Per Zack Wheeler’s agent Al Goetz and relayed by Jorge Castillo of the Star Ledger, Zack Wheeler was examined today in New York by the Mets’ team doctors.  According to Goetz, Wheeler is “All good.”  Wheeler had reported soreness in his right clavicle, and the doctors found no structural damage.  After Castillo’s report, Adam Rubin tweeted the following:

Zack Wheeler is OK. Just a little inflammation. Received cortisone shot. Should start throwing again in a couple of days.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 15, 2013

Inflammation with Zack Wheeler was to AC joint at top of right shoulder. Flying to Omaha to rejoin Vegas. Missing tomorrow’s start only.

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 15, 2013

The Mets have yet to release a statement, but this is certainly a sigh of relief for Wheeler, the Mets, and the fans. 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Zack Wheeler, the top pitching prospect in the Mets organization and one of the highest ranked prospects in all of baseball, has a sore right clavicle and will miss his next start for Las Vegas. Wheeler, 22, reported the soreness after his start on Saturday, and is being flown to New York to be examined by team doctors tomorrow.

Per Adam Rubin, Wheeler was already examined by a doctor in Las Vegas, but is being flown to New York out of “an abundance of caution.”

Feb 21, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) poses for a picture during photo day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Assistant General Manager John Ricco referred to Wheeler missing the start and being flown to New York as a “conservative” move on the part of the Mets and noted that it’s due in part to the importance of Wheeler to the organization:

It was nothing that happened during the last outing. It was something that he felt a couple of days after. It’s near his right clavicle. That’s all I have right now until we have a doctor see him tomorrow. I think we’re being a little bit conservative given who it is.

Similarly, manager Terry Collins (who was likely briefed on the situation), told reporters that the issue with Wheeler “doesn’t sound serious” and that he expects him to miss just one start.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, here’s a description of the clavicle:

In human anatomy, the clavicle or collarbone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in the body that lies horizontally. It makes up part of the shoulder and the pectoral girdle and is palpable in all people, and, in people who have less fat in this region, the location of the bone is clearly visible as it creates a bulge in the skin. It receives its name from the Latin: clavicula (“little key”) because the bone rotates along its axis like a key when the shoulder is abducted.

It’s customary for Mets fans to flip out, and Wheeler is obviously one of our only reasons for optimism at this point, but this doesn’t seem like anything to be worried about.  Wheeler will see the doctors tomorrow, and they’ll hopefully confirm what Ricco stated: that the team is being conservative, and that Wheeler will miss one start out of an abundance of caution.

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Feb 21, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) poses for a picture during photo day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

For the game, Zack Wheeler threw ninety-nine pitches, sixty-one for strikes.  Over his 7.1 innings of work, he allowed two earned runs on six hits, which included a solo home run.  He walked only one batter and struck out seven.  Wheeler brought a 4.00 ERA into the game and left with a 3.74 mark.

His last three starts certainly stand in stark contrast to his first five appearances of the season, in which he surrendered fifteen earned runs in 23.1 innings pitched for a 5.84 ERA.  His velocity was never in question, as he still racked up twenty-eight strikeouts.  However, surrendering twenty-six hits and issuing twelve walks is what had some people concerned.

In his defense, Wheeler pitched the better part of April with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, and was being exposed to the oddities of the Pacific Coast League for the first time.  He now looks to have turned things around.  Ever since making a few mechanical adjustments heading into his start against Reno on April 30th, Wheeler has a 2-0 record over three games, including last night’s no-decision.  Over that time, he pitched twenty innings, allowing just three runs for a 1.35 earned run average.  He limited opponents to fourteen hits and walked just three for a 0.85 WHIP, and also fanned batters at a rate of 8.5 per 9, with nineteen strikeouts.

While Zack Wheeler is hot, the starting rotation in Flushing is not.  For a second consecutive season, the front five was supposed to be the strength of the team.  Instead, they’re floundering right alongside the offense, defense, and the bullpen.  Outside of Matt Harvey, Mets starters appear to be battling themselves more than the opposition.  Saturday, Jonathon Niese put forth the Mets’ most recent sub-par effort, which for him was right in line with an overall disappointing start.  Dillon Gee has been nothing short of underwhelming after his comeback from off-season surgery.  Jeremy Hefner has been wildly inconsistent, while Shaun Marcum is on the verge of receiving a bus ticket out of Queens.  Suffice it to say, the fifth, and even fourth spot in the Mets’ rotation is up for grabs, and Mets fans no doubt want Zack Wheeler filling one.

Of course, there are still extenuating issues to haggle over before any promotion takes place.  This year’s cut-off date for Super Two arbitration eligibility is speculated to be June 4th or the 15th depending who you ask.  The Mets’ hierarchy is seemingly intent on keeping Wheeler in Las Vegas until then.  If we have learned anything about our GM, it is how to interpret Sandy Alderson’s double-speak when it comes to spending Fred Wilpon’s money.  Basically, Super Two status entitles a player to four years of arbitration instead of three.  I personally do not concern myself with the minutia of Wheeler’s potential status.  I see things one way – players play and owners pay.  Unfortunately, the Mets are not contenders this season, and Zack Wheeler by himself will not change that.  So, I can certainly envision the organization in this instance taking a deliberate approach and adhering to simple operating principles.  Less forgiving fans might characterize the situation as being dollar foolish and penny wise.  In Wheeler’s case, when matters boil down to dollars and cents, the affects the Pacific Coast League can have on pitching are easily ignored by old hats like Terry Collins, Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta who are well versed regarding how to interpret PCL performance.

As we know, every rose has its thorn – sorry, but the phrase fits.  In the midst of his April struggles, subtle criticisms tumbled through Las Vegas regarding Wheeler’s maturity level.  Earlier during minor league spring training, there was the matter of a purpose pitch aimed at organizational mate Aderlin Rodriguez.  Within the context of a game, I can appreciate that brand of baseball.  However, the incident extended into the locker room where one reporter claimed that racial tensions flared up.  Needless to say, Zack Wheeler has had to perform some damage control and image repair along the way.  Winning always seems to help sweep problems under the rug.  That’s where we are now.

Natural ability and skill mean little to me without knowledge in application.  Therefore, as Tom Seaver often preaches, I place considerable stock in understanding one’s craft.  If the Super Two blockade holds firm, Zack Wheeler stands to make his arrival in Queens a month from now – another five to seven AAA starts away.  By then, Wheeler will potentially reach four hundred innings pitched over his minor league career, making for a handsome body of work.  Let’s just remember this was his first real taste of AAA.  There is always more polish to be gained with another month’s work.  I’m content to wait out the process, but after another two starts or so, I’ll have no more reservations regarding any developmental matters.

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Zack Wheeler is just about ready…what happens now?:

Last night for Las Vegas, Zack Wheeler was tremendous over his 7.1 innings of work.  He gave up two runs (both earned), while throwing 99 pitches (61 strikes).  He allowed six hits, walked one, and struck out seven while lowering his ERA to 3.74.  I watched last night’s game, and Wheeler was in complete control.  His fastball was sizzling, and he was working in his secondary stuff beautifully.  Of the six hits he allowed, five were singles (the other was a homer).

Feb 23, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) throws in the third inning during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Over his last three starts, Wheeler has compiled the following line: 20 innings pitched, 14 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 19 strikeouts.

Sandy Alderson has always alluded to a possible “convergence of events” leading to Wheeler’s promotion, and we may be close to that convergence.  Wheeler dealt with both a blister and a mechanical flaw at the beginning of the season.  Since the blister has gone away and the flaw has been corrected, Wheeler has been fantastic.  At the major league level, the only reliable starter the Mets have at the moment is Matt Harvey.  Not only are the other four pitchers failing to keep the other team off the board, they’ve also been unable to work much past the fourth or fifth inning.

As noted above, Wheeler’s readiness and a dire need at the big league level seem to be converging.  Jonathon Niese, regardless of what he says, has been pitching hurt.  If he’s fine now, great.  If not, he should be placed on the disabled list until he is.  Shaun Marcum, who was on the disabled list for the first month of the season, has been a disaster.  If either of those pitchers are placed on the disabled list, it could pave the way for Wheeler.  If Marcum simply continues to pitch the way he has (serving up slop and failing to work past the fifth inning), he should be removed from the rotation.

Now, the “Super Two” cutoff is still a consideration (the date is now projected to be around June 4th).  If the Mets wait until then to promote Wheeler, he’d likely make four more starts in AAA.  So far, we’ve yet to hear any sources shoot down the possibility of Wheeler coming up in the next week or so.  We may yet hear someone shoot the idea down.  Either way, Wheeler’s debut is so close you can almost taste it.

Familia to the DL, Burke up, Francisco ailing:

As expected, the Mets have called up a bullpen arm (Greg Burke) to bolster the exhausted bullpen.  To make room for Burke on the roster, Jeurys Familia (who has been dealing with biceps tendinitis) has been placed on the disabled list.

Familia was just starting to come into his own a bit, so it’s unfortunate that he has to hit the DL.  Hopefully it’s a short term thing for him.  Burke, who broke camp with the team before being sent down to AAA, was quite bad during his brief stint earlier this season.  In 7.1 innings pitched, Burke had a 7.36 ERA and 1.77 WHIP.

Frank Francisco, who had been rehabbing, was unable to throw his scheduled bullpen session yesterday.  According to the beat writers, Francisco is now complaining of discomfort in his surgically repaired elbow and will be flown to New York to be examined by team doctors.  The Mets can forget about Francisco being activated any time soon.

The Valdespin saga:

The Jordany Valdespin bat flip that led to him being drilled yesterday has been the talk of twitter.  Now, it’s clear that Valdespin isn’t a favorite in the clubhouse – no one acknowledged him when he returned to the dugout after being hit.  Still, the “Valdespin is a cancer” narrative is getting a bit absurd.

First of all, Valdespin’s bat flip wasn’t that blatant.  I’ve seen much worse from players who are well respected.  Second, there are certain announcers who shouldn’t be acting all high and mighty regarding Valdespin’s antics (Ron Darling), considering they were a part of the ’86 Mets – a team that showboated its way to 108 wins.

Now, does Valdespin have some growing up to do?  Of course.  But to act as if he’s what’s wrong with the team and/or that his behavior is outlandish, is ridiculous.  You want to see outlandish on field behavior?  Go watch a clip of how the Dominican team acted during the World Baseball Classic.

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