24
2012
Zack Wheeler: The Mets Savior?
An article by 
Most people under sell what Carlos Beltran accomplished over his career with the New York Mets. When the reality of the situation is you could actually make a case he is the Mets best position player of All-Time. It may not seem like he earned his enormous 7-year 119 million dollar deal, due to long injury stints and the 2006 Game 6 NLCS ending AB some people put too much weight up. But the in reality he earned almost every cent of his contract by the #’s he put up. And as good as he was on the field, his best value to the Mets ended up being what he fetched in trade.
Enter Starting Pitcher – Zack Wheeler, the Mets #1 prospect.
The Mets haven’t possessed a pitching prospect with as much upside as Wheeler has in over a decade. 10 years ago this season the Mets selected Scott Kazmir with their 1st Overall Pick in the 2002 draft. Time sure flies doesn’t it?
Zack Wheeler has an arsenal that will produce high strike-out number’s (and hopefully low BB #’s) as his control is still a work in progress. Most people don’t expect him to be ready until sometime late during the 2013 season. If it was up to me he would begin the 2012 season in St. Lucie (where he ended the 2011 season with 2.00 ERA in 27 IP) and move to Binghamton halfway through the season if he’s tearing it up in Single-A.
Matt Harvey should be cracking the rotation at some point in 2012, which may put the writing on the wall for a guy like Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey is very likely to be in another uniform come 2013 or earlier. It’s possible the Mets could end the 2013 season with a rotation that consists of Harvey-Wheeler-Niese-Santana-Gee. This of course depending on everything panning out and everyone staying healthy (Santana). And as Mets fans we all know it’s never that easy. But maybe this time all our pain and suffering will finally pay off…
About the Author: Benjamin Yoel
Graduate of St. John's University. Majored in Sports Management. Torn on where career will take me next. Considering Baseball Operations, Scouting, and Journalism. Writer for Metsmerized Online & StLucieToFlushing.com. Devout #Mets fan.
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I just hope they keep making trades and stockpile pitchers like they have been. Good pitching is what it is all about.
Hoping they can unload some more dead wood this year for more pitching. What is the difference if we finish in fourth or last place?
1 place?
I really don’t see Harvey up here this year, he’s not even on the 40 man roster yet and doesn’t have to be until December 2013. The best plan for him is first half AA, 2nd half AAA and then see where he is. Familia could be up this year but if he is it would be as a reliever and I’d really love to give him a full year too and see if that change up could become a weapon.
Wheeler I’d go A+/AA if things go well and start him in AA again in 2013.
These guys need to come up here having been beaten up a little and learn the reasons why, then learn to make adjustments. That’s not something many of our prospects have done. Pelfrey and Parnell in particular have been stunted and it does absolutely no good for them or us to have guys come up and not be ready to play Major League baseball.
By June 2014 hopefully we have a staff that includes Santana, Dickey, Niese, Harvey, Familia, Wheeler, Gorski, Mejia, Gee, Edgin and Beato with Goedell, Peavy, Mazzoni, Leathersich, Verrett, Fulmer and Montgomery at various levels from A+ to AAA.
Pitching in AAA can’t be overrated because the International League is filled with guys who’ve had Major league AB’s. Guys who’ve had AB’s against Halliday, Lee, Lincecum, Cain ect and while they probably didn’t have great success against them it different than pitching to guys who have just arrived in AA.
Oh jeez. Anyone know the way to the nearest fallout shelter?
Beltran a good signing? Wow. 3 good years out of 7? You probably thought Pedro, Santana and Bay signings were good ones too!
Pedro and Santana were great signings.
Beltran was more like 3 GREAT years, one less than you would hope for, and two great half years and a poor half year and a year on the DL. That’s really about as good as it gets and while he was here he was great defensively at a key position and a great bat you couldn’t neutralize because of tilted platoon splits. Add in the base running, class, the fact that he never caused any problems and who knows about the injury. Maybe if he was taken out of the lineup it doesn’t get that bad. Maybe if he has surgery in 2009 he’s back in April 2010.
Pedro I thought might give us 2 1/2 years, turns out it was 1 year shy of that but how else were we to get any pitching? Same with Santana. If your not going to develop it you have no shot unless you buy it.
Ace level Pitching and up the middle 5 tool position players in their prime isn’t what sunk this team.
Also, if Dickey finshes this year with no health concerns, a BB/9 below 3 and an ERA/FIP/xFIP all below 4, I’d sign him for two more years in a heartbeat, so he’d be on that list of starting pitchers at the end of 2013.
So would I.
I believe Dickey will spend another few years on this club. He just offers too much to just trade away,and I believe he’ll be here by the time he’s age 42 or 43. By then,he’ll be a spot starter or reliever. But I see him finishing his career here. As for Harvey,he’ll be up in September if he doesn’t struggle in AAA-ball. Familia very well might end up in the Majors before Harvey. Wheeler still needs to develop… All I can pray is that Dan Warthen doesn’t get his hands on these young kids,and I hope the Mets go out and get a REAL pitching coach,not some 3rd rate nobody who’s work is reflected off of awful pitching.
The only thing I would hesitate to do with any prospect is to go beyond raving about the potential one has shown and hope for the future. That’s why I’m glad the title of this piece concluded with a question mark instead of an exclamation mark. Am sure Wheeler has the potential to become a great starter since so many insiders agree so. Just hope the suddenly and high expectations due to the celebrity of the trade do not place too much a pressure on his shoulders to prove himself worthy of such praise.