORT ST. LUCIE — Adrian Houser might be new to the Mets but the Mets aren’t exactly new to him.
The right-hander was acquired by David Stearns twice in his career, with the Mets president of baseball operations bringing him to Milwaukee from Houston and to New York from Milwaukee in December. Houser never had much of a relationship with Stearns as a farmhand in the Astros organization, but they both enjoyed success with the Brewers over seven seasons and Houser got a sense of how the executive likes to run things.
But it’s Jeremy Hefner with whom Houser has the longest-standing relationship. Like Houser, the pitching coach is also from Oklahoma, and after Houser was drafted in 2011 he ended up throwing at the same facility in the offseason.
“When I got drafted in 2011, he was still playing,” Houser said after making his first Grapefruit League start Tuesday afternoon at Clover Park. “When I found out about a place where I could work out and throw some bullpens, he happened to be there. So I ended up throwing a lot of bullpens with Hef throughout a couple of offseasons there.
Pitchers love the 37-year-old’s calming demeanor and his thoughtful ability to communicate. Houser, 31, took note of his laid-back ways years ago.
“He’s kind of the same guy,” Houser said. “Just kind of chill and easygoing. It’s easy to talk to him — he’s a great guy. Pitching-wise, he was kind of alike, trying to get some ground balls, try to attack [the zone]. So he’s going to be a great guy to have around this year.”
Hefner has become one of the more popular, well-regarded pitching coaches in baseball.
After wrapping up his playing career in 2016, he worked in the Minnesota Twins organization as an advance scout and an assistant pitching coach before coming to the Mets. The Mets lured him away from the Twin Cities in 2019 with a promotion and he became one of the first members of Carlos Beltran’s staff.
But then Beltran was fired before ever managing a game because of his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. The Mets hired Luis Rojas and then Buck Showalter. Carlos Mendoza is the third manager Hefner has worked for with the Mets, which shows how much the team values him. He was given a contract extension following the 2022 season and though the team received inquiries into his job status, the Mets opted to keep Hefner on Mendoza’s staff.
Houser is happy they did. He was able to work with Hefner over the winter once again.
“After I got traded, he started coming to watch me throw,” Houser said. “After Christmas, he was pretty much at every bullpen and watching me throw.”
Houser threw two innings Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out one. He worked quickly and efficiently, throwing 23 pitches and keeping the ball on the ground.
“That’s who he is,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He’s going to use his four-seam and get ground balls. “I’m pretty sure he’ll tell you that he’s not where he wants to be yet, but for his first outing, he got grounders, made pitches, used the four-seam. He was good.”
He works primarily off of his sinker and four-seam fastball, also using a slider and a curveball. A depth starter, Houser was acquired to supplement the rotation. Stearns has built a rotation on supplemental back-end pitchers like Houser, but that group will now have to step up with ace Kodai Senga out until late April or early May with a shoulder injury.
Houser went 8-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 21 starts last year for the Brewers. He’s durable and can eat innings.
Houser was already familiar with the Mets, and his first Grapefruit League game proved to be a solid introduction to the team and its fans.
“That’s what you’re going to get,” Houser said. “Nothing fancy. I try to go out there, attack the zone, work ahead and get a lot of ground balls. I’m going to need a lot of defense behind me and a lot of help, so I’ll keep those guys on their toes.”
