The New York Mets said they're unlikely to promote top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard before the 2014 season comes to a close. On the other hand, the Arizona Diamondbacks hope to call up their top pitching prospect, Archie Bradley, in September.
Although the Mets are catching a lot of criticism for reportedly hinting that they will leave pitcher Noah Syndergaard in the minors for the remainder of the season, perhaps they should be trusted with their decision. After all, they properly developed Matt Harvey (12-10 with a 2.39 ERA), Jacob deGrom (6-5 with a 2.87 ERA), and Zack Wheeler (14-13 with a 3.48 ERA). They've seen Rafael Montero struggle this year (0-3 with a 6.12 ERA) and probably don't want to see the same with Syndergaard until he's comfortable and ready to enter the majors.
Because even Syndergaard says he's not ready.
"This is the first time in my life that I have really struggled," Syndergaard told the New York Daily News. "I don't feel like I'm ready quite yet, but if I were to get the call tomorrow, I would find a way to get the job done, somehow."
Most general managers would love such candor out of their star prospects, but it's just not a reality. Syndergaard knows he's an asset, but he obviously wants to be careful in terms of his own development. The 21-year-old has thrown 108 innings in the minors and could surpass his team-imposed season workload during the Triple-A team's postseason run. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York first reported Syndergaard's promotion is unlikely.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have different plans for their top pitching prospect, Archie Bradley. The 21-year-old is 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA in nine starts in Double-A Mobile. He struggled in Triple-A earlier this year, but a promotion could be near because it's possible manager Kirk Gibson will move to a six-man rotation to both limit the workload on pitcher Chase Anderson while getting Bradley acclimated to big league play. Bradley dealt with a strained elbow earlier this year, but has returned to form in Double-A so far. Prior to his injury, he was regarded as baseball's top pitching prospect and was expected to be called up earlier this year, but instead has been working to return to form.
Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers has been prudent about promoting Bradley because of his injury as well as the team's performance in 2014.
"I would not bring him up in this environment the way we're playing," said Towers, in this Fox Sports article. "I know how it would be perceived if he came up: 'Archie is going to save us.' I don't want to do that to a 21-year-old kid."
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