Steven Matz allowed two runs – one earned – on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in three innings of relief on Thursday against the Nationals.
Matz later appeared on the SNY telecast, and when asked if he’d consider going to the bullpen, he said he’d prefer to start in the minors than pitch in relief with the Mets.
According to Marc Carig of Newsday, Sandy Alderson reiterated Matz is not a candidate for the bullpen, despite a need to fill a potential vacancy left by Josh Edgin, who is mulling Tommy John Surgery.
Matt looked really good this afternoon. He was sitting in the mid 90s with his fastball, and was featuring a sharp breaking ball which was around 77-79 mph consistently. For the most part, he was baffling the Nationals hitters, although he started to center some of his pitches in his last inning of work. He seems to also hide the ball very well, which makes him both powerful and deceptive, a rare overall package to find.
Despite the sudden need for a power lefty in the bullpen, the Mets need to stay the course with Matz here. He is way more valuable to them as a starter than he is a reliever. He’s the only left-hander close to the big leagues, and with Jon Niese facing a fair amount of questions about the durability of his arm, Matz could become an integral piece for the starting rotation sooner rather than later. He still needs about a half a year of rotation innings before being promoted, but I could certainly see him up in the big leagues mid-year if there’s a need and his performance warrants a promotion.
Just Mets 