Nearly five years ago, Sandy Alderson and his front office laid out a plan and a vision to rebuild the Mets centered around young, hard throwing starting pitching they would cultivate from within their organization.
The first flower to bloom was Matt Harvey in late 2012. Then, a year later it was Zack Wheeler. Ten months later Jacob deGrom came up. Two months ago Noah Syndergaard arrives.
The last of the Mets crop of pitching phenoms arrives on Sunday in the form of a left-hander named Steven Matz from Long Island who the Mets hope help to form one of the greatest starting-fives the game has seen in this era of baseball.
“He knows he has good stuff,” Terry Collins said on Saturday. “He’s been in spring training, he knows what to expect out of the other teams’ lineups, and he’s got great confidence. And he should. To do what he did in probably the best hitter’s leagues in all of the minor leagues, he should be able to have success here.’’
Collins referred to the Pacific Coast League, a league full of teams playing in deserts, high altitudes and low humidity. It’s a league known for it’s offense and less for it’s pitchers, as curve balls typically don’t curve, sliders typically don’t slide, and change-up typically don’t split.
But Matz had a different experience out west this season. His curve ball curved, his slider slid, and his change-up changed.
With what [Matz has] done down in Triple-A, he’s obviously ready for this level,’’ Matt Harvey said. “We’re all excited to see what he can do.”
It’s hard not to be excited. Matz – the club’s number one prospect according to MLB.com – dominated the competitive hitters league with relative ease before his promotion, which the team officially announced on Friday. He allowed only 22 earned runs with 31 walks and 94 strikeouts in 90 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas.
But in the not too distant past, the big leagues seemed pretty far fetched for Matz, who like his friend Jacob deGrom and colleagues and now colleagues in Wheeler and Harvey, is another in a long list of Tommy John Surgery patients. He underwent the procedure in 2010.
But Matz suffered setbacks during his rehab process, which delayed the start of his professional debut for a year – he didn’t throw his first professional pitch until 2012 as a 21-year-old at Kingsport, the club’s rookie league affiliate.
“It seemed pretty far off, that’s for sure,” Matz said. “It didn’t seem completely out of the question, but it did seem really far away. Back then it was me and Jacob deGrom just down there. Neither of us had thrown. He’d only thrown a couple of innings; I hadn’t thrown a pitch yet. We became real good friends through that time, so it’s pretty cool we’re both up here now.’’
It’s been a humbling experience for Matz, but as has been the case for a lot of young pitchers to experience this plague that so many pitchers seem to experience, it may have helped him mature quicker through the minor leagues.
This debut is extra special for Matz, who grew up as a Mets fan living on Long Island.
“It feels great. It’s a dream come true. I’m going to soak it up and take it all in,’’ Matz said smiling on Saturday afternoon. “Growing up watching Endy Chavez make that catch over the wall is probably the most vibrant memory I have.
“I’m happy it’s is at home. My parents are really excited, my family’s really excited, “he continued. “I heard buzz about it. It was hard not to, especially since I’m from New York. I have a lot of friends and family that are Mets fans, so I heard a lot of buzz about it.’’
While Collins is excited to have yet another young, hard throwing pitcher in the arsenal, he feels Matz is here to help now despite the learning curve he will undoubtedly face in his first big league yet.
“He’s in a pennant race,” Collins said. “There’s a lot of things he can learn by being here now. It’s going to be fun to watch him grow.’’
Matz’s innings limit is approximately 180 this season. He has already thrown 90 at Triple-A, meaning he is at the halfway point. As such, the Mets will incorporate Matz into a strict six-man rotation for the time being. The design, according to Sandy Alderson, is to lessen the load on the four young pitchers in the rotation all while managing their individual innings limits and getting them through the season.
But while the design has positive intentions, the pitchers have to pitch well in order for it to be effective. In the three prior attempts to employ a six-man rotation, it has clearly served more as a hinderance than a useful tool, which is why the team has abandoned it in each attempt.
But the Mets seem intent to stick with the program, for better or for worse.
“It’s something we’re going to all have to adjust to and just make sure that we’re sharp for our starts,” Harvey said on Saturday.
Just Mets 