Spring training has begun and we’re starting to get a better look at what the New York Mets will be like this summer. The Mets are returning in 2017 with largely the same team they fielded last year. The main difference is that they should hopefully have most of the team healthy this time around. The rotation for New York boasts some of the most fearsome pitchers in the game and when they’re all at their best there are few teams that can stand up to the strike force.
Heading into training, it’s the first time in a year the majority starting rotation has been healthy. It’s been noted that Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler have never been in the rotation at the same time, and this could make a huge difference for the Mets. Having everyone available at once is a brand new thing for the team and Harvey has called seeing the lockers of the pitchers all together “a motivation to stay healthy.” We hope that it’s a strong motivation because the health of this rotation is what the Amazins are banking on to get them through the season.
The key thing that’s up in the air is who will be taking the last spot in the rotation. Bartolo Colon was traded to the Atlanta Braves and manager Terry Collins has said that there will be an open competition for the fifth spot. Many have expected that spot to go to Wheeler, but things might not be that simple. Wheeler spent the 2016 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be fully healthy at the beginning of the season. Still, the team doesn’t want to get ahead of itself, and management is taking a cautious approach with its pitchers.
New York shouldn’t speak too soon in regard to the health of its rotation lest they jinx the possibility of actually having them all available on opening day. They’re already seeing some minor potential injuries, which should be enough to give even the most ardent fans pause. The Mets recently pulled bullpen plans for Wheeler following reports of elbow tenderness and although he’s still expected to play soon, it will likely be in a limited capacity. Given the injury woes that have plagued this rotation it’s understandable that the organization wants to handle its players with kid gloves. Of course, this also puts that aforementioned fifth spot even more up in the air.
With the competition for the rotation the Mets find themselves in the middle of what you might call one of those “good problems.” Besides Wheeler the team also has Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo in the running, which is a luxurious and enviable position to be in. Gsellman has been ranked as the number 17 prospect in baseball and was hugely important to helping New York toward the end of last season. Lugo is no slouch himself but is more likely to come out of the bullpen rather than start out of the gate.
The Mets were actually last year’s favorites to win the National League East but ended up finishing eight games behind the Washington Nationals. The club ultimately wound up with an 87-75 record, good enough to earn the National League Wild Card, but found themselves on the wrong end of the San Francisco Giants as they were bounced out of the playoffs early. They’ll be hoping to win their division outright this year and they definitely have the talent to make it happen, particularly if the rotation comes together.
While it’s great to see everyone healthy, the bigger issue is going to be keeping them that way. The Mets easily have one of the most fearsome rotations in baseball and if they can keep them all at 100 percent they could ride their pitching all the way to the World Series. We’ll expect to have a better idea who’s going to round out the rotation in the coming weeks but definitely keep an eye on spring training as the competition for the last spot continues.
