Just Mets

These aren’t easy days for the Mets General Manager or the organization in general.

Not only has he been forced to deal with the loss of one of their cornerstone pitchers, he’s seemingly spending an equal amount of time explaining his actions and defending the organization for it’s handling of Zack Wheeler over the last year.

According to multiple reports over the last few days, including a detailed one by Andy Martino in the Daily News, Wheeler was in such a high degree of pain during the 2014 season, he was forced to miss bullpen sessions and nearly missed a start in August against the A’s in Oakland because of pain in his elbow.

Alderson compared the handling of Wheeler to the way they’ve handled Matt Harvey, his elbow injury and rehab process since 2013, which he considered similar to this situation.

“Let me just ask this question. Why would we treat somebody like Harvey with the kind of caution that we did and then throw somebody else under the bus? Somebody of essentially equal value to us as an organization? That wouldn’t make any sense,” Sandy Alderson vehemently explained, according to the New York Post.

What I am going to say may read to you like a defense, and maybe it is. But the thing is, they wouldn’t, even if it was a situation involving a different tier of prospect. I can’t believe there is an organization in professional sports who would sacrifice the health, well-being and career of any one of their athletes. Nor can I believe they would treat one with a different level of caution or care over another. I also don’t believe the player would have chosen to pitch in this case if he didn’t feel he could do it, and that even includes his most recent start last week.

Like Harvey, Wheeler followed a similar program throughout his ascension to the major leagues, increasing his workload by approximately 30 innings with each season. The same can be said for Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and more. That shows me consistent treatment for all.

But, back to Wheeler.

I remember about 10 or 11 years ago Cliff Floyd came to Mets camp, spoke with reporters and basically said from the moment he arrives in camp, he is never 100 percent again for the rest of the season. The point is, players get hurt, they play hurt – sometimes badly – but they often keep quiet about their problems. And, when they do report issues, neither they or the team are obligated to discuss them in public, especially if the player is able to stay on the field and it’s not affecting performance.

In Wheeler’s case, he went 8-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 96 1/3 innings over his final 16 starts in 2014. So, while its now known he was dealing with elbow pain last year, there was no evidence to suggest his discomfort was impacting his performance, and there was nothing to suggest he could not pitch.

I know, the issue is whether he should have, not could have. But, if Wheeler could not deal with it, the team could no longer manage it, or both, why would they ever make him endure? Again, all exams suggested nothing was wrong, even through January – so the club and the players clearly believed they were effectively managing this problem. All they can go on is the science that was being offered to them, and the recommendation from doctors, which I trust they did.

“The question is, ‘OK, was the tear inevitable, or is this a function of how he was used?’ From my standpoint, it’s inevitable given the practicality of how someone is used in the course of a major-league season,” Alderson said.

What he’s saying is if they had shut Wheeler down last summer, put him in a rehabilitation program, and started him back up now, Wheeler could be headed for Tommy John Surgery anyway. Like with Harvey, there might not have been anything anyone could have done to prevent this.

Unfortunately, this happens to pitchers. What’s worse is it’s happening a lot more than it has in the past to them. The question is not how the Mets could have prevented this from happening to Wheeler, or Harvey, or Jacob deGrom, or Steven Matz, or Josh Edgin, or Jeremy Hefner, or Jeff Walters. I believe the question is how this can be prevented before these people ever sign their first professional contract.

That may never happen.

The whole thing sucks. It really does. Wheeler’s a good kid, very smart and thoughtful, and things were really looking up for him this year. Instead, he has the biggest challenge of his career ahead of him. But, I think I am going to assign my blame to the art of pitching for Wheeler’s messed up elbow first.