“They key for us is that we have to pitch. We’re still going to have to pitch. Whether Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran is there, No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are going to have to pitch.” - Mets Manager Jerry Manuel.
If Manuel is right about the key to the Mets success being the starting rotation, then we might as well crown them World Series Champions right away. Let's take a look at the pitchers who, in addition to Johan Santana, will turn the Mets back into contenders in 2010:
Number 2: Mike Pelfrey - If Pelfrey can keep from balking on every other pitch, he will surely live up to his potential as a very good pitcher. So far it appears that his psychologist or hypnotist got the yips out of him, as Pelfrey has yet to stumble on the mound this spring.
Number 3: John Maine - Believe it or not, the fact that Maine has an ERA of 23.14 and has given up 5 hits in 2 innings is actually a good sign. It means that he is allowing batters to put his pitches in play rather than constantly foul them off, thus limiting Maine's usual absurdly high pitch counts. Once Maine gets "into it" and turns those hits into outs, he will be a dominating 7 inning pitcher this season.
Number 4: Oliver Perez - Ollie arrived at camp in great shape, something he clearly has not done since having that one good year as a Pirate. His focus this spring is on finally learning how to throw strikes, which shows just how dedicated he is to improvement even at the age of 29. Finally, he makes $12 million per year. All signs point to Ollie being a great starting pitcher.
Number 5: John Niese - Niese is battling three other guys for this spot, but he should get the nod come April. I cannot recall another top Mets pitching prospect failing, so there is no reason to believe Niese won't live up to the hype.
If these 4 pitchers are the keys to the Mets success this year, the Mets are in great shape.
gotta hate those yips
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