As expected, Jenrry Mejia will be making his return to the Mets on Saturday, as he will replace Pat Misch in the rotation and start against the Chicago Cubs. The question is how long will he stay there?
Mejia, one of the Mets most prized pitching phenoms, will be making his first ever start with the club after making 30 relief appearances (3.25 ERA, 1.59 WHIP) earlier in the season. Mets brass want to know what kind of pitcher Mejia is, and with the team now out of contention, they will throw out Mejia and hope he injects some enthusiasm into a disenfranchised fanbase.
At the ripe age of 20, Mejia possesses a lot of upside. He throws hard and is in the process of developing his secondary pitches. He is throwing his curveball, and more specifically his changeup a lot better of late.
On Monday in Buffalo, Mejia pitched eight innings and allowed only one run while striking out nine batters and only walking one.
There is a reason why Mets officials love him. They saw enough of his secondary pitches to believe the timing is right for a promotion.
Earlier this summer while engaging in trade talks, Mejia’s name came up most in rumors. It was rumored that in order to get Seattle’s Cliff Lee, Mejia had to be included.
Well, considering Lee was likely a rental player and going to sign elsewhere in the off-season (think Yankees), the Mets did not want to trade one of their young burgeoning stars. With the way the season has gone, and how it has been the bats that have let down the Mets, it was wise of the Mets to not trade Mejia.
So, here is Mejia making a start on Saturday. He is amped, charged and ready to go. He is excited.
And so are Met fans.
In a season that again has failed to live up to expectations, Mejia will be put on display to see if he is ready to be a major league starter, while also pumping some juice into a lifeless Citi Field.If Mejia shows the Mets something down the stretch, then there is no reason why he can’t be part of the rotation next year.
While the Mets still have Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese under contract, and it looks like the Mets will bring back R.A. Dickey, the fifth spot next year is up for grabs. Maybe Mejia can run with the job and save the Mets some money on another starter.
The Mets have a lot of decisions going forward, and one staring them in the face is what to do with Mejia.
Now, I don’t know if the Mets did the right or wrong thing by having him start the year in the bullpen, or if he was better served staying in the minors the whole time fine-tuning his craft, but he is back and healthy and ready to be a starter.
While he’s no Doc Gooden, he is a young, talented arm that can bring some much needed sizzle to Queens and bring a renewed hope to the franchise in desperate need of it.