After meeting the man and exchanging a few sentences with him, by jib, I think he’s got it.
I’m no scout or soothsayer, but I got a better feeling out of meeting Zack Wheeler than I did Jon Niese at the holiday party of 2011. Niese didn’t throw off sparks. Niese was the only player to date at one of these things whom someone from the media relations staff didn’t have to rescue from a barrage of questions. Usually you give the blogging contingent a chance to make inquiries, we won’t run out of things to ask. With Niese we did because he wasn’t much of an answerer. Not impolite (and certainly community-minded), but not really what I hoped for from a starting pitcher who was being talked up at the time as “ready to take the next step,” if I may invoke that cliché.
As usual Greg takes my thoughts and puts much better words to them. I had mentioned on Tuesday that I really liked Zack, and have told everyone* (well the people who I talk Mets with) how much I liked the guy. I”m happy to see Greg feels the same way.
A Wheeler jersey may be in my future.
