Once upon a time, when Carlos Beltran had been newly traded to the Giants I wrote about the up-and-coming Met pitching prospects who I could see becoming the “Rotation of the Future”. The Mets seemed to have a bevy of pitching talent on the rise and fans could only hope that everything panned out as we hoped it would.
The 2K Of Then:
Matt Harvey – At the time Harvey had just dominated Port St. Lucie and was looking at finishing his season with AA and seemed a year from a possible major league debut. We were cautiously optimistic as to the player that Harvey would become and debated, hotly, over whether he or the new acquisition would be the future Ace of the team.
Zack Wheeler – We had traded our best hitter for a prospect that many said we’d never get for a rental. He had control issues in San Francisco, but he was a high pick with a high ceiling and he was only half a season behind Harvey.
Jenrry Mejia – We forget that as Harvey was mowing down A+ hitters, the Mets were using and abusing the talents of Mejia. Willie Randolph foolishly moved Mejia to the pen and wasted a year of development. A war of words raged over Mejia being in the rotation or the bullpen, but some of us had hopes that the Mets would wise up and we’d have a capable pitcher in support of the upper crust.
Jeurys Familia – Familia was a name we learned that season too. He was a promising prospect with front of the rotation results and a great fastball. We argued about he and Mejia and who would be in the bullpen and who would be in the rotation. Familia had the better build and seemed most people’s pick (not mine).
Darin Gorski – Gorski had just had an astonishing year in Port St. Lucie where all of his numbers made significant jumps. With no other healthy lefties of note in the farm system, he was thought of as a part of the Met future.
The 2K Of Now:
Matt Harvey – Debuted well in 2012 and announced his bright future proudly in 2014. Prior to an injury, Harvey appeared to be a candidate for Cy Young awards and was the pride and joy of every Met fan. He will sit on the shelf for all of 2014 and return in 2015 with high expectations on his head.
Zack Wheeler – Debuted in 2013 and did very very well. He was overshadowed by Harvey’s brilliance, but Met fans should be ecstatic because his first taste of the majors went pretty darn well. In 2014 he’d like to take advantage of being the biggest prospect name on the roster. He’ll have to still watch his back.
Jenrry Mejia – Mejia continued to be mis-handled but finally recovered from his repeated forays into relief with a number of promising starts at the tail end of the 2013 season. Mejia has a real shot of making the 2014 rotation and climbing his way back to the heights we had once had realistic hopes of.
Jeurys Familia – Has been moved, permanently to the bullpen. He seems a good fit but still must hone his control if he has hopes of becoming something more than a middle reliever.
Darin Gorski – Gorski took some bumps in the higher levels of the minors but seemed to correct most issues at the tail end of a resurgent year in AA. He’s running out of rope to stay in the Met plans but he should get an opportunity to pitch in the pros in 2014.
The 2K We Now Know:
Noah Syndergaard – The Mets traded a Cy Young winner for a top catching prospect. They also got a pitching prospect who has blossomed into one of the top prospects in all of baseball. “The Mighty Thor” will make his MLB debut in 2014 and Wheeler and Harvey had better watch their backs.
Rafael Montero – The Mets have an arm who is more than ready to nab himself a rotation spot. Montero has great numbers in the minors and phenomenal control. He lacks the “Ace Caliber” pitches that others have but he should slot in as a solid #4 pitcher with the potential to get big results if he can outfox the hitters.
Steven Matz – There are other pitchers who are closer to the majors but in terms of potential, few have what Matz does. He could be a #2 caliber pitcher with his strong lefty fastball. He has a lot to prove, and quickly as he was technically in the farm when Wheeler joined the Mets.
Notice that I’m not naming some other pitchers who have MLB impact potential in the Met system. The Mets have Vic Black, Cory Mazzoni, Jacob deGrom, Michael Fulmer, Jack Leathersich, Domingo Tapia, Luis Mateo, Akeel Morris and others in the wings waiting to take the reins. The Mets remain a few hitters short of putting together a championship unit, but they have certainly built up some promising arms in their minor leagues.
Good article – i think Montero could be higher than a #4, and Matz needs to stay healthy to have a shot as a #2 type…we need to add that beneath the layer you just described there are many others who were overlooked or newbies (Walters, Ynoa, Whalen, etc.)
We are awash in pitching depth like I have never seen it before. And Gorski will be hard-pressed to make pros this year unless there are injuries – he may be a year too late to beat the coming deluge of quality arms.
I don’t think Montero could ever be an ace, but he could a solid middle of the order pitcher. He’s lacking great secondary stuff, but his fastball and command are plus.