The New York Mets are 2-3 in spring training after defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 on March 4. The record holds no bearing on the regular season and expectations are tepid, but fans are excited about the future rotation.
Hope is blossoming in Queens with Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler projected for full seasons in 2015. The phrase “next year” has long been commonplace for Mets fans, but many are optimistic for next season.
Wheeler pitched three scoreless innings against the Astros. He finished his stellar outing with three strikeouts, two hits and zero walks in 40 pitches.
He dialed up his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s. Wheeler also mixed in off-speed pitches, including a 76 MPH curveball to Jose Altuve in the first inning. His fastball is lethal. If Wheeler can improve his command and master his secondary pitches, particularly the sinking action of his changeup, he will be on the road to stardom.
Wheeler breezed through the first inning with just 10 pitches and weak contact. He had an eight-pitch battle against Jesus Guzman, whom he had a favorable count against before ultimately surrendering a double.
He experimented with a breaking ball outside of the strike zone against L.J. Hoes. Wheeler needs a versatile arsenal in the big leagues because he cannot survive solely on his electric fastball.
Syndergaard is a hot topic following his spring debut on March 3 against the Atlanta Braves. His highlights included a 98 MPH strikeout against Jason Heyward. However, with his performance today, Wheeler reminded fans that Harvey and Syndergaard are not the only pitchers to shout about.
Meanwhile, the Mets had a big first inning against the Astros. Eric Young led off with a walk, Chris Young followed with an RBI-double and Curtis Granderson cleared the bases with a two-run homer. This is one potential Opening Day starting outfield, as Juan Lagares also contends for a spot.
Granderson ended the day with two no-doubt homeruns. Citi Field won’t evaporate his power if he continues to hit the cover off of the ball like that.
With more than five starters available in the future, Mets fans on Twitter are deliberating which pitchers the team should trade for a power bat, short stop or other need. The Mets bullpen and young hitting prospects have been nothing to rave about, but the rotation is shaping up beautifully.
The biggest return might come from dealing one of the three aces, Jon Niese, Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee or perhaps a mid-level prospect. Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom impressed in their spring training debuts. The debate is endless, especially given the front office’s financial woes.
The battle for first base between Ike Davis and Lucas Duda has also been a compelling story line. Neither of them, however, played against the Astros due to minor injuries.
The offense has been inconsistent, scoring four runs in the team’s first-game loss to the Washington Nationals on February 28 and six runs in a win against the Atlanta Braves on March 3. The Mets managed just one run in each game between those two contests—first against the Miami Marlins on March 1 and again versus the St. Louis Cardinals on March 2.
Follow me on Twitter @metsonmymind
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments