#1 LHP Steven Matz

Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 200 Age: 5/29/1991 (24)

2015 Level: MLB New York Mets, Triple-A Las Vegas 51s

MLB Statistics: 6 G, 6 GS, 35.2 IP, 4-0 W-L, 2.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, .250 BAA, 34/10 K/BB, 4 HR

MiLB Statistics: 19 G, 18 GS, 105.1 IP, 8-4 W-L, 2.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .208 BAA, 107/34 K/BB, 6 HR

Steven Matz is attracted to the spotlight.

It began in High School. With Ward Melville on Long Island, Matz led the Patriots to their first championship in over three decades. He took the mound and limited the opposition to two hits, while striking out 11 in a complete game shutout. Earlier that season, Matz routinely battled Marcus Stroman of Patchogue-Medford. Stroman is now with the Toronto Blue Jays, and helped them in the playoffs last year.

Fast forward to September of 2014, now with the Double-A Binghamton Mets, when Matz faced the Richmond Flying Squirrels in the clinching game of the Eastern League Championship Series. With General Manager Sandy Alderson in attendance, Matz took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and yielded only two hits and one run over 7.1 innings, while striking out 11 batters. The B-Mets would win the game on a walk-off double.

It was then that Matz had officially cemented himself as one of the top prospects in the Mets’ system. Originally selected in the second round of the 2009 draft, he didn’t actually pitch in a professional game until 2012, after recovering from May 2010 Tommy John surgery.

But when Matz did pitch, he excelled at it. He made the jump from Rookie ball to Low-A Savannah in 2013. Matz responded well by promptly putting up 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 106.1 frames, with a 2.62 earned run average, which is still his highest season mark to date. He also helped the Sand Gnats capture the South Atlantic League title, by striking out 17 in 12.2 postseason innings.

In 2014, Matz received his first major award. After going 10-9 with a 2.25 earned run average with Binghamton and St. Lucie (A+), he was named the Sterling Organizational Pitcher of the Year by the Mets. It was the culmination of a statement season, which included that stellar performance in the Eastern League Championship game.

I don’t need to tell you what Matz did last season once promoted to the major leagues, because the numbers speak for themselves. Armed with a 94 miles per hour fastball and a slow bending curveball, he made rookies look silly and veterans look over-matched. Unfortunately, the one knock on Matz will always be his ability to stay healthy, which has never been his strong suit. After making two excellent starts in the majors, he missed almost two months with a tear in his left lat muscle.

To say Matz’s debut season was anything short of historic would be incorrect. Here are a few notable feats he achieved in his short time in the big leagues:

• Became the third pitcher in the modern era to go 4-0 or better (minimum six starts) in his first season
• Was the first pitcher in Mets history to give up two runs or less in each of his first five MLB starts
• Became the first pitcher in franchise history to have a record of 4-0 after five career games
• Was the first player to go 3-3 with four runs batted in since 1920, when the stat was first tracked

Ah, numbers.

His postseason was stellar, too. In three starts in all three series, he pitched to a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings. Matz also became the first New York born pitcher to start a Mets playoff game.

There’s no question where Matz’s 2016 season will begin, unlike many others on the countdown. Despite a shaky Spring Training performance, he will undoubtedly be anchoring the back end of the rotation, as the Mets’ pitching staff looks to embark on a historic journey.

#2 Amed Rosario, #3 Dominic Smith, #4 Gavin Cecchini, #5 Brandon Nimmo, #6 Wuilmer Becerra, #7 Desmond Lindsay,#8 Luis Carpio #9 Marcos Molina, #10 Robert Gsellman, #11 Logan Verrett, #12 Seth Lugo, #13 Jhoan Urena, #14 Gabriel Ynoa, #15 Ali Sanchez, #16 Luis Guillorme, #17 Chris Flexen, #18 Max Wotell, #19 Milton Ramos, #20 Akeel Morris, 25-21, 30-26 35-31, 40-36, 45-41, 50-46, 60-51, 70-61, 80-71