Several of the Mets prospects this season have made tremendous progress. Players like Dilson Herrera and Kevin Plawecki have made a lot of strides in 2014, but it could be argued that the most improved player this year has been left handed pitcher Steven Matz. Matz has experienced success in the minor leagues before, but this season has clearly been his most impressive.
In 24 starts this year, Matz was dominating. He started the season off with an excellent 2.21 ERA in 69 innings for the St. Lucie Mets, and was then called up to AA-Binghamton mid-season where he continued to thrive. Matz’s ERA stood at 2.27 over 71 innings for Binghamton, and he also owned a strong 1.12 WHIP and 8.7 K/9. The most encouraging aspect of his season has been his seamless transition to AA. Hitters at the AA level are far more challenging than in Single-A, so the fact he continued to pitch there at a high level is a fantastic sign.
Matz’s success this year is mainly the result of his improved secondary pitches. In previous seasons, Matz relied heavily on his fastball. Now he is effectively mixing in his changeup and curveball in order to put hitters away. Matz was taught how to throw his curve from pitching Coach Frank Viola when he was with the Savanah Sand Gnats, and it has now developed into a solid breaking pitch.
While Matz would often struggle with his command in the past, this does not seem to be an issue for him any longer. Matz exhibited outstanding control in the second half of the season for Binghamton as he walked just 17 batters in 71 innings pitched. It is also worth noting that Matz’s walk rate has dropped every single season during his career. He walked 5.3 batters per nine innings in 2012, 3.2 in 2013 and 2.2 in 2014.
One concern that still remains for Matz is his injury history. He missed all of 2010 with Tommy John surgery, and he missed the entire 2011 season due to set backs. Some analysts are also worried that his mechanics could lead to another injury, but the good news is that Matz has been healthy and injury free for the past two years.
Whenever a left handed pitcher has an explosive fastball that sits in the low to mid 90’s like Matz does, it’s hard not to get excited. What makes Matz even more intriguing is how he has grown and matured as a pitcher. Matz always had the ability to become extremely successful on the mound, but it has just been a matter of him staying healthy and refining his control and off speed pitches. If Matz can continue to build on his positive performance this season, it is likely that he will be a key piece in the Mets rotation for years to come.
