While the Mets sat through an incredibly long rain delay before getting their hearts broken (thanks to the bat of Freddie Freeman), today is a day all New York fans are pumped up about. Not only are there two Mets games to follow and watch, both Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler will be taking the bump for the Amazins.
For Wheeler, it is his much anticipated MLB debut, which is only about 45 minutes away from his childhood home of Dallas, Georgia. Over at SB Nation’s Minor League Ball, John Sickels focused on the young right-hander as his prospect of the day.
Sickels gave his readers a rundown of his professional career, starting in the San Francisco Giants farm system, getting traded for Carlos Beltran, all the way up to this season with the Las Vegas 51s. For us, none of that news is anything we haven’t heard before.
Wheeler has four pitches in his arsenal that he could throw at any time, which not many major league pitchers can say. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, he has a great curve ball, solid slider, and a change up that is already considered “major league average.” We got a very small taste of what he could do in big league spring training before he was sidelined with a small injury, and I’m bursting with excitement to see how he performs tonight.
Despite a rough start to his season with Las Vegas, his last eight before getting the call to the majors have been the complete opposite. In 45.1 innings pitched, he’s compiled a 2.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts against only 12 walks. Needless to say, he’s ready for the next level and to start getting some big league experience.
Watching Matt Harvey get his career off to such a wonderful start is a hard act to follow, but judging from his demeanor and how he handled himself in yesterday’s 14-minute press conference, I think he’s up to the challenge. He’s calm and confident in his ability, which is also what Lynn Worthy told us last week in our B-Mets Buzz series.
Wheeler has been under the spotlight since he was drafted, and even more so since being traded to the Mets. He knows he just has to go out to the mound, pitch his game, and the rest will take care of itself. Will there be some bumps along the way? Probably, but it’s how he reacts to those bumps that are important. If his rough start in Las Vegas is any indication, Wheeler doesn’t panic when he struggles, and is able to make subtle adjustments to turn his performance around.
Enjoy today, everybody! Despite the Mets being 25-40, today marks the arrival of the future of the mound, and we can hopefully start seeing steps the rest of the season toward being a competitive team again.