The last we heard of New York Mets' prospect Steven Matz he was optioned to the team's minor league camp on March 21. He'll likely start the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, but his MLB debut isn't too far off.
Matz continued his dominance from last season and maintained a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in four games (two starts), totaling 8 2/3 innings in spring training. The left-hander endured stints with High Class-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton in 2014 and compiled a 10-9 record with a 2.25 ERA, 1.193 WHIP and 131 strikeouts in 24 starts (140 innings).
Following the injury to Zack Wheeler and the constant trade rumors surrounding Dillon Gee, another spot in the Mets' rotation could open up soon and it appears Matz will be competing with fellow prospect starter Noah Syndergaard for the opportunity.
Syndergaard has been regarded as the Mets' top prospect for the past year or so, but he had a rough stint with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2014 and went 9-7 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.481 WHIP in 26 starts (133 innings). He also wasn't all that impressive in three spring training games, during which he logged a 4.91 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 7 1/3 innings. On top of that, veterans David Wright and Bobby Parnell threw his lunch in the garbage and scolded him for eating in the clubhouse while the team was playing a game.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes Matz could best Syndergaard this season in his "36 predictions for a parity-filled 2015 MLB season." Under his "Don't be surprised if ... (Mets edition)" section, Sherman wrote:
"Steven Matz outpitches Noah Syndergaard at Las Vegas and gets a July call, making 10 major league starts and pitches to an encouraging 3.40 ERA."
This wouldn't be much of a surprise considering the praise Matz has gotten from manager Terry Collins, pitching coach Dan Warthen and general manager Sandy Alderson.
"He's going to be very good. He's got all it takes. It's now just a matter of going out there with confidence and command. He's going to be really good," Collins told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.
When asked if Matz could pitch in the majors right now, Collins replied, "I don't see why not."
"I think he is on the right road," added Warthen. "I would not be surprised if sometime this year we see Steven Matz."
"He's been outstanding. He hasn't done anything in this camp to undermine the impression he's made the last couple of years. It's only reinforced the general impression," Alderson told Peter Kerasotis of the New York Times.
All fans must do is wait and see how Matz and Syndergaard perform in the rotation at Triple-A because that will be most telling in terms of who gets the call first. A promotion could come sooner rather than later especially since there was short-lived speculation Matz could join the bullpen when left-handed reliever Josh Edgin was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. Now that closer Jenrry Mejia needs an MRI on his sore right elbow, another spot could open in the bullpen this week and the Mets may need to use their farm system to find a formidable replacement.
Matz knows what it's like to overcome challenges considering he underwent Tommy John surgery when he was 18 years old, shortly after he was drafted by the Mets in the second round. We'll see how deals with the competition in 2015.
