One of the Mets’ bigger storylines this spring training season will undoubtedly be the return of Zack Wheeler. The former top prospect underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015, and has missed each of the last two seasons. If it seems like he hasn’t pitched in forever, that’s because he hasn’t. And boy, have things changed since he last suited up.
If he does return to the mound this year, he will pitch for a much, much different Mets team than he last pitched for in 2014, but just how much has it changedt?
Here was the lineup for the last game he pitched on Sept. 25, 2014, against the Nationals:
1. Eric Young Jr.- LF
2. Daniel Murphy– 3B
3. Eric Campbell– RF
4. Lucas Duda– 1B
5. Wilmer Flores– 2B
6. Curtis Granderson– CF
7. Anthony Recker– C
8. Ruben Tejada– SS
9. Zack Wheeler– P
Daniel Murphy at third base, Eric Campbell in right field and batting third, Anthony Recker behind the dish, even Eric Young Jr. in left field are all things of the distant past. Other long-gone Mets who made appearances in that game include Bobby Abreu, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Satin.
But that’s not all. Here are some other noteworthy tidbits that show just how long it’s been since the Mets got their #WheelzUp (That was the team’s hashtag for Wheeler starts, in case you didn’t remember. Never really caught on like #HarveyDay did):
Yoenis Cespedes was playing for the Red Sox. He had just been traded to Boston in a trade that sent Jon Lester to the A’s. Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz were both in Triple-A, neither of whom had yet to see an inning in the Major Leagues. Michael Conforto was playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones. Jenrry Mejia was the team’s closer– and a pretty good one too, yet to fail a PED test.
Rafael Montero was the Mets’ third-best prospect as ranked by Baseball America, just behind Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud. Jacob DeGrom was No. 10. Matt Harvey was coming off the best year of his career in 2013 after which he both finished 4th in Cy Young voting as well as went under the knife with Tommy John surgery. Lastly, the Mets hadn’t been to the postseason since Carlos Beltran took strike three looking.
So, yeah, it’s been a while since Zack Wheeler last pitched. Hopefully for the Mets’ sake, he can still realize the potential that he showcased in the past. It was only a couple of years ago that he was the Mets’ top prospect, ahead of all of the guys currently in the rotation right now. The potential is still there, so we’ll see if his health can allow it. Otherwise, he’ll be relegated to a 2014 Mets memory with Dice-K and Bobby Abreu, and nobody wants to see that.
Thoughts From Logan Barer:
Looking back at that 2014 team that went 79-83, it is almost impossible to imagine that the very next season the Mets would be in the World Series. Sandy Alderson and friends deserve all the credit in the universe for such a dramatic turnaround, creating such a competitive and exciting team. It will be an interesting spring watching Zack Wheeler attempt his comeback, and with his potential and elapsed time since his surgery, he is someone to watch for Comeback Player of the Year.
