Happy 21st Birthday, Steve Matz

I went to SportsSpyder last night and saw that Petey Pete over at Metsmerized had written a piece on SP Steve Matz.

Matz was the first player the Mets picks in the 2009, right off the Ward Melville High School roster. That easily has been the best day in his professional career because, if you check the bio page on Baseball Cube, he still hasn’t pitched a professional inning. First came TJS, followed by a few pain setbacks, and it was hard to believe every time he told me that he was 100%. I’m sure he thought he was at the time he told me, but you just don’t know until you let it rip with all you have for a game or two.

Steve kept falling back, then he would rally, so frankly, I was a little cautious when I read what Petey had said. I contacted Steve and we talked a few minutes ago on the telephone.

There is no doubt in me now. Steve had just finished his next to last extended outing in which put it all out there. “There’s no pain,” said Matz. “None.”

He doesn’t know if he’ll break camp either with Brooklyn or Kingsport, because the team just doesn’t tell these kids until the last day. His confidence flowed through the phone and, when I told him I would pick him up at the airport when they someday transfer him to Savannah, you could tell he has no plans on seeing this city during his professional career. No, Matz will probably open for Brooklyn, end the year back in Florida with Lucy… no wait… he’s going nowhere! They’re going to put him right into the Lucy rotation…  err… calm down, old man.

Mack to reader…. Matz is back!