Rick Porcello, New Jersey native, on his NY Mets memories and improving upon 2019

Rick Porcello is officially a member of the team for which he grew up rooting. He has two favorite Mets memories. 

• A Mike Piazza homer. Porcello couldn’t say when it occurred, but seeing Piazza blast one out at Shea Stadium “was a huge thrill for me.”
• The 2000 season, when the Mets went all the way to the World Series. “Just kind of being a fan for that ride,” Porcello said, “was incredible.” 

The Mets signed Porcello to a one-year deal worth $10 million. He’ll compete for a spot in the rotation. He comes with accomplishments, including an American League Cy Young and a World Series ring. 

ROTATION:A look at Mets' starting pitchers after Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha signings

On Monday, Porcello, a Chester, New Jersey, native, hopped on a conference call with reporters. More on what he said: 

When teams could first contact free agents — without discussing money or contracts — the Mets were the first to call Porcello. The small gesture meant a lot to him because, he said, players usually get calls from many teams that day. The Mets’ call alerted him to the team and he said: “I had me eyes set on the Mets in free agency.”

Porcello: “The pitch was that we’re looking to win. It was a good building block in the season that they had last year and unfortunately it came up a couple games short, but this team is right in line and in position to do something this year. That’s right in line with what I want to do. I’m a competitor first and foremost, and always looking for the opportunity to be on a ballclub to win.

“The other factor is it being extremely close to home for me. I live about an hour from Citi Field. That opportunity of having the hometown comfort, the ability from my father and family and friends to be able to come see these games in person and get to experience it a little bit more live were pretty deciding factors for me and definitely contributed to me wanting to be part of the Mets.”

Porcello said it’s “extremely exciting” to join this rotation, which he’s watched from afar. He mentioned each of the Mets five other starting pitchers by name. 

Porcello: “All of these guys are extremely talented guys that are fierce competitors and that’s what I consider myself. I think it’s going to be a great fit and we’re all going to be able to feed off one another. There’s that momentum that kind of happens in a starting rotation where you turn the ball over to one another and everybody is kind of rolling and throwing the ball well. That’s how you go places, that’s how you make the postseason and advance. I’m looking forward to getting the ball rolling and that opportunity.”

Al Leiter, another Jersey native and former Met, is now a baseball operations advisor with the club. Porcello met Leiter years ago when the rookie showed up at Comerica Park for the first time. Leiter was in the concourse and didn’t have much time, so the conversation didn’t last long.

Porcello: “I’ve always been a huge Al Leiter fan. One of my favorite teams of all-time was the 2000 team and he was a big part of that. I guess my personal relationship with him goes back even further than he knows.”

Porcello made 32 starts in 2019, but dragged a 5.52 ERA out of the season. He’s hoping to have more success in Queens.

Porcello: “There’s kind of a long list of things, honestly, from the offseason leading into spring training then certain things in the season that I think kind of contributed to some of the struggles I had. I’ve got a pretty good grasp of what was going on. I think the mechanical side of things — mechanically, when things are off, it starts to affect how you’re thinking on the mound and the mental stuff starts to go a little bit. But it was just a matter of not being able to execute pitches, when you really boil it down to that. 

“I’ve got a bunch of things that I’ve been doing this offseason, whether it’s drill work or looking at video and comparing some of the things that I’ve done well to what I wasn’t doing well and making sure that I’m staying on top of that. I started throwing a lot earlier this offseason, using some different drills and mechanical things to help me get my arm up in position better and some of those things that are really a big difference in me executing pitches. It’s a fine line between being on and off, and I’m just using this extra time in the offseason to leave no stone unturned, as far as making sure everything is on track and I’m prepared to head into spring training and the season throwing the ball the way I know how to.”

Porcello didn’t know Beltrán personally, but did from playing against him. He called Beltrán a “smart and savvy” hitter. Porcello also researched pitching coach Jeremy Hefner’s background and read about the success he had with the Twins. Then he spoke with both Beltrán and Hefner. They factored into his decision to come to New York. 

Porcello: “I’ll be looking forward to playing for Carlos and working with Jeremy.”

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com Twitter: @justinctoscano