It is a debatable topic, but after Chris Young's first Mets start against the Philadelphia Phillies some can and will make the case that, just maybe, he can win 15 games. Is it possible?
Just as it is with the team in general, Young was not expected to be a huge part of the Mets' starting rotation coming into this season. After all, Young has been sidelined with injuries that have depleted his number of starts the last two season (32 starts with San Diego).
However, with what you saw against the Phils, as Young was able to navigate his way through one of the toughest one through five hitter lineups in the game, just maybe with some consistency and some confidence, a gem could emerge.
Just as it was with Mike Pelfrey before him, Young has yet to win 15 games in his career. Pelfrey did it last year, and while you can make the argument that the two are at different places in their careers, at the age of 31, perhaps now is the time for Chris Young.
Now, the biggest key for Young will be, in addition to his confidence, continuing to rebuild his arm strength to where he can maybe get to 200 innings this season—something he has not done—which would be a big key to him achieving that 15-win total.
I'm not worried about his pitch selection, nor the execution of his pitches. Endurance and health are the big keys here. We'll see where it goes. A few will say yes; most will say no. For Chris Young after one start, so far, so good, but some would say, so what?
Korbid Thompson can be found at the Extra Bases with Korbid Thompson blog, and also heard on the New York Mets Audio Minute at Lexy.
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