Much has been made about the Mets decision to start Bartolo Colon on Opening Day. But, as I’ve said before, the decision to start Colon on Opening Day has less to do with Colon, and more to do with Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports re-affirms that point in a post to his blog on Saturday, saying the decision to start Colon on Opening Day and align the rotation in this manner also has to do with setting up the rotation for the rest of the month, including the series at Yankee Stadium April 24-26.
By starting Jacob deGrom and Harvey behind Colon, they’d be scheduled to open the series against the Yankees on April 24 and 25, and Rosenthal says that’s part of the motivation with the current rotation.
“The Mets, who always measure themselves against the Yankees, no doubt will view the initial showdown as a chance to establish early supremacy,” Rosenthal explains.
Colon – who had the most wins on the staff in 2014 – would be inline to face the Braves the previous afternoon on April 23, and for now, Dillon Gee would pitch the series finale at Yankee Stadium.
The Mets have plenty of baseball reasons to align the rotation the way they did, including this one. It makes a world of sense to want to play with the best hand possible, regardless of the opponent.
In the case of the Mets, 27 of their first 31 games are against National League East teams, three of the other six are against the Yankees and two are against the Orioles. They could very well be defined as a club within the first month of the season, so its critical they put their best foot forward when possible and ensure the health and longevity of their core group.
They’ve aligned their chess pieces in the best way possible, whether we like it or not.
Just Mets 