Welcome to the NY Mets 2012 season everyone! This staff proven that they can pitch with the best of them as Santana has become the number one he used to be, pitching the first no-hitter in club history and Dickey has clearly made a name for himself as one of the top hurlers in the game with a wickedly unhittable knuckler that has left opposing batters clueless. So as Dillon Gee goes down with having surgery to remove a blood clot from his shoulder, all fans are calling for the Next, triple A phenom Matt Harvey. Why the big rush to call up a pitcher that can only benefit by a few more AAA starts to fine tune his game? This is the mystery that leaves one shaking their head.
Harvey needs to relax, calm down and hone his skills while waiting for his chance in the big leagues. Batista can be a viable starter for three or four turns, as long as the Mets bullpen gets a lot of rest in between. Although Harvey could probably be a contributor now, Sandy Alderson should bide his time while waiting for the doctors to complete their assessment of Gee and give a definitive timeline for his return. As seen on http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=sa390378&position=P, Harvey's stats are as follows:
| eason | Team | W | L | SV | G | GS | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | BABIP | LOB% | GB% | HR/FB | ERA | FIP | xFIP | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mets (A+) | 8 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 76.0 | 10.89 | 2.84 | 0.59 | .335 | 80.2 % | 2.37 | 2.66 | ||||
| 2011 | Mets (AA) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 59.2 | 9.65 | 3.47 | 0.60 | .327 | 66.3 % | 4.53 | 3.23 | ||||
| 2012 | Mets (AAA) | 7 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 98.1 | 9.34 | 3.84 | 0.64 | .301 | 77.1 % | 3.39 | 3.45 |
Clearly, the stats are there, but will Alderson and Collins be taking a tremendous risk in calling up a future star now by possibly damaging his psyche if he has a couple bad outings? I believe they would and it would be wiser for the fan base to look at it just this way. The time needs to be right for pitchers such as Harvey, Jeurys Familia, and later down the road, Zach Wheeler.
Fans would love to see their Next right now, but do not realize the damage that could be done by not showing patience. And there remains one thing that Mets fans should know just as well as the next fan, and that is patience. Fans have been waiting for quite some time to see and experience an exciting team in Flushing. These young kids that most scouts around the majors believed was one of the worst farm systems around has clearly proven that they belong in the majors. Maybe Omar Minaya knew what he was doing all along. It is time now for the fans to enjoy the second half as they did the first: ride the wave and leave the decisions to management. Allow Johann, R.A., Niese and Young to do what they have been doing to keep their team in the games, and hope that Alderson makes a move or two at the deadline to improve the bullpen and acquire a right-handed power bat(not named Bay).
This is what will allow the fans to enjoy what has been so far a magical season to date. There will be time enough for the Harvey's and the Wheeler's of the system to break onto this major league club and win the hearts of fans as well as some ballgames. To rush Harvey now would only be giving into the notion that the time is now for a club that is only hovering around the final wild card spot and remains 4.5 games back in their division at the break. The time is not now. This is not a World Series winning team, although nobody can deny that in the weak NL, you can completely exclude them from possibly making the World Series. Relax everyone, you will see Harvey soon enough. Just remember that you must have faith and trust in the way that Alderson is going to run this team. Do not let the magic swell your heads to make rash decisions. As fans the only motto you will ever be able to live by is simply, "You Gotta Believe." And for 2012, that is exactly what you should be doing.
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