Photo by Ed Delany/MMO
Steven Matz recently spoke to Mike Puma of The New York Post about the uncertainty surrounding his role in the Mets pitching staff entering the 2020 campaign.
This offseason, the Mets picked up a pair of right-handed starting pitchers in Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello. Porcello hasn’t capitalized on his 2015 Cy Young award-winning season, but has settled into durable hurler capable of eating up innings in the recent years. Wacha, on the other hand, has suffered a plethora of injuries over the last couple of seasons, but has one of the Majors’ highest-rated change-ups, per Fangraphs.
At the outset of Spring Training, it’s expected Matz will compete with Porcello and Wacha for the fourth and fifth spots in the Mets’ rotation.
The southpaw is aware of the competition, telling Puma, “What I know is we have six starters for five spots. And so if you look at it logistically, yes, in a sense I am competing. My mentality going in is not to compete against anyone, it’s just what it will take for my personal best — what I learned from my last few years, what I learned from last year, what I learned from my second half last year and why I started having more success.”
Matz has encountered both highs-and-lows since debuting in the Majors back in 2015. 2019 represented a low for the native Long-Islander. Matz posted a 4.21 ERA, a 4.60 FIP and missed time with radial nerve discomfort. He particularly struggled in the first inning, posting a 6.52 ERA. Matz also made two scoreless relief appearances.
Porcello will start the Mets first spring-training game on Saturday, against the Cardinals. Matz will get his first Grapefruit League outing the following day, which will also be against St.Louis.
Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are expected to anchor the Mets starting staff in 2020 and it’s likely 2019 midseason acquiree Marcus Stroman will fill in as the third starter. But whoever fills in the next two spots is anyone’s guess at this point.
