— This is what will determine how far the Mets go. They put all their hopes in these starters, and rightfully so. Syndergaard has quickly gone from rising star to fl at-out star. DeGrom, before ANOTHER season ending injury late in the year, would be an ace on most teams. He’s number two if Noah continues his progression. Wow! Then there’s Steven Matz, who when healthy, has the potential of the fi rst two mentioned. Of course, health again will be an issue. He seems to be the most fragile of the bunch, but he’s young and if he gains some strength, the hope is he stays on the fi eld. He too had to be shut down during the all-important September stretch. Speaking of season-ending injuries, there is the conundrum that is Matt Harvey. After a very impressive return from Tommy John surgery in 2015, he looked like a shell of himself, giving up homer after homer and dropping velocity. He swore he was healthy. So did the team. He wasn’t. He was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and missed the rest of the year. It’s a serious surgery and no one knows what to expect from the Dark Knight. His velocity was down in his fi rst spring outing. It could be rust. Of all the question marks, the one fans proclaimed the next Tom Seaver is the team’s biggest question mark. Zack Wheeler, after missing two years of baseball, will fi nally pitch! His comeback will happen. How successful it will be is another story. If he regains his form from long ago and evolves, you’re looking at a really great situation where you may be able to survive if another pitcher goes down. Big if. Another possibility is that he could turn into a solid reliever. No one knows to expect from Wheeler, much like Wright and Harvey. It’ll be an interesting spring for him. Then there are two starters that came out of nowhere and helped bring the Mets to the playo s. Now they are insurance if the big fi ve go down, or could be solid relievers. Robert Gselleman and Seth Lugo put up impressive numbers not only for what scouts considered to be low level prospects, but for anyone. Gselleman will probably take the fi fth starter role and if he continues to progress, that’s a great choice. The problem is we saw these pitchers in a small sample and we don’t know if they’ll progress or regress. Gselleman seems like the real deal, though. – This is every team’s question mark. The Mets seem equipped to have a solid bullpen. It’s similar to last year’s which had its ups and down. And they have extra starters that can take on roles if needed. They have solid lefties in Jeremy Blevins and Josh Smoaker, who I believe should make the team. Addison Reed, another great Alderson trade, has been great for the team as a set-up man. You hope he replicates it. He might be needed as a closer for a portion of the season because Jeurys Familia will likely get suspended under MLB’s domestic abuse program. Familia had a good year, but was shakier than in 2015. The game-winning homer he gave up in the ninth during the Wild Card game is a reminder that he could falter during key moments. He’s still a closer the team is lucky to have. If Hansel Robles can learn control and not give up the homer, he can also contribute. The other pieces will be interchangeable. This is a good team on paper and on the fi eld. The problem isn’t talent. The Mets have their star hitter, a bunch of players that can hit home runs, a rotation that is top to bottom better than anyone’s, a good enough rotation, and decent depth. Fans dislike Terry Collins but you can’t deny that players respect him and play hard for him. Last year was his best achievement as he dealt with tons of injuries and brought the team to 87 wins and the playo s. If at least a majority of these players stay healthy, the energized fan base will see playo baseball, whether it’s wild card or matching the defending NL East Champion Washington Nationals and getting the pennant back. Nonetheless, the organization has decided to put its entire faith in an injury-ridden rotation. One can’t blame it for that. They are incredible talents. However, in an era in the game where pitchers are dropping like fl ies, it may be too much of a gamble in philosophy. Also this o ense lives and dies by the home run. They need to do a better job moving runners over and playing small ball by manufacturing runs without hitting the ball over 400 feet. The last two years, despite their success, they have struggled mightily o ensively. The reality is that over-relying on one hitter, the questions marks around David Wright, some aging hitters and injuries on everyone that pitches a baseball could drown the Mets. My prediction -- there will be injuries but not enough to stop the Mets from being in playo contention. They will either clinch a wild card birth or division. • STARTING ROTATION • BULLPEN Photos courtesy of the New York Mets and MLB.com QNS.COM SPRING 2017 27
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