Projecting a player’s ceiling is usually about talent. How good is the stuff? How consistent are the results? With the New York Mets, there is one reliever whose long-term upside might hinge less on those questions and more on something simpler. The role he is trusted with could ultimately define how high this thing goes.
Some pitchers show you what they are in the middle innings. Others do not fully reveal themselves until the leverage increases and the responsibility grows. Until that step is taken, evaluations remain incomplete. For this arm, the difference between a solid contributor and a true weapon may come down to opportunity.