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Matt Harvey’s line of duty in 2012 has come to an end following a strong outing a couple of nights ago against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

It’s hard to complain about Harvey’s performance in his rookie season. In fact, he was one of the Mets’ few bright spots in the second half. 

In the majors, Harvey is 3-5 in 10 starts with a 2.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. 

Harvey’s stats alone tell you a story about the pitcher.

Despite a small amount of starts, only three wins for Harvey is an absolute sin with that ERA. Harvey may as well have eight wins with all the good starts he’s had. He had only pitched two bad games. The mediocre Mets offense, though, deprived him of the extra wins.

The most obvious thing we’ve learned about Harvey this season is that he’s a strikeout machine; seventy in 59.1 innings is great. He has an explosive fastball that he can mix speeds with from the low to high 90s. His curveball, changeup and especially wicked slider make up a fearsome repertoire. 

His first start in Arizona sort of set the table for the story of his season. Harvey pitched 5.1 innings, didn’t allow a run and struck out 11. He won’t go deep into ballgames just yet, but he’s a strikeout king who doesn’t have trouble turning the lineup over. The only difference is that Harvey actually picked up a win in that game, the first in his promising career.

Now that I’ve made three big paragraphs of raving, it’s time for critique. He can still use some work on his command. Once he finds complete and consistent control, Harvey will be a deadly pitcher. It will also help with the next thing he needs to improve on. 

Harvey finding his control will help him go deeper into ballgames, as I touched upon before. Especially if it means fewer innings for the struggling bullpen. Harvey will give himself a much better shot at wins if he can go deeper into games. He hit seven innings twice in his 10 starts.

But overall, I could not be more pleased with Harvey’s first season in the majors. We should all look forward to his first full season next year.

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This Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, Matt Harvey will look to end his rookie season on a good note. 

The flame-throwing righty is 3-5 in nine games started with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and 63 strikeouts. 

Harvey won’t be able to finish his season with a .500 record, as the New York Mets look to rebound after a 3-1 loss last night to the Phillies.

Harvey will be shut down after the game tonight. He’s coming in with 162.1 innings pitched this season, combined between the minors and majors. 

He’ll most likely end up a couple of innings under 170, the limit the Mets had set for shutting Harvey down. 

Harvey looks to cap off his brilliant rookie season on a high. Most of his starts have been quality, and he has been a strikeout machine. 

He’s definitely been one of the Mets few bright spots in a horrid second half and deserves more than three wins. 

Harvey will go against Tyler Cloyd tonight, who is 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA. If Harvey wants his fourth win, he’ll have to be extremely dominant. The Mets can’t seem to string up more than a few runs on any pitcher. 

The Mets have scored more than three runs only twice in six of their last eight games.

Harvey will need to rack up a lot of Ks in order to earn his club the win. 

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Let’s start off with why I think R.A. Dickey should win the Cy Young. A lot of the reasons here will play a part in why he should be able to beat out the opposition.

His numbers this season are fantastic, and definitely worthy of claiming the award.

He leads the National league with 18 wins and has only four losses. An amazing feat considering the team he plays for. The New York Mets have had a dismal second half and find their record at 65-73. Dickey has a chance of earning 20 wins this season. Say the Mets have 72 wins by the point he reaches that plateau. Dickey would have won more than 25 percent of his team’s games.

He is second in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, innings pitched and third in opponents’ batting average. The stats, respectively, are 2.64, 1.03, 195, 198 and .221. All very outstanding numbers. The fact that Dickey is no lower than third in all the major pitching stats is outstanding.

There are some other very good pitchers in the National League, but here is why Dickey should be able to trump them and win the Cy Young.

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Starting pitching has always been a strong suit of the New York Mets. After injuries to players like Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and Dillon Gee this season, the Mets will look to have an even bigger pool of starting pitchers to sift through next season.

Players that will be in the mix for starting jobs in 2013 will include Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Collin McHugh, Chris Young, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner and maybe Mike Pelfrey.

Out of these arms, five will be in the rotation for the Mets next season.

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The exciting first round of baseball came to an end last night when the St. Louis Cardinals came back from trailing two games to one to improbably upset the World Series favorite Philadelphia Phillies.

The Milwaukee Brewers nearly met a similar fate to the Phillies. However, they held on to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings, winning their series 3-2.

The ALDS was similar. The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium to win their roller coaster series in five games.

Meanwhile, the only ALDS series that didn’t go all five games was the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers’. The Rangers quickly advanced past Tampa Bay and  into the ALCS with a 3-1 series win that included two straight wins on the Rays’ home lawn.

So why am I telling you the results? Because some of the better starting rotations got wiped out in the first round.

The Phillies rotation consisting of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt will be hitting the golf courses much earlier than they expected. They were clearly the most dominant rotation in the playoffs, and even the league.

The Rays had a great rotation too, with James Shields, David Price, Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson.

There are still some good rotations out there, though, and unlike the first round, the better pitching rotation may be a key in the second round.

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Throughout the offseason, some of the moves GM Sandy Alderson made were in attempt to bolster the Mets starting staff.  He’s acquired pitchers Chris Capuano, and more recently, Chris Young.  Here’s a look at what the Mets starting rotation might look like in the 2011 season.

1. Johan Santana (LHP)

Once Santana arrives back from his injury, he’ll most likely take over the No. 1 spot.  The left-hander shouldn’t rush back from injury, as the Mets will need him to be effective if they plan to make a run at the playoffs. 

Prediction: 12-7, 2.90 ERA

2. Mike Pelfrey (RHP)

Last season, Mike Pelfrey turned in a solid year.  He was plagued by inconsistency.  He started off the season amazingly, then had a rough go for a few weeks.  He went back and forth between pitching well and pitching poorly. 

If “Big Pelf” can stay consistent this year, and pitch like he did at the beginning of last season, he’ll be a sturdy, reliable No. 2 starter, who will eat up a lot of innings for the Mets

Prediction: 17-10, 3.05 ERA

3. Jon Niese (LHP)

Jon Niese was a young, reliable lefty last season—the perfect complement to Johan Santana.  He’s showed way more bright than dull spots.  He almost pitched a perfect game last season; a double, the only chink in his armor.  Niese has shown he’s reliable, with a solid performance throughout last season.  Still young at the age of 24, he’ll get even better with age. 

Prediction: 15-11, 3.50 ERA

4. R.A Dickey (RHP)

R.A Dickey was a very pleasant surprise for the Mets last season, with a very nice 2.84 ERA.  What’s more is that he’s a knuckle-baller, and a very crafty and unconventional one at that.  He was able to stifle many offenses last season, almost  throwing a perfect game against the Phillies, only allowing a hit to the pitcher Cole Hamels.  Dickey should be able to give the Mets another solid season as long as he stays crafty and tricky. 

Prediction: 16-8, 3.09 ERA

5a. Chris Young (RHP)

The Mets acquired Chris Young from the San Diego Padres in the offseason.  Young, with a career 3.80 ERA, is a nice bottom-of-the-rotation pickup for the Mets.  If he stays healthy this year, he’ll be able to win a few games for the Mets, and pitch effectively. 

Prediction: 10-11, 4.01 ERA

5b. Chris Capuano (LHP)

Another move Alderson made was acquiring Chris Capuano from the Milwaukee Brewers.  Capuano, with a decent 4.35 career ERA, is coming off an injury plagued season.  Capuano should still be able to give some support to the bottom of the Mets rotation.  Either him or Young will probably get demoted to the ‘pen once Johan Santana comes back from his injury. 

Prediction- 8-12, 4.38 ERA

Possible/Honorable Mentions

Some other Mets candidates for the rotation may be young guns Jenrry Mejia and Dillon Gee, both RHP.  It depends on their performance, along with the rotations.  The Mets may not have the best rotation in the league, but they do have a solid one.

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The ALDS series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers started when the Rangers Cliff Lee outdueled the Rays David Price.  Twenty-four hours later, the Rays fell again behind James Shields to the Rangers and C.J. Wilson.  In fact, the Rays only had one run in the first two games at Tropicana Field, via Ben Zobrist‘s solo homer in Game 1. 

Then, the series went off to Arlington, Texas.  The Rangers wanted to close out the series in front of the home crowd.  Colby Lewis tried to advance the Rangers, while Matt Garza tried to save the Rays season.  Garza prevailed, pushing a Game 4.  Tommy Hunter tried again to win in Texas, but Wade Davis pitched a gem to defeat the Rangers 5-2. 

Now, the Rangers are feeling the pressure.  The Rays have momentum, and the advantage of the home crowd for Game 5.  The pitching matchup is a rematch of the Game 1 starters, Cliff Lee vs David Price.  Lee won the first match, but David Price is a Cy Young candidate, and will most likely bounce back. 

The Rangers’ bullpen has been real busy in Games 3 and 4, while the Rays have total depth in the pen.  If Cliff Lee gets into any trouble, the Rangers have a tired bullpen, while the Rays are well-rested and have plenty more arms.  Lefty Derek Holland probably won’t be seen out on the mound tomorrow, as he pitched 4.2 innings combined in Games 3 and 4, four of those innings in Game 4. 

The Rays lineup looked lackluster in Games 1 and 2, while the Rangers offense was surging.  However, this completely turned around in Games 3 and 4.  The Rays offense went on a tear, including Evan Longoria going 3-4 with a homer, and B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, and Ben Zobrist all collecting two hits.

The Rays have offensive momentum, and have field flexibility.  Several players, including Reid Brignac, Ben Zobrist, and Sean Rodriguez being able to play several positions.  The Rays have offensive depth, and a smart manager in Joe Maddon.

Is home field advantage good or bad for the Rays?  The Rays offense was sluggish in Games 1 and 2 home at the Trop, but they picked up at Texas.  The Rangers were dominant at the Trop, but fell in Texas.  Will the road team win yet again?  Or will the home team win the series for their crowd?

Overall, I’d have to give the Game 5 edge to the Rays.  The Rays have all the momentum, which probably won’t disappear at home.  The Rays offense is going good for them, and David Price is ready to rebound.  The Rays offense will have a tough time versus Cliff Lee, and the game will probably end up being a pitchers duel.  I believe that David Price will come out on top this time.

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When young children hear the words “New York Mets”, most think of David Wright, the face of the Mets franchise.  I’ve heard rumors pertaining to David Wright possibly being traded this coming offseason.  If the Mets were smart, they wouldn’t dare trade Wright, and I’ll discuss why.

First, he’s the face of the franchise, and teams almost never trade away players like that unless the team was undergoing a fire sale.  Also, think about what trading him would do to the team’s popularity with fans. Right now, most fans agree that their favorite Met is Wright, me included.  Most fans also think Wright is one of the only players pulling his weight as of late.  Getting rid of Wright would most likely drop ticket sales even lower for the 2011 season, and the Mets can’t let ticket sales keep dropping. 

I know the Mets are rebuilding, but Wright is definitly a vital piece of the Mets.  Hell, David Wright is the heart of the Mets.

Second, Wright is without a doubt the best player on the team.  He maintains a .300-ish average, hits about 25-30 home runs per season (with the exception of last year), is a Gold Glove third baseman, can steal plenty of bases, and is the team’s unofficial captain.  Players like this are extremely rare, and if he were traded, I doubt the Mets would get a player of his caliber in return.  Even if they did, the chance they would perform for the Mets in a tough New York area is unlikely.  Just look at Jason Bay.

As mentioned above, Wright is the un-named captain of the team.  He motivates the players, pretty much doing Jerry Manuel’s job for him.  Trading Wright would cause emotional disorder in the clubhouse, and definitly shatter any of the player’s hopes for next season.  Wright is the foundation on which the New York Mets are built, and trading him to rebuild would be a really bad idea. 

If you had to trade anyone to start anew, I’d trade Carlos Beltran and maybe even Jose Reyes, but Wright stays.  If the team trades Wright in the offseason, I believe they’d lose any chance of making a playoff run.  Wright is a huge part of the team in assured stats, leadership, motivation, and fanbase.  If Wright goes, the team will crumble. 

Mets, be smart and keep Wright for the sake of the fans, players, and franchise.

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Major League Baseball is filled with several exciting pitchers who all have the potential to be future aces of their teams.  Some, like Tim Lincecum, have already proven their greatness in the Major Leagues—today I’d like to look at some who are still gunning for the top.

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With the 2010 baseball season nearly coming to a close, it’s time to take a look at the National League Cy Young candidates.

The 2010 season has been called “the Year of the Pitcher,” and it all started when Ubaldo Jimenez threw a no-hitter for the Rockies against the Braves on April 17th. Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay then threw perfect games against the Rays and Marlins respectively, and after that came Armando Galaragga’s infamous non-perfect game, where Jim Joyce blew the call on the grounder for the final out. Edwin Jackson then threw a no-hitter against the Rays for the Diamondbacks, and finally, Matt Garza gave the Rays a taste of a no-hitter for themselves when he no-hit the Tigers.

With so much illustrious pitching this year, this is clearly a very tight race, and probably is a tough decision for the voters. The winner of the award will probably come down to whose team makes the playoffs and where their team ends up in the standings.

Sadly, Tim Lincecum, winner of the last two Cy Young awards, doesn’t have a chance this year. His 3.60 ERA currently ranks 24th in the league.

However, being a pitcher’s year, there are naturally plenty beside Lincecum in the NL worthy of winning the esteemed Cy Young award, ranging from energetic rising stars like Mat Latos to wily veterans like Roy Halladay. But the top contenders at this point have to be Halladay of the Phillies, Latos of the Padres, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals, Josh Johnson of the Marlins, Tim Hudson of the Braves, and Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies.

Mat Latos, in only his 2nd major league season, leads the whole MLB in ERA and WHIP, (2.21 and 0.96) along with 14 wins.

Roy Halladay, who’s just about always in Cy Young conversations, hasn’t disappointed the Phillies. The “Doctor” has piled up 18 wins so far, with a respectable 2.44 ERA, and leading the league in strikeouts with 201.

Like ‘Doc’, Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright has 18 wins, with a nice 2.38 ERA, and is right up there in strikeouts with 191.

Ubaldo Jimenez, also with 18 wins, started the season off with a bang, posting a 2.20 ERA in the first half. While he has cooled off recently. He still has a great 2.79 ERA.

Josh Johnson, a young ace for the Marlins, is having a remarkable year. He has a 2.30 ERA, and should be right up there for the award discussions.

And last but not least, Tim Hudson. The sinker-ball pitcher has had a tremendous year for the Atlanta Braves, sporting a 2.41 ERA, and 15 wins.

All of these gentlemen are worthy of the Cy Young award. If I had to pick a front-runner, I’d pick Mat Latos. The sophomore, as mentioned before still leads the league in ERA and WHIP, while racking up 14 victories. If the Padres can hold on to their division lead, or at least make the playoffs, I’m sure Latos will win it.

Without the spectacular pitching of the young ace, I don’t think the San Diego Padres would have made it even near this far.

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