Starting pitching is easily the biggest strength in the Mets' system this year, so picking the ten best starters was a challenge. But this list includes 10 pitchers that simply dominated the competition.
*ONLY INCLUDES PITCHERS WHO WILL BE RETURNING IN 2013*
10. Michael Fulmer
Michael Fulmer’s April assignment
to full-season Savannah in his first full professional campaign raised some
eyebrows, and Fulmer proved his worth immediately.
Just one year removed from
high school, Michael went 7-6 with an ERA of 2.74, posting a K/BB ratio of
close to three and striking out batter a batter per inning.
Fulmer hit his stride in the
dog days of summer, giving up just nine earned runs in eight starts in June and
July. That’s good for a 1.71 ERA over those two months.
The first-round pick out of
Oklahoma is likely to begin 2013 in St. Lucie as he continues his ascent
through the system as a top prospect.
Michael Fulmer
9. Steven Matz
Three years after being
drafted in the first round in 2009 and one Tommy John surgery later, Steven
Matz made his professional debut at age 21 this June.
Matz indeed looked like
a 21-year-old first round pick, dominating the teenagers that populate
Appalachian League.
The lefty from Long Island led
every starting pitcher in the entire Mets organization in H/9 and K/9 if you
make him eligible having only pitched 29 innings.
In six starts, Matz gave up
just 16 hits. Yes, that would be less than three hits per start. Opponents
batted just .158 against him.
The sample size is small, but
the results are extremely promising. After two years of rehab, the Ward
Melville H.S. grad has his velocity back up into the mid-90s.
Steven Matz
8. Jacob DeGrom
While we’re on the topic of
Tommy John rehab, I introduce Jacob DeGrom. DeGrom missed a year and a half
while recovering from his elbow surgery, only to return to the Minors with a
bang.
The lanky righty from Stetson
took a perfect game into the fifth inning in his 2012 season debut, allowing
only one hit over six and two-thirds.
Jacob proceeded to dominate
the South Atlantic League, going 6-3 with a 2.51 ERA over 15 starts before
being promoted to High-A St. Lucie.
DeGrom had his way at the
next level, too. He allowed just five runs in four starts, pitching in his home
state of Florida.
DeGrom’s arm has been called
the most talented outside of Queens. His 6-foot-4 inch frame and mid-90s
fastball should serve him well as he continues to improve his slider and
changeup.
As debilitating as Tommy John
surgery is supposed to be, both Matz and DeGrom have not just recovered nicely,
they’ve come back as better pitchers with even more velocity.
7. Rafael Montero
Talk about late bloomers,
Rafael Montero signed with the Mets as an international free agent in in 2011
at 21-years-old and is already approaching Double-A in just his second
professional season.
The man dominated A-ball with
his devastating changeup and pinpoint control, allowing just 19 walks in 122
innings between Savannah and St. Lucie. That’s an unheralded 1.40 BB/9 rate.
He didn’t give up many hits
either, with a H/9 rate of 7.08. All that equates to is the best ERA and WHIP
of any full-season Mets starter.
With his breakout season in
2012, Montero has surfaced in the top-10 of almost every Mets prospect list,
and could continue to progress quickly because of his advanced arsenal.
Rafael Montero
6. Matt Harvey
We all saw what Matt Harvey
did at the Major League level, making some very capable sluggers look foolish
on his way to an ERA of 2.73 in his rookie season.
Matt’s AAA numbers weren’t as
good, but when you consider that he led the entire system in strikeouts and
posted a K/9 rate of close to 10, Harvey was extremely effective.
Matt Harvey
5. Gabriel Ynoa
The 19-year-old Dominican
dazzled the New York-Penn League in 2012. He pumps the zone with a low-90s
fastball and lives on the corners.
He’s a true strike-thrower
who was still able to maintain a WHIP below one and only give up 61 hits in 76
and two-thirds innings. So you know his stuff is good.
The key for Gabriel is his
advanced changeup, which he disguises well to keep hitters off-balanced. His
frame should allow for him to grow as a pitcher and athlete.
When you consider that he’s
just 19-years old, weighs only 158 pounds and already shows great command at
the professional level, Ynoa could become a front-line prospect within the next
couple years.
4. Zack Wheeler
When it comes to
effectiveness and the raw ability to make hitters miss, it’s hard to top
super-prospect Zack Wheeler.
His ERA numbers won’t jump
out at you like the other guys on this list, but Wheeler’s 3.27 mark in his
first battle with AAA is strong.
Wheeler’s stuff left AA
hitters overmatched early in the year before being promoted to AAA-Buffalo in
early August, right after Matt Harvey reached the Bigs.
His numbers held consistent
in Triple-A, striking out 31 batters in 33 innings and finishing the season
strong with a 2-hit outing against Lehigh Valley, the Phillies’ affiliate.
If Wheeler can get his walk
rate down (3.56 BB/9) and overflow the strike zone, his stuff is good enough to
induce weak contact and get him even deeper into games.
Zack Wheeler
3. Luis Mateo
Like Ynoa, Luis Mateo was
equally as dominant in all statistical categories. The one column Mateo proved
superior was in strikeouts. He utilized his mid-90s fastball and devastating
slider to post a 10.44 K/9 ratio, the best of any Mets pitcher to throw at
least 30 innings.
Baseball America projects
Mateo as a potential Major League closer down the road. His high velocity and
two-pitch prominence may just fit that mold.
I’m interested to see how
long the Mets keep Mateo as a starter, considering they have the pleasant
problem of having too many starting pitchers worthy of a rotation spot coming
into 2013.
2. Hansel Robles
Robles found success at every
level in his four-year Minor League career, but no season was more fruitful than
2012.
He headed up a staff of
Latinos that opened up a can of you-know-what on the NYPL. Two others also made
the top five of this list.
Robles’ numbers are a thing
of beauty: 72.2 IP, 47 hits allowed, a 6-1 record, an ERA of 1.11, an opponent
average of .184.
He led the league in ERA and
opponent’s average and has turned his smaller frame into an advantage, firing
off of a strong base with sound mechanics. He has a full arsenal of weapons and
could progress quickly as a reliever.
1. Jon Niese
Niese made major strides in
2012, asserting himself as a front-end of the rotation pitcher. He had career
highs in WHIP (1.17), ERA (3.40), innings (190), strikeouts (155) and wins
(13).
The low WHIP and development
of his cutter allowed Niese to get deep into games. He gave up just 8.2 hits
per nine innings and has induced weaker and weaker contact each season.
My favorite stat about Niese
is that he pitched at least six innings in his final 20 starts of 2012. He
would have easily broke 200 innings had the Mets stuck with a 5-man rotation.
If Niese can carry over his
success into 2013, he could be among the league leaders in innings pitched, proving to be a true work horse.
The Best Pitcher in the System Returning in 2013
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