The second coming

By Joe Schackman

With the deadline acquisition of highly touted Zack Wheeler, the New York Mets now boast their best young pitching trio in more than a decade. 

Generation-K 2.0 is upon us. Yeah, that’s right, I said it.

Forget the ghosts of Pulsipher, Wilson and Isringhausen. It's impossible not to look at Jenrry Mejia, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler and think about what could be for the New York Mets, because when you root for a struggling sports team, what do you have other than hope?

It really is amazing just how much can change in just a few short months. Thanks to a billion dollar lawsuit against the Wilpons because of their business dealings with Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, the Mets were on the brink of financial ruin and had hit rock bottom. They were the laughing stock of baseball. A fraud of a baseball team now represented financial fraud on the grandest scale. It seemed painfully fitting.

But those nightmares have been erased, for now. With the trade deadline fast approaching, The Mets had what was by far the best bat available in centerfielder Carlos Beltran. Beltran had been linked to almost every team in playoff contention, but for most of the summer no team was willing to give up a top prospect. 

The San Francisco Giants, though, knew they needed a strong bat in the middle of the lineup. And with time running out, they took a chance and offered up their best pitching prospect. The Mets didn’t blink and ended up with Zack Wheeler, a centerpiece for their depleted farm system.

Wheeler, as a 21-year-old, is one of the top 40 prospects in baseball. He was drafted straight out of high school at number six overall in 2009. He has a big fastball and a solid curve that can make him a dominant strikeout pitcher.

Then there is Matt Harvey, the Mets’ first round draft pick last year.  Harvey is a year older than Wheeler because he decided to forgo the draft out of high school to attend UNC. However, in just a few short months he has shot up the prospect rankings and is now ranked a few slots ahead of Wheeler at number 30. He’s a flame-throwing righty whose fastball can hit 98 mph. God, can you imagine that pitch ripping through the heavy Queens air?

And of course there is Jennry Mejia, the 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic who only started playing baseball six years ago. Mets fans are familiar with this one, because for the last year-and-a-half, he has been the only prospect worth noting. Mejia has already debuted in the majors, but underwent Tommy John surgery this year and will spend the next year-and-a-half recovering.

It is impossible not to think that this has the makings of one of the best rotations in baseball. It is impossible not to imagine these three guys rolling through the NL East.

It is also impossible not to worry that any of these pitchers could flame out before reaching the big leagues.

In the cruel world of minor league development, these three prospects could mean absolutely nothing. Wheeler could fail to find the strike zone. Harvey could turn out to be nothing but a flashy fastball thrower and Mejia could never fully recover from the surgery.

But while Carlos Beltran never won a championship in Queens, he left the Mets fans with a parting gift. Hope. 


Image via NJ.com