Whenever a player is drafted in any sport, there's always so many unanswered questions about how that player will progress as a prospect.

But when it comes to Eric Orze, the University of New Orleans right-handed pitcher the Mets selected with the 150th pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, one thing is for certain.

He's a fighter.

Orze, who features a mid-90s fastball and a good splitter on the mound and was named one of Baseball America's 10 biggest sleeper picks of this draft, is even more accomplished off of the field.

The 22-year-old has beaten cancer… twice.

After appearing in nine games with the Privateers in 2018, Orze went to the doctor after experiencing excruciating pain in his abdomen and groin. It was then that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

"I remember just laughing at the doctor and saying that wasn't an option. 'What are you talking about?' At 21 years old, you don't ever think you might have cancer," Orze told Nola.com.

Orze had surgery to remove a tumor, and then another to remove swollen lymph nodes, and the good news was that the cancer had not spread. Shortly thereafter, however, doctors diagnosed Orze with Melanoma after finding a mole on his back.

"OK, I'm finally cancer free, good to go, time to get this rehab and get back to the field and then it's like 'wait, wait, you got some skin cancer.' At that point, it was more just aggravated and frustrated," Orze told Nola.com. "I wasn't upset. It was just frustrating that there was something else."

But the right-hander from Carol Stream, Ill. fought through it all and eventually made his way back to the mound. And now, after the long road back, he's a Mets' draft pick.

"Cancer survivor. This is a kid that will not quit," Mets Vice President of International & Amateur Scouting Tommy Tanous said on Thursday night. "He really won't. Our scouts fell in love with his split finger, to tell you the truth."

"What we've done here is look to talent but also see what kind of purpose kids have when they do face adversity," said general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. "He's motivated and he wants the challenge of professional baseball. And we're glad to be able to give him that opportunity."

Orze has made just 12 appearances during his college career, and while it may be a bit of a small sample size, the Mets are pleased to have drafted a fighter, both on the mound and off of the field.

"To get that kind of arm with that kind of out-pitch there was a great way to end the draft," said Tanous. "Obviously, this is a high-makeup kid, high-quality kid, who happens to have a really gifted pitch."

Popular in the Community