New York Mets Land On Buster Olney Best Starting Pitching Rankings

The New York Mets starting rotation landed up high on Buster Olney’s starting pitching rankings for major league baseball.

There is no denying the talent that the New York Mets have in their starting rotation. On paper, they have easily the best group of arms in baseball. They are loaded with former top prospects and players that have built an impressive resume thus far.

The one knock against them is that they have yet to be in the rotation together in their careers. The Mets starting rotation is long on talent but short on health. Noah Syndergaard is the only one of the bunch that has yet to be on the disabled list in his career.

Zack Wheeler has not appeared in a major league game since 2014 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom both had their season cut short in 2016, finishing it on the DL instead of on the field. Steven Matz has never pitched more than 140 innings as he has constantly dealt with injuries throughout his professional career.

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Despite those setbacks, the Mets have still kept chugging along in the starting rotation. In previous seasons Logan Verrett stepped up; this past season it was the unheralded Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman. Both filled in admirably once the Mets power arms were forced to the DL.

That kind of depth and talent is almost unheard of for a major league team; the Mets have seven players that deserve rotation spots on a major league team. It is good that they have that depth, as health is still a major concern, so having players to plug in is nice.

That is why Buster Olney likes the Mets rotation. With input from talent evaluators, Olney ranked the best starting rotations in baseball. The Mets came in at No.3 on that list. Here is what Olney had to say about their collection of riches on the mound.

"All of the medical reviews for the Mets’ recovering pitchers — Steven Matz, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler — have been good this winter. Harvey, who is recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, is throwing and is expected to be ready at the beginning of the season or close to it. The 2017 Mets should benefit from the rash of rotation injuries last season because of the unexpected and successful turns that Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman took in the rotation and the emergence of Noah Syndergaard as one of baseball’s best pitchers.The difference between good and great for the Mets’ rotation: Harvey, who had a 2.53 ERA in his first 65 starts in the big leagues before posting a 4.86 ERA in a 2016 season shortened by injury."

There is no denying the talent that the Mets have at their disposal. But, the question remains; will they ever be on the field at the same time? There is a chance the Mets five young guns never get in the rotation together.

There have been rumors that Wheeler could head to the bullpen to help keep him healthy. Even if that happens, the Mets have more than enough talent to fill out their rotation. As Olney notes, Syndergaard has emerged as one of the best starting pitchers in the league, as he was ranked No.6 on Olney’s starting pitchers list.

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Health will be the big concern for the Mets. If this group can stay healthy, they can be special in 2017. The Mets have the depth to overcome some injuries, but having their full allotment of starting pitchers is the key for the Mets reaching their true potential.

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