Michael Wacha

deGrom and Wacha Shine in Split Squad Outings

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The New York Mets starting pitching has been nothing short of elite through the first ten games of Spring Training. While the bats are still shaking the rust off, the pitching has exceeded expectations so far. In their split-squad games on Sunday, they beat the Nationals 3-1 and lost to the Marlins, 7-2.

Jacob deGrom picked up where he left off in 2019. The back to back Cy Young winner threw three scoreless innings, only allowing one hit and striking out two batters. He a majority of the Nationals everyday players and made it look easy to cruise through the lineup once.

Michael Wacha also pitched well against the Marlins. Over his three scoreless innings of work, he allowed a walk, two hits and struck out one. Wacha still firmly believes he is a starting pitcher, and his two Spring starts show he should be a starter.

Diaz Settles In

If you did not hear about Edwin Diaz’s outing, there were not any problems. He threw a scoreless fourth inning with the only blemish being a Ryan Zimmerman double. Justin Wilson followed by striking out the side in the fifth inning. He has retired all six batters he has faced, and four of them are on strikeouts.

Jeff McNeil continued to stay hot with two hits in the same amount of at-bats. His average is now .500 for the Spring. Michael Conforto homered for the first time and now has hits in three consecutive games after starting 1-for-8. Robinson Cano also added a two-run double to open up the Mets scoring in the first.

Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Pete Alonso lined a single to center field for his only hit in three at-bats. The concerns were only small for 2019’s home run champ, and the single took the stress off the Polar Bear. Eduardo Nunez has started the Spring hot, his two hits Sunday moved him to 5-for-15. Nunez was a non-roster invite but could easily steal a spot away from Luis Guillorme.

Amed Rosario continued his struggles at the plate. He went hitless in three at-bats and is hitless in all five of his games so far. Only two of the at-bats ended in strikeouts, which is a good sign for the young shortstop. As he settles in more, the hits should follow.

The Mets get a day off on Monday before welcoming in the Marlins to Port St. Lucie. Noah Syndergaard will make his second start of the Spring.

New York Mets: Michael Wacha’s stuff impresses on spring debut

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

When the New York Mets signed right-hander Michael Wacha from the free agent pool late last year, they told him that he was going to be a starter. They inked the former Cardinal to an incentive-laden one-year deal with a base salary of roughly $3 million.

However, just hours later, they announced the signing of fellow starter Rick Porcello to a one-year deal worth $10 million. With those two, the team would now have six capable starters.

Several ideas have been thrown around in the last few hours as the Mets get creative to fill the back of their rotation. Jacob deGrom is the unquestioned ace, and he is followed by Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman.

Lefty Steven Matz, Porcello and Wacha are said to be fighting for two spots. Given the resources invested in Porcello, however, it is likely he gets one of the two openings.

For the final one, the New York Post reported that the Mets could be considering several paths. They could alternate Matz and Wacha depending on the matchup, or they could go with Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman as openers followed by Wacha or Matz as the bulk guys. Nothing has been dismissed yet.

The Mets told him he was going to start

But Wacha knows what he wants. “They told me I am a starter, so that is what I am here for,” he said to Mike Puma of the Post.

In his first spring training game on Tuesday, the Mets’ hurler turned two scoreless frames. His fastball sat in the 94-96 mph range, which is fantastic given that he averaged 93.4 with the pitch in 2019.

“The ball felt like it was coming out good,” Wacha said. “It felt like the other pitches were playing off that fastball command and overall I thought it went well.”

The Mets may have a great problem in their hands.

Tebow’s Homer and Davis Injury Headlines New York Mets Loss to Tigers

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New York Mets, Andres Gimenez

Tim Tebow playing in New York Mets Spring Training games is already a headline in itself. When Tebow homered off Detroit Tigers reliever Alex Wilson, it is a 100 percent guarantee to throw the baseball world for a loop.

Tebow showcased his opposite-field power with a no-doubt home run to left-center field. It was his first during his Spring Training career, and it was the fourth time he reached base in eight Spring plate appearances. Expectations are meager for the 32-year old former quarterback, but we still know he has a flair for the dramatic.

Wacha’s Debut

Michael Wacha made his first Spring start. He is in a battle for the fifth starter spot and was on par with Steven Matz through their respective first starts. Wacha threw two innings, allowing two walks, a hit, and struck out two batters. The outing was not anything special but is a decent way to settle into the beginning of the Spring.

Davis Injury

The other major headline came when third baseman, J.D. Davis, left the game with a left shoulder injury. He jammed the shoulder after diving and spending a moment on the ground. Davis said, “right now it feels fine,” but also said the shoulder is weak and stiff. He will have an MRI Wednesday, but the early news is there is no damage to his rotator cuff or labrum.

This is the first injury scare of the Spring, and the MRI will give a clearer timeline on Davis. Initially, the injury seems minor, and it will likely have more of an effect on his offense over his defense.

Zamora Shines and Gimenez Struggles

Daniel Zamora is a projected minor leaguer to start the season but pitched a scoreless third inning, all against righties, where the only baserunner came from an Andres Gimenez error. Gimenez is known for his slick defense but already has two errors in the Spring.

Wednesday Preview

A couple of big names will face the villainous Houston Astros on Wednesday. Noah Syndergaard makes his first start of the Spring and has already poked at Houston’s cheating scandal during the offseason and early in camp. He is not afraid about throwing up and in, but there should be no shenanigans, especially in his first outing.

Edwin Diaz will make his long-awaited debut in his quest to regain the closer role. Justin Wilson will also throw as the combination of the three pitchers will likely be the crew to start the game.

New York Mets: Starting Pitching Competitions

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New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz

The New York Mets created a “competition” amongst their backend starters when they signed Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha. It is safe to say Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Marcus Stroman are safe, but things might be different for Steven Matz to go along with Porcello and Wacha. Barring injuries, it seems like the rotation is a lock, but the Mets are going to weigh their options before committing.

Steven Matz

Personally, Steven Matz should have his job secured with the top three of the rotation. Much like the high priced Zach Wheeler, Matz has only put together one lousy season over the entirety of his career. He has also made 30 starts in back to back seasons and plays a vital role as the only left-hander in the rotation. Despite holding down a rotation spot for the majority of his career, Matz still views his spot as one he needs to earn.

His biggest issue was his 6.21 ERA during the first inning and the 6.11 ERA he had in the sixth inning. Once Matz can start strong, he can ride his momentum through the game and pitch deeper. The stronger starts should lower his ERA in the sixth inning because he will have lower pitch counts by that point in the game.

Rick Porcello

Porcello is the veteran of the pitching staff and should be a lock for the fifth starter as well. He struggled in the AL East during 2019, but things should change pitching in the NL for the first time. The expectations are not high for the former Cy Young winner. All he has to do is eat innings, and the more innings he throws, the more successful of a season he has. Porcello has thrown less than 170 innings in a season once during his 11-year career, and the Mets should expect him to land in that area again.

Michael Wacha

The once-prized young pitcher has struggled to regain his All-Star success again. Wacha struggled during the first two months of 2019 with a 6.61 ERA and spent some time in the bullpen. During the rest of the season, he pitched to a 3.65 ERA, but 13 out of his 19 innings were less than five innings. The improvement towards the end of the season is promising, but the Mets best option is to keep him in the bullpen to begin the season.

Opening Day is still a while away, and Spring Training could play a massive role in shaping the rotation. Unless we see a significant breakout in Spring Training, the rotation should lineup as expected.

Who’s The Odd Man Out in the Mets Starting Rotation?

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New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz

For better, or worse, the New York Mets have depth in their starting rotation. They have a back to back Cy Young winner (deGrom), a Norse god (Syndergaard), a homegrown kid (Matz), a separate Cy Young winner funny bear with a proven track record in the postseason (2013 NLCS MVP Michael Wacha), and a Gold Glove-winning WBC champion/MVP (Stroman).

The only problem is… they all expect to be starters. And there are only 5 in the rotation. So who’s the odd man out?

Who’s Likely in the Rotation?

Well, deGrom is coming off of his second consecutive Cy Young season. He’s not the odd man out. When you look at Porcello’s career, he has a good to the exceptional season after a bad season consistently. And last year was a bad season. So he’s in.

Stroman did not fare well transitioning from the AL to the NL last year. His ERA, home run per 9, walks per 9, and WHIP all went up. But, he’s still an elite caliber pitcher who’s in the last year of his contract. The smart move would be to have Stroman as your number 3 starter. Because at the very least, if he’s having a great 2020, but the Mets aren’t, him being in the rotation gives you the opportunity to shop him to a team looking for a second-half rental.

Thor had a good full season, his first since 2016, but he wasn’t great. He seems to fit as a later in the rotation arm, rather than the team’s number 2. Those earned run, and home run totals, coupled with that bloated ERA just isn’t a good look for someone who became the heir apparent to Matt Harvey’s “Dark Knight” moniker.

Then, you have Rick Porcello, who boasted a 5.52 ERA in 2019, a significant increase from the year before. The Mets are hoping for a bounce-back year, but his numbers have never been considered elite.

In a Fight Between Matz and Wacha, the Winner Is…

Matz should be the 5th guy in the rotation. At the end of the day, Wacha has been hurt an awful lot. He hasn’t thrown a complete season since 2017, his WHIP was over 1.5 last year, and his two home runes/four walks a game… it’s not good enough to be a starter.

Maybe the Mets should just go with a 6 man rotation.

New York Mets: Winter Meetings End With More Work to be Done

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As the winter meetings come to a close, the New York Mets were in the middle of the pack when it came to making moves. The Yankees and Angels came out as big winners, while the Mets opted to add depth pieces. Now that we move towards 2020, what is next move for Brodie Van Wagenen?

The additions of Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello were low risk, high reward moves, but that has become the norm under Van Wagenen. Some have panned out, but they are still a couple of pieces away from becoming a top tier contender in the NL East. The moves to add starters have filled a part of their needs, but what else is left?

Who Else is There to Sign?

The most significant piece for the Mets to sign Dellin Betances to solidify their rotation. Should they sign him, the Mets have the potential to possess one of the most dominant bullpens in baseball. Of course, we are playing the hoping game but stick with it here. A bullpen of Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Dellin Betances, Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman is loaded with potential.

We have to assume Diaz and Familia were no where near the pitchers they were last year and are due for a bounce-back in 2020. Plus, this is a bullpen that is without one of the six starting pitchers that will head to the pen.

The other need should still be an everyday center fielder. Jake Marisnick was assumed to be the every day center fielder, but he will be nothing more than a Juan Lagares replacement. His role should be to replace either Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo as a defensive replacement in center field.

Get Marte or Get More Pitching

Starling Marte should be the man they want to play center field everyday. The Mets have the pieces in place to make the trade, but should the Mets hesitate to pull the trigger; they should have another plan in place. If they unload Jed Lowrie’s contract, they should aim to bolster their pitching staff with major league ready arms. It does not matter whether they start or relieve; the options have to be available.

The Mets were relatively lucky with health in their pitching staff in 2019. They cannot depend on the same health and should plan for the worst. If the Mets can limit guys like Walker Lockett and Drew Gagnon from making 27 combined appearances and cut that number in half, it will put the team in a much better position to contend in 2020.