Following the news that Matt Harvey will be missing from the New York Mets roster after being told he needs to undergo Tommy John surgery, young right-hander Zack Wheeler has been tipped by punters with the likes of Unibet to be the man to step up. Harvey was diagnosed with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and has now been told he will spent much of the next year on the sidelines, ruling him out for the rest of the 2014 season.
While Harvey has admitted he is looking at playing some part of this season, the pitcher is well aware that he faces a long road back to the mound after being forced to undergo an operation that will keep him out for most of the rest of the year.
“When you see stories of guys coming back in 10 months, I’m going to think, ‘Hey, I can come back in nine. Unfortunately, I don’t make those decisions. I can’t throw the uniform on and go back on the mound without the permission of higher-ups,” said Harvey.
“That’s my personality — I always want to be out there. Like I’ve said all along, I’m not a doctor, so I don’t have those answers. But of course I want to get back on the mound.”
The Mets pinned much of their hopes this season on the shoulders of Harvey, and Wheeler will have his work cut out for him if he is going to be able to fill the void left by the 2013 All Star.
The 23-year-old Wheeler has since become the man in the spotlight. While what Harvey did last season was historic in many ways, many fans I speak with seem to think that Wheeler will follow suit. Noah Syndergaard is already being expected to suddenly show up and do so as well.
However, the truth is that most franchises see a Harvey-like debut and second year followup, once per quarter century, and to expect the Mets to have three such performances all in a row and in the span of 24 months is way beyond unrealistic.
It would do both of these exciting young pitchers a world of good to just cease the lofty expectations and allow Wheeler and Syndergaard to progress on their own terms and within their own limits and without any unnecessary pressure. That’s the best thing we could do as fans.
