Matthew Silva - Two Cents Tuesday: A New Era B.W. to A.W.

        That would be Before Wheeler and After Wheeler.

Apologies around for giving today such a messianic tone, but the narrative of this season has forced my hand as well as other Mets fans in 2013. Today is finally time to shed the shackles of the promises, the hopes and the dreams. This is reality. He has come. Praise be to our eyes; sore from watching this team go belly up so early into the year. Is it too late to change Zack Wheeler’s number to 33?

Not Jesus-like you say? Well, let us look at the evidence.

He certainly has his cross to bear in more ways than one. Zack Wheeler is automatically a face of this franchise along with Matt Harvey. Together, they represent the cornerstones of the Mets. Their performance will dictate how far this team goes in the years to come. To go along with that, he has to carry the team this year. Removing some of the burden from Harvey’s back, he becomes the instant watch. We will be watching every inning and every pitch with excitement and expectations. He will be under a microscope trained solely on him. For better or worse, this will be what life becomes for the prodigal son.

That prodigal son will be returning to where it all began. Of course he does. Wheeler’s home state of Georgia will be where he begins his career; his life having come full circle from that little kid with aspirations of stardom. He grew up watching the likes of Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and now gets to play on their hallowed ground. He gets to create his own story and do it in front of friends and family alike. It will be interesting how he performs under these circumstances. I personally think the cards are stacked against him. Not only does he have to deal with all of this extra story line, but he faces the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. This is a dangerous lineup and he will be put to quite the test in his first start. Good thing he has some God-given talents.

Blessed with a strong arm that has been consistently clocked around 97 mph and an excellent curveball, Wheeler has the ability to be a great pitcher. We all have known this, but we can’t forget it. This is a pitcher that doesn’t come around very often. Luckily, that pitcher is on our team. So tonight, make sure you say your prayers and thank God that Zack Wheeler is on the mound in blue and orange.