The New York Mets, the franchise that replaced the Brooklyn Dodgers, are playing their 54th season as a member of the National League. And this season, unlike the past several, holds the promise of success.
That’s because the current edition of the team from Flushing is loaded with pitching, good pitching — make that very good pitching. The Mets most successful seasons have always been built around the players that throw balls and strikes.
It all began in the improbable, but magical, season of 1969 when superstar hurlers named Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan (yes, THAT Nolan Ryan) turned the Mets from lovable losers to World Series champions.
In 1986, an incredible young pitcher named Dwight “Doc” Gooden joined forces with an Ivy League graduate named Ron Darling and a hefty lefty named Sid Fernandez to lead their team to one of the most exciting World Series victories in baseball history.
And now, in 2015, the glory of those wonderful years may be ready to occur again. That’s because General Manager Sandy Alderson, now in his fourth year as head of the team’s front office, has drafted and traded wisely.
The new, improved Mets rotation began to take shape in 2013 when a pitcher drafted by the previous General Manager, Omar Minaya, was called up to the big club early in the season. That pitcher was Matt Harvey, and he was a sensation from the very beginning. Gifted with a bulldog personality and outstanding pitching tools, Harvey quickly became the talk of all baseball. He pitched to a very low ERA, struck out masses of batters and walked very few.
Clearly, the Mets had uncovered a staff ace, a very young staff ace. Sadly, Harvey developed arm trouble last year and had Tommy John surgery which cost him the entire season. However, he’s back this year and getting stronger – and better – with every start.
Last year, the Mets brought up two more “slated for stardom” starting pitchers. Zach Wheeler, acquired through trade by Alderson and Jacob deGrom, a pitcher with electric stuff, arrived in Flushing and enjoyed immediate success. In fact, deGrom, who was originally targeted for the bullpen, got a spot start against the rival Yankees and pitched brilliantly. Additional starts produced the same kind of results. Ultimately, this young pitcher won Rookie of the Year honors. For his part, Wheeler improved his performance with each start and projected as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher along with Harvey and deGrom.
And now it is 2015. The Mets have promoted two more young hurlers, Noah Syndergaard, a 22 year old flamethrower acquired by Alderson in another clever trade and Steven Matz, a hard-throwing and remarkably poised lefty.
Met fans are excited because they recognize that these five starters are all potential top-of-the-rotation types that are capable of keeping the opponent off the board and keeping the Mets in every game they pitch.
The future is bright. And while Matz is currently on the Disabled List with a muscle tear in his left side and Wheeler is out for the year, this team can still be a playoff contender this year. They need simply to generate enough runs and let their starters do the rest.
And by the way, the back end of the team’s bullpen is another strong point. Jeurys Familia, a first time closer, has succeeded 25 out of 27 times. Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell, two pitchers with closer experience form a lockdown pair for the seventh and eighth innings.
The abundance of talented, young pitchers can mean that this team is headed for years of continuous success. In fact, can you say dynasty?
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