The Mets have gotten off to a great start to there 2013 season, winning 5 of 7 games. The entire starting rotation (with the exception of one start from Aaron Laffey) has been incredible. Sandy Alderson and Co. have recently been stockpiling on young arms as the team looks towards the future, and some of the arms are going to make a profound impact soon.
The Mets seem to be counting on their starting rotation to carry them through this year, and years to come. Jon Niese found success in his Opening Day start, and the organization recently invested in him when he signed a 5 year, $25.27 million deal with the club in the beginning of 2012. Terry Collins realizes that, despite the loss of Johan Santana, Niese is fully capable of stepping up and being the No. 1 starter.
"I just think he's growing into the pitcher that everybody thought he was going to be," Collins said. "We all know if he wants to he can go 90-93 (mph). He's pitching it 91, 90, 89 because he's locating and trying to get the ball to move around the strike zone. I think he's really become a real good pitcher."
Matt Harvey, the club's current No. 2 starter, has lived up to his first round pick status thus far, posting a 0.64 ERA in 2 strong starts. Harvey's future with the Mets is so incredibly bright, so much so that legend Dwight Gooden recently complimented the hurler on his game.
"I am sitting here watching Matt Harvey...this kid is better than advertised...looking forward to watching him every 5th day."
Harvey's attitude is also what makes him so special. He rarely seems satisfied with what he does on the mound, and that mindset seems to get him motivated to go deeper into games. Even Terry Collins has high expectations of the 24 year old pitcher, so much so that he didn't seem overly excited about his recent 7 inning, one run outing.
"Obviously he wasn't real sharp, but he was still very good. The fact that the change-up has helped him. He threw some very good breaking balls today. He just wasn't as sharp with the command of his fastball." Collins said.
As for the No. 3 starter, it seems like it will be Dillon Gee. Gee, who was shut down during the middle of the 2012 season due to a blot clot in his shoulder, put up a strong outing against the Padres. As for his future with the club, it will depend on whether the team decides to sign a middle of the rotation pitcher in the next few off-seasons. Also, a few of top-notch prospects could push him down the in rotation, or even out of New York.
Right now, with the absence of Shaun Marcum, Jeremy Hefner is getting a crack at the big league rotation. Hefner put up mixed numbers in 2012, and many people didn't like the fact that the team did not sign a free agent to take over his spot.
Terry Collins seems to have faith in Hefner, who pitched well but took the loss in his most recent start. "I thought Jeremy pitched very well. It was tough circumstances to pitch in the wind and the cold. We didn't make the plays we needed to make after we took him out. One thing about Hefner is he's going to pound the strike zone, he's going to change speeds and you've got to catch the baseball behind him."
The No. 5 spot in the current rotation is up for grabs right now, but many believe that top prospect Zack Wheeler will make his debut sometime this season. Once Wheeler enters the rotation, it is unlikely that he goes back to the minor leagues. That said, the club is waiting until they know for sure that he is ready to officially bring him up and allow him to face major league hitting.
Of-course, as mentioned before, there are several strong arms down in the minor league system. Noah Syndergaard, who was recently acquired in the R.A. Dickey trade, has the potential to be just as good as Harvey and Wheeler. Sandy Alderson took a gamble with Syndergaard, but believes that he is fully capable of living up to the hype.
"Noah is a very high-ceiling power pitcher," Alderson said. "We believe that he's got tremendous upside potential."
Other notable names that are in the Mets farm system include: Rafael Montero, Michael Fulmer, Hansel Robles, Jacob deGrom, and Domingo Tapia.
The Mets have a bright future, and as mentioned before, the pitching will be the key to their success. If the team has a rotation that includes Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Noah Syndergaard, and they all live up to their hype, then they will be an offensive force in the league for a long time.
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