Zack Wheeler Hit 96 MPH on Saturday for St. Lucie Mets
Update – Aug 8
According to John Harper of the Daily News, two sources say the Milwaukee Brewers were firm in asking for Zack Wheeler as part of and deal for catcher Jonathan Lucroy, after the Mets made it clear they weren’t giving up Michael Conforto.
That’s two years in a row that the Brewers have insisted on getting Wheeler back in a trade deadline deal. He was the key player in the doomed Carlos Gomez trade that fell through due to medical concerns and led to the Mets getting Yoenis Cespedes instead.
As we reported on Saturday, Wheeler tossed one inning in his first rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie and he impressed team brass with a 17 pitch outing that had him ranging between 93-95 mph on his fastball and topping out at 96.
Wheeler is expected to return to the rotation no later than the first week of September, and he could give the rotation a huge late-season boost as the Mets chase a coveted wild-card spot.
Original Report – Aug 6
Zack Wheeler returned to the mound tonight for the first time since he pitched against the Nationals on September 25th, 2014. He underwent surgery on March 25th, 2015 to repair the flexor pronator tendon and reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
He pitched tonight for the St. Lucie Mets in Port St. Lucie going just one one inning because the game went into a rain delay in the bottom of the first inning.
In the first inning he hit 95 MPH with his fastball on four different occasions and topped out at 96. He walked the first batter on seven pitches but averaged 95.4 MPH on his first four pitches.
After a fly out, the runner went all the way from first to third when the catcher Tomas Nido threw to first to get the runner but first baseman Kevin Taylor wasn’t paying attention. The next batter grounded out to score an unearned run.
Wheeler threw 17 pitches with 11 strikes in the first inning. He only threw a few breaking balls but got a called strike on a curve. He got a ground out and two fly outs.
Photos provided by Bill Passonno
