How did Parker Carlson sign with the Mets after going undrafted?

For fans asking how did Parker Carlson sign with the Mets after going undrafted, the answer begins with an unexpected call: the Auburn University reliever had prepared a résumé to look for work when New York Mets scout Jet Butler offered him a contract. Carlson told Ryan Pesciotta about that turn, his rise through the Mets’ minor league system and the Major League spring training outing that gave him confidence he belonged.

What did Parker Carlson say about Auburn University and the 2025 Auburn team?

Parker Carlson called a road game at Louisiana State University his favorite college outing and the 2025 Auburn team the most enjoyable team he played on. The LSU appearance gave his career momentum after two years with limited pitching time; his final Auburn team combined professional-level talent with an unusually close group.

The outing in Baton Rouge

During Carlson’s junior year, Auburn was looking for traction late in a difficult season. He entered a close Sunday game in Baton Rouge with the bases loaded and either no outs or one out. He recalled allowing a sacrifice fly, escaping the inning, then throwing scoreless eighth and ninth innings to secure the win. Having grown up in Alabama watching Southeastern Conference games, he considered pitching that well at LSU a defining Auburn moment.

The 2025 Auburn team

Carlson said Auburn’s players made a deliberate effort to spend time together after a disappointing junior year. He described fall competition against teammates, including Ike Iris and Eric Snow, as a way the pitchers improved. The group’s shared commitment and regular get-togethers made his final year, he said, the most fun he had playing baseball.

How did Parker Carlson sign with the New York Mets after going undrafted?

Parker Carlson signed with the New York Mets after scout Jet Butler called him unexpectedly a few days after the draft. Carlson had heard nothing from teams during the draft and had already prepared a résumé and cover letter with his then-fiancée. He accepted the offer and left for St. Lucie the next morning.

Late in his final Auburn season, Carlson missed about three weeks and returned without feeling as sharp as he wanted. He said he pitched through injuries because he did not want to spend what might have been his last weeks in baseball on the sidelines. With no draft interest apparent, he asked Auburn pitching coach Everett Tiford to tell his professional contacts that Carlson was healthy and available. He also messaged teams he had spoken with before the spring season.

Butler’s call came from a number Carlson did not recognize. Carlson had never spoken with the Mets, but the scout offered him a contract. He recalled getting the call on a Thursday evening and leaving at 8 a.m. Friday for the eight- or nine-hour drive to Florida. The quick turnaround left little time to celebrate with family, though Carlson said he would not have changed it.

Carlson explained why he reached out to teams despite expecting little response:

I didn't have anything to lose at that point

How did Parker Carlson adjust to professional baseball?

Parker Carlson said the biggest adjustment was learning to manage the daily workload rather than throwing more to feel prepared. His pitching coaches told him he was doing too much before games. Once he narrowed his work to one thing at a time and made fewer throws, he felt fresher and said his pitching improved.

At Auburn, Carlson relied on trainers and strength coaches to help him recover, but he did not establish a consistent postgame routine until his senior year. As a professional, he began doing shoulder care with dumbbells soon after pitching and sometimes used blood-flow restriction on his arm. By July, he felt he knew which recovery work helped him be ready to pitch again.

Pregame preparation required a separate change. Carlson had been playing catch and throwing roughly 15 pitches off a mound before games, sometimes four times in a six-game week. He tried to throw every pitch to every location and could reach about 80 throws before appearing in a game. His coaches encouraged him to trust his previous work and focus on a single task each day or week. Carlson said that change helped both his body and his mind over a longer professional season.

What did Parker Carlson learn on his Mets minor league journey?

Parker Carlson learned that he could compete at higher levels even without ideal preparation, while also seeing how quickly an outing could unravel. He began in Brooklyn, made trips to help the Triple-A club and reached Double-A in the final week of his first professional season. His lone Double-A appearance included six runs allowed.

Short-notice trips to Triple-A

Some Triple-A assignments came with a call the night before, leaving Carlson less time for his usual pregame work. He said he still competed successfully against hitters at that level. Those outings reinforced the lesson that he did not need an extensive throwing routine to pitch effectively.

The final week in Double-A

His Double-A outing provided the opposite result. Carlson said he struck out one hitter and recorded a fly-ball out before allowing six runs. He did not present that appearance as a verdict on his ability: he described a season of strong weeks, difficult weeks and opportunities to learn from other players and coaches.

How did marriage and faith change Parker Carlson’s perspective on baseball?

Parker Carlson said getting married shifted his identity beyond baseball and made providing for a future family a stronger motivation. His Christian faith, he said, helps him handle uncertain opportunities and difficult days. Together, his wife’s support and his faith have made a baseball setback feel less like a judgment on his life.

His wife’s support

Carlson said he and his wife began dating during his junior year of high school and had been together for almost eight years. They spent part of college a few hours apart while he attended Auburn. She was also beside him when his playing future looked uncertain: the two prepared his job-search materials the night before the Mets called. Now, he values having someone with whom to share both good outings and bad ones.

Faith through an uncertain career

Raised in a family of believers, Carlson said prayer and reading the Bible bring him peace, even when the demands of a season make those practices harder to maintain. He connected that belief to the period after college, when he did not know whether he would play again. He said he prayed for the opportunity to continue but trusted that he would be okay if baseball ended.

What happened in Parker Carlson’s Major League spring training appearance?

Parker Carlson called pitching against the Miami Marlins in a Major League spring training game his favorite professional moment. He had gone to back up the Mets’ bullpen without expecting to pitch, then entered late and said he had success, including a couple of strikeouts. The outing gave him confidence before his first professional season.

The game was near the end of spring training, with several established players on the field. Watching from the bullpen, Carlson was struck by the chance to share a game with players he knew by reputation. After his appearance, he said the manager and pitching coach praised his work and expressed interest in watching him progress through the organization.

His wife and parents were there to watch in Jupiter, about 45 minutes from St. Lucie. Carlson said the combination of pitching well in front of them and receiving encouragement afterward helped him believe he had a place in professional baseball.

How is Parker Carlson working to increase his pitching velocity?

Parker Carlson is working to throw harder consistently while retaining the command he considers a strength. He said a strength camp in St. Lucie helped him gain strength before his first professional season, and he returned to work on his mechanics and in the weight room. His goal is to develop the tools to pitch in the major leagues.

Carlson felt he could already command several pitches in the strike zone. After his first strength camp, he returned to spring training throwing harder, which he said opened possibilities he had not expected. Although he felt he pitched well and stayed healthy during the season without sustaining that higher velocity throughout, he sees consistent improvement as important to reaching the majors.

He is not setting a fixed level he must reach next. Carlson said he wants to do something each day that helps him become a major leaguer and be ready whenever an opportunity arrives. It is the advice he would give his younger self, too: stop forcing results, trust the daily work and treat people well.