The transaction belonged to the Mets, but the path that made it possible runs through Northeast Philadelphia.
Dan Hammer, the right-hander out of Father Judge and the University of Pittsburgh, was called to the majors Thursday when New York selected his contract from Triple-A Syracuse, putting the 28-year-old on a big-league roster for the first time. For the Mets, it was a bullpen move before the All-Star break. Around Philadelphia’s baseball community, it was another reminder of how far a local player can climb when the road does not move in a straight line.
Hammer’s path has never been the clean, predictable kind that gets packaged neatly on draft night. He was not drafted out of Father Judge after telling scouts he intended to go to college. Three years later, after testing himself in the ACC at Pitt, he went to the Orioles in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. At the time, he told The Inquirer that getting picked was “such a huge relief” and “such an honor.”
That was seven years ago.
Since then, Hammer has lived the kind of professional baseball life that tests whether a player is merely talented or stubborn enough to keep going. He signed with Baltimore, moved through the Orioles’ system, was later taken by Tampa Bay in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft, reached free agency, and signed a minor-league deal with the Mets in March.
Now the call has come.
Hammer earned it with a strong first half in the Mets’ system. Across Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season, he posted a 2.16 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over 33 1/3 innings, striking out 38. At Syracuse alone, he had a 1.77 ERA in 17 appearances, and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported that Hammer had reached 98 mph in Triple-A.
The stuff has always been part of the story. Back in 2019, Hammer was already talking about a fastball that touched 95 mph, and the strikeout numbers backed up the arm talent. He struck out 80 hitters in 66 innings during his final season at Pitt and finished his college career with 189 strikeouts in 187 1/3 innings.
But the local piece matters because Father Judge has long carried weight in Philadelphia’s baseball ecosystem. Hammer was the Philadelphia Catholic League MVP as a senior, and when he was drafted, Father Judge coach Mike Metzger told The Inquirer that Hammer was the 13th player from the school to be drafted or sign with a major-league organization.
That is what gives this call-up a little more texture here. It is not only a Mets bullpen transaction. It is also a Northeast Philadelphia baseball story.
Hammer is another reminder that the city’s baseball pipeline is not limited to first-rounders, bonus babies, or players fast-tracked through the system. Sometimes it looks like Father Judge to Pitt. Sometimes it looks like Aberdeen, Bowie, Montgomery, Binghamton and Syracuse. Sometimes it takes seven professional seasons, a new organization, a fresh opportunity, and enough swing-and-miss stuff to force one more look.
And now, whenever Hammer throws his first pitch for the Mets, a Philadelphia baseball story will reach a major-league mound.
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