Trevor May has a very specific distinction within Mets history. While he only spent two years with the club, he was the first major-league signing New York made in the Steve Cohen era.
Across 87.2 innings in Queens, the right-hander posted a 9-3 record with an even 4.00 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. His 2022 campaign was limited to just 25 innings. He was as good as advertised in 2021, though, twirling a 3.59 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 62.2 innings.
May’s career took him to Oakland last winter, as he and the Athletics agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal. Needless to say, his on-field performance hasn’t been what he’s wanted thus far. Before hitting the injured list with issues related to anxiety, May posted a 12.00 ERA and 3.17 WHIP in six innings of work. He appeared against the Mets once when they visited the Coliseum. The reliever struck out one and allowed a hit in a scoreless inning of work.
In a piece from The Mercury News, May mentioned he’s had issues with anxiety for a while. But, he always found ways to manage it — especially when on the mound. Unfortunately, most of his tactics to remain calm while pitching include taking his time. That’s something pitchers aren’t allowed to do when toeing the slab in 2023.
So, without being able to find solace on the mound, his anxiety worsened, which led to him landing on the Injured List in the middle of April. It was so bad that May seriously considered retiring, but A’s sports psychologist Ben Strack convinced him not to do it. Mostly because without actually trying to fix the root of the issue, it’d still remain, whether he was playing baseball or not.
May — who has typically been pretty active on social media and has his own YouTube channel — is good with his words. He described his issues with anxiety and his inability to manage it quite well:
Before, I had this big strong dude, a guard, and anxiety was trying to get in the doorway and the guard wouldn’t let it,” May said, per the News. “Now that anxiety is quick. The guard is too slow. The anxiety is just getting in there.
He also said the following about the pitch clock and the game itself:
What’s going on? Nobody acknowledges [the pitch clock] or even notices it. You feel like, how does nobody notice that pitching is so much harder now.
We were told when we got up [to the majors], slow the game down, don’t let the game speed up on you. Now the game is literally speeding up. We can’t slow it down.
May has gotten back on the field since stepping aside, as he’s thrown two innings for Triple-A Las Vegas as part of his rehab assignment. We hope the best for May from a baseball perspective, but also for his life in general. He’s one of the good dudes in baseball and will have a soft spot in the hearts of many Mets fans.
It has been an absolute honor putting on the Mets Jersey this year. Standing out on the line Friday and hearing the energy in Citi was an atmosphere unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I doubt I’ll ever experience anything quite like that again. From a terrible start, to the injury
— Trevor May (@IamTrevorMay) October 10, 2022
Impact on good memories of this team. This was a season that I’ll never forget, and it was a pleasure coming up with a ton of new emojis with you. Thank you. Let’s Go Mets.
— Trevor May (@IamTrevorMay) October 10, 2022
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.