Rafael Montero

Ace in the Hole

/ Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment
Not the Ace the Mets expected, but the one they need

Not the Ace the Mets expected, but the one they need

When the grass was first cut and the infield groomed at Citi Field for the opening of the 2014 season, many die-hard Mets fans expected the orange and blue to have an ace. One problem, their ace Matt Harvey wouldn’t be toeing the rubber for the 2014 season. Who would be the Mets number one pitcher? Most people felt it would be Bartolo Colon, one of the two biggest prizes of the offseason. Others felt that Zach Wheeler would follow in the path of Harvey’s sophomore campaign and rise to the occasion. While those pitchers may not look like aces here in April, there is one who has, and noone saw him coming.

After winning the fifth starter role out of camp, it looked like Jenrry Mejia was just added to the roster to keep a spot in the rotation warm for Noah Syndergaard or Rafael Montero. Through four starts this year Mejia is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA and 25 strikeouts. While it remains to be seen if he can get through an entire season without an injury, if he continues to stay healthy the Mets may have another future ace in their rotation. At the age of 24, Mejia has already shown he can be a starter in the majors posting a 2.30 ERA in 2013. However, he has never completed a full season and needs to find a way to stay on the field. If he can pitch an entire year, the Mets may have another great front line starter to pair with Matt Harvey in 2015.

Watching Mejia early in this season it is clear that he has made some great adjustments that have been crucial to his success. Mejia has focused more on location then trying to overpower hitters with his fastball. His fastball still remains in the low to mid 90s, but he has better command and gets great late life on the pitch. When he first came up, Mejia tried to overthrow this pitch and get it into the upper 90s. With an ability to now throw his breaking pitches consistently for strikes, Mejia has been very effective at keeping batters off balance and guessing what pitch is coming next. Now with better control of his fastball and vast improvement of his breaking pitches, it is clear that not only does Mejia have control on the mound this season but something even better, confidence.

Seeing Mejia steadily improving start after start has to give Mets’ fans hope that this team will be in serious contention in 2015. If Mejia can continue to develop, the Mets arm race for power arms just could give them one of if not the best young rotation in the game of baseball.

Call to Arms! Why Rafael Montero should be Mets fifth starter

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Montero should be in the Mets rotation

Montero should be in the Mets rotation

The New York Mets already have their fifth starter, an his name is not Noah Syndergaard. As much as my fellow Mets fans would like to see Syndergaard at Citi Field in April, he will not be there until at least june. It will be the same song and dance that Harvey and Wheeler went through where the Mets will have him pitch in the minors, get ready, and ultimately come up by midseason. However, the Mets do have a young arm that is ready to make an impact in the rotation by April, Rafael Montero.

Enough with the competition! If Daisuke Matsuzaka or John Lannan are the fifth starter by opening day the Mets are making a huge mistake. They are both done. Instead, the Metropolitans should develop one of their top prospects who has been great this spring. While some may argue the Jenrry Mejia is a better option, and while I really like Mejia, he is coming off a major injury last year and its better if the Mets just take it slow. Mejia needs to build up his arm again and making a few Triple A starts to regain his confidence and stamina would be ideal before heading north with the big club.

As for Montero, he is ready. While he may not have the top of the line stuff compared to Syndergaard, Montero has the potential to be a great middle of the rotation starter. While his fastball sits in the low 90s, it has very good life and he locates it very well. His off speed arsenal is above average and he can mix and locate all of his pitches extremely well. However, the reason I really love Montero as a player is that he just has a good feel for pitching.

He may not be an ace, but Montero reminds me of Pedro Martinez

He may not be an ace, but Montero reminds me of Pedro Martinez

Watching Montero in the Futures game at Citi Field game last year, he reminded me of another pitcher the Mets once had, Pedro Martinez. When he was a Met, Martinez did not have the overpowering fastball he once did, but was effective because of location and mixing his pitching well. With his small frame and ability to mix, Montero reminds me of Pedro Martinez later in his career. He might not blow it by hitters, but he can fool batters by keeping them off-balance by mixing his pitches in all counts.

With his impressive spring so far, the Mets should look at Montero’s 2013 campaign and realize he is ready for the majors. In 2013 between Double A and Triple A Montero had a 12-7 record, 1.10 WHIP, 2.78 ERA, and 150 strikeouts in 27 games. He might not be the top of rotation prospect the Mets have grown accustomed to in the past three seasons, but Montero is a work horse that would solidify the back end of the rotation. If he continues to pitch well in Port St. Lucie, there is no reason why Rafael Montero shouldn’t be in Queens coming opening day.

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