As Spring Training is getting started for MLB franchises, the New York Mets are entering Spring Training with a lot of hope on the pitching end. For some time now, there have been baseball pundits who have said that the Mets have one of the more lethal rotations in baseball, under one condition. The condition is they need to be healthy and that certainly has been a problem for this team’s rotation.
In 2016, the Mets saw a majority of their pitching staff be sidelined with injuries and fans ended up seeing the emergence of guys like Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman, who stepped up big time when called upon. It should be noted that Noah Syndergaard ended up being the only Mets pitcher other than Bartolo Colon to actually pitch in the majority of the season. Now with all that being said, I will be taking a closer look at the 2017 Mets’ rotation as I see it panning out.
[Jon]
1. Noah “Thor” Syndergaard – This is truly a no-brainer. He was one of the more constant pitchers for the Mets in 2016 and ended up carrying a lot of the load for the team as many of the other pitchers on the Mets were injured. When I think of someone who is an ace, I look for someone who will be both consistent and a leader. Syndergaard fits both of those in my eyes as he ended up becoming the leader of the pitching staff and he was consistent. Another reason why Syndergaard fits the ace role of this pitching staff is the fact that he is a strikeout machine. In 2016, he led the Mets with 216 strikeouts, which is great for the 183 and two-thirds innings he pitched.
2. Jacob DeGrom – He ended up being one of the better Mets pitchers in 2016. Unfortunately, he served some time on the disabled list, but when he was on the mound, he would dominate the hitters who he faced. He was one of three pitchers on the Mets’ staff who had over 100 strikeouts and with the hitters in baseball becoming tougher, teams want pitching staffs who are strikeout machines.
3. Steven Matz – This may be a stretch to put him as the third starter, but I felt that he showed some potential in 2016. While he was a strikeout machine like DeGrom and Syndergaard, he was also an innings eating machine, which does wonders. This is because when Matz pitches, unless he has a terrible game, you don’t need to bring in the bullpen until later in the game.
4. Matt Harvey – I don’t trust Harvey at all. Since he has been a Met, it seems that he has become a drama queen. When he wasn’t injured in 2016 (at least to public knowledge), he didn’t have great numbers. I am aware that he didn’t pitch for most of the season, but when he did he went 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA. To make matters worse, he gave up more hits than strikeouts, which is a trend I would like to see him reverse.
5. Robert Gsellman – He became one of the key contributors in the 2016 season. I figure to put him here until the Mets feel that Zack Wheeler can take it over. I would put Wheeler in the bullpen when the season starts if he is healthy. In a limited run in 2016, he had a 4-2 record with a 2.40 ERA, which isn’t bad at all. If the case comes up that Gsellman doesn’t do well, there are other options I would go before Zach, such as Seth Lugo.
[Kenny2]
When you look at this Mets pitching staff, there is one key thing that needs to be looked at. That is this staff needs to stay healthy and if they do that, then I don’t know who can stop them. As Spring Training begins, keep it locked in on the Inscriber Magazine as we will prepare you for the 2017 MLB season.