System Rotation Pitching Progress Report

The New York Mets have a lot of good starters in the system; however, the seven named below are either what pundits call ‘prospects’ or established pros on the mend.

These are the guys that will make or break the future of this team and we will review what they are doing throughout the year.

(Good WHIP <1.20, Good BABIP <2.75, Good FIP >3.40

Buffalo:

RHP Matt Harvey – (ETA: Sept 2012)-  53.1-IP, 1.36-WHIP, 3.15-BABIP, 3.48-FIP

Most fans love what Harvey is doing so far this season. He’s won a bunch of games and his fastball is hitting the zone consistently at 94. Still, coaches will tell you he has a ways to go and the saber stats back up that claim. Just leave the guy alone, bring him up in September, and then give him the summer off. He’s be more than ready for April 2013.

RHP Jeurys Familia – (ETA: 2013) – 43.1-IP, 1.82-WHIP, .344-BABP, .397-FIP

            Doesn’t Familia always seem to struggle? This year it’s pure wildness with 34-BB (46-K). His game goes well when his fastball has life in the zone and when he gets his release point out front of his slider. He’ll never survive in an MLB rotation without better control and a third pitch. My guess right now is he has the rest of this season to prove he can make it as a rotation pitcher. My guess right now is he will come out of the 2013 pen.

photo by Michael G. Baron

RHP Jenrry Mejia – (ETA: June 2012)- 2011> 28.1-IP, 1.02-WHIP, .192-BABIP, 3.91-FIP

            Mejia is pitching rehab in 2012 so stats are out the window. This is simply all about arm strength and the results are secondary. No one questions Jenrry’s ability; they just want to make sure he still has it. You know what? He does. My guess is 2-3 starts at the AAA level. There will only be a third if one of the first two is shaky. Either way, I got him in Queens by Flag Day.

Binghamton:

            RHP Zack Wheeler – (Sept. 2013) – 45.2-IP, 1.05-WHIP, .255-BABIP, 2.83-FIP

            There’s nothing wrong here. Wheeler is the real deal. Technically, there will be an opening on the Buffalo rotation when Mejia gets called up, but probably Chris Schwinden or Jeremy Hefner will be looking for a home. No, Zack is going to have stay in Binghamton where he has the chance to win a bunch of awards that are worth absolutely nothing at the end of the day (boy, I can get crusty…).

St. Lucie:

            RHP Chris Young – (ETA: July 2012) – 17.0-IP, 1.11-WHIP, .286-BABIP, 3.80-FIP

            Like Mejia, Young is pitching rehab and, when completed, will go on the 25-man. He will become the SP5, and possibly move up to SP4 as the season progresses. A slight dead arm situation plus the birth of his child slowed things down a little, but he should be pitching in Queens sometime between June 15-30^th.

Savannah:

            RHP Michael Fulmer – (Sept. 2014) – 33.2-IP, 1.30, .281, 4.61

            Fulmer is still learning that he no longer is in high school. It’s like pitching every five days against a regional all-star team. This is the level you have to dominate because it’s the easiest. He’s not domination, but he doesn’t suck either. I hope the Mets leave him in Savannah for the entire season.

            RHP Domingo Tapia – (2015) – 42.0-IP, 1.16, .319, .280

            Tapia is even greener than Fulmer. He’s just as inexperienced but, in his case, pitching in a foreign country that speaks a different language. So far so good for someone that just needs to pound the strike zone with what he has while the coaches teach other pitches.

From David Rubin:

It truly is a new (old) day for this organization. Growing up with this team, it was pitching, pitching, pitching...and the occasional big hit from an unexpected source.  Now, once again, the foundation of the minor leagues is pitching, and I, for one, could not be happier. Yes, there are some interesting bats making their way through the system, but the thought of arms like Wheeler's, Harvey's, etc. brings me back to the early 70's, when a Matlack joined a combo of Koosman & Seaver, and the 80's, when a Gooden/Darling/Fernandez combo rocked Flushing! There are so many exciting arms in the system that we can't even write about all of them in a single post without hitting 5,000 words plus! As exciting as this season is turning out to be (and a very pleasant surprise it is), the "treasures" that await the organization are myriad and if we can continue to be patient, another dynasty is potentially in the making...