Sending a message to players is important to do if there are individuals who think they are above the team. The Mets have had many ups and downs with one of their young starting pitchers throughout the past couple of seasons, whether it was because of stuff posted on social media, comments made to the media, or showing up the a practice in the postseason late. Granted these are small blips on the radar, but does it make sense to start Matt Harvey in Game 1 of the World Series?
Opening up the 2015 season was Bartolo Colon, which was a sign of respect to the veteran. Colon had a great game, as he outdueled the Nationals’ biggest offseason acquisition Max Scherzer in a 3-1 victory. It is highly unlikely that Colon will start in the World Series, so it seems that he would be out as a potential starter.
The choice that seemed to make sense was Jacob deGrom, as the righty started in the playoffs, and won two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. He pitched on par with two of baseball’s best pitchers in Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. deGrom has represented the Mets organization in multiple ways, as he won the NL Rookie of the Year award last season, and he was the lone Mets representative in the All-Star Game this season, and absolutely stole the show on a big stage. With all the additional rest the Mets have received should have been enough time for deGrom to get back on track for the start of the World Series, but it seems that Terry Collins has decided to get deGrom in for the second and sixth game of the series.
One choice that was intriguing to consider was starting Noah Syndergaard. Thor has a 2.77 ERA in both of his postseason starts, and was in complete control against the Chicago Cubs, although he did not finish six innings. His 20 strikeouts to 1 walk shows that he has handled the playoffs quite well as a 22-year old rookie. The reason why Thor will start Game 3 is because his statistics suggest that he performs better at home, and that may be due to a comfort factor that he has struggle to find on the road. The more intriguing question that could arise this series is who will start Game 7? Do the Mets decide to send out Harvey or Thor in the must win situation? Time will tell what happens moving forward.
Collins has made the right decision by starting Harvey, even if there have been multiple speed bumps along the way. When winning becomes the number one priority, as the playoffs are all about winning, problems get shoved to the side for the sake of the team. When there were conversations about Harvey and a 180 innings limit this season, multiple baseball reporters and members of the media suggested that Harvey should be on the table for other teams throughout this upcoming offseason. So far Harvey has not disappointed in the playoffs, and his performance definitely warrants a Game 1 start, even if his off-the-field storylines have raised some eyebrows.
Harvey offers the most well-rested option. There is almost no going wrong with either he or deGrom, so why not give JDG another well-deserved day off why you’re at it.
I would be comfortable if deGrom, Syndergaard or Harvey pitched in Game #1. They are all deserving to me. My prefered rotation order is deGrom, Syndergaard, Harvey and Matz. I want Harvey starting game #7 if it comes to that, with deGrom in the bullpen with the feeling he would never give in and lose the game. deGrom in my eyes is a true ace that bends but never breaks.
Isn’t it great to be able to debate this issue when no poster could be wrong when presenting their arguement for any of the three ? Such is the good life of a Met fan.
Let’s Go Mets !
This is the right rotation. Harvey doesn’t pitch well after extended layoffs. Thor is better at home. DeGrom could us an extra day of rest. The only thing i don’t like is being set up for Thor in a game 7. He hasn’t displayed the economy of pitches that the other two righties have and, at least for now, is a 6 inning pitcher. The Royals eat up teams in the 7th and 8th. Hopefully we wrap this up in 5 or 6.
Of course it is the right order. Collins made it knowing all the little things we do not. Harvey has pitched13 innings or so in the Post season. deGrom has hve 3 starts and wins, but been dealing with heavy traffic in his past starts. When he had more time to recover (for example, getting to game 1 of the DS) he was absolutely dominant. Adding another day makes perfect sense. Lining up Syndergaard for a home start makes sense. If there is a game 7, everyone but degrom will be available in support of Harvey. I dont see it going 7. The Royals starters are a rag tag bunch, and I believe we are going to pile on early runs and put them behind jsut like in the Chicago. None of their starters presents any sort of issue to Met hitting. I get it that they do huge damage in the 7th, and that is our weakest inning, but they will be doing that under huge pressure.
Its the world series. There are no more innings limits, pitch limits, or anything. If you can get your team one more out, then in you will stay.
I like it, Chris. Matt does such a tremendous job setting the tone in Game One of the NLCS — he delivered the script — that I’m perfectly happy for him to take the ball here. It’s as if TC figured, we have to get one in KC.
Game 7 is an “all in” affair, so length is not an issue for me.
Lastly, I think Bartolo is a good match for KC. They don’t walk, they swing the bats, and don’t hit HRs. He should be able to expand the zone and take advantage of their aggressiveness.
BTW, what a bunch of gibberish we’ve all had to read about how KC has an edge against the Mets’ power pitchers. How they will “put the ball in play.” Oh, sure. They just love hitting against the best pitchers in baseball, that’s right in their wheelhouse.
I do think that they can steal a run here and there — the old way to attack Gooden in his prime — get on, steal, bunt, SF, whatever. They will play for one run as often as possible. That’s okay.
To win against a very determined KC team will require a team effort. Guys gotta hit, guys gotta field, guys gotta pitch.
Jeurys Familia, MVP. Mets in 7. Lot of respect for KC’s toughness, speed, and defense. There will be some tough moments, I think.
Here is my thought on the matter – Terry Collins is the manager. So far all of his decisions have been spot on! I trust his decision as the manager. Not one move he has made in the post season has been wrong. Trust me he knows!