Mac's Morning Report Tuesday, August 22, 2017

No surprise to readers of Mack's Mets, Steven Matz' elbow injury may be as serious as described but may even warrant more than rest:  surgery. 

As main stream media's click bait suggested Matz' career was in the balance due to poor pitching, Mack's Mets reported his injury, instead.  

Steven Matz  will undergo surgery to reposition the ulnar nerve in his pitching arm, the same surgery Jacob deGrom had last year. 

Mack's Mets had reported not only his reluctance to throw his slider causing him to groove his other pitches, but did so due to injury.  What was not known was whether or not he could use conditioning this off season to avoid surgery. 

The final decision for the surgery has been made.  

It is hoped that Matz will be ready to go with only a slight delay to his 2018 bounce back season. 

Matz, a respected and mature young man, did not suddenly forget his craft, as the NY Post suggested, no longer knowing how to pitch.  His golden left arm has always been in doubt; but his head has always been steady.  

It is also reported here that Matz injury was not the result of off season workouts, as were the injuries to both Yoenis Cespdes and Noah Syndergaard.  The latter two both went into ego driven hypertrophy (body building) mass work outs at the expense of athleticism.  Matz. ever the good employee, remained in contact with the Mets all winter, unlike the renegade Cespedes. 

Interestingly enough, Sandy Alderson did not comment on Matz' surgery.  

With Cespedes, his weigh gain (predominantly muscle in his legs) betrayed him, which also impacted management, so much so that in  frustration, Sandy Alderson sent him for the MRI which showed no injury "not even swelling", according to the frustrated Alderson.  Cespedes was refusing to return to the field, specifically, refusing the Mets' orders of x amount of minor league at bats and innings.  Cespedes said, "I know my own body." 

With Syndergaard desirous of the "Thor" image (including a TV filming), he sought muscle build up specific to body building rather than baseball, hoping to throw "even harder" rather than smarter, something pitchers desire.  When the Mets sent him for the MRI, he declined saying, "I know my own body." 

Commenting on this, Collins took the weakened "blame everyone so no one specific has hurt feelings" approach common in grade school saying that "next year" the emphasis will not be in flame throwing but pitching. 

Indeed. 

No, wait, "next year"??

The 2018 Mets are in desperate need for new leadership.  

Although Cespedes first said he would not change his off season work out, (nor be guided by the Mets) after going 100 at bats without a home run, changed his tune. 

Matt Harvey continues to sing Sinatra's tune of "no regrets, I wouldn't change a thing" fantasy, so the best prediction for Harvey is unpredictability.  Should he pitch better, expect anarchist ego; should he not pitch better, expect juvenile social media sulking.  He will always demand his "private" life before the cameras, whenever his employer frowns over his party life.  

Either way, Harvey is no longer the immature 23 year old kid who dreams, not of World Series rings but of super models and juvenile Hamptons alcohol black outs, and should be considered trait bait if healthy.  

There is a snowball chance in hell he'd re up with the Mets after 2018.  

Harvey's ultimate fantasy should land him in Colorado giving up gopher balls, turning 42, with embarrassing skinny jeans and endless plastic surgery so he can have "one more drink" and deluding himself into thinking the 21 year old girls want him because he's the "Darkest Knight"  or "Daytime Knight was it?"; though the ladies are all too young to remember.