On a roster full of high-end starting pitchers, Steven Matz could be a make or break player for the New York Mets 2017 season. In his two (albeit injury-shortened) seasons Matz has shown the talent that warranted him being a second-round pick and he now has the experience to be a major factor for this team.
Matz was born and raised into a family of die-hard Mets fans and it was a great story when New York drafted him in the second round in 2009. Tommy John surgery delayed Matz’s call-up to the Show until 2015 but Matz quickly showed he was worth the wait. Although he suffered a back injury that forced him to miss some time, Matz won four games in six starts and gave up only nine earned runs in over 35 innings, very impressive for a rookie pitcher. His performance earned him a spot in the Mets playoff rotation where he failed to win any of his three starts but more than held his own, pitching to a 3.68 earned run average during their postseason run.
Matz’s rookie year set the stage for him to have a big season in 2016 as a key member of the Mets rotation. After getting off to a blistering start in April and May, Matz cooled down a bit in June and July winning only once in ten starts. After three starts in August, nagging elbow and shoulder pain forced Matz to have season ending surgery, ending his 2016 campaign with a 9-8 record and a solid 3.40 ERA.
Matz’s injury history is long and rather extensive. He has had back, shoulder and elbow problems that have all caused him to miss significant time in his career. In 2017 Matz has to prove he can stay healthy for an entire season and that these injuries are not something that will hold him back in the future.
Looking towards 2017, all reports are that Matz should be ready to go at 100% for spring training. With Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and possibly Robert Gsellman and Bartolo Colon all set for 2017, Matz could be the final piece in possibly the best pitching staff in Major League Baseball.
Ron Remi is the New York Mets writer for Outside pitch Sports Network. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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