Mets starting rotation from the mid-2010s could have been special

Mets two all-star pitchers

It may not be talked about much, but Bartolo Colon’s 2016 season was something straight from the storybooks. In his 19th season in the majors, Colon was an All-Star and started a team-high 33 games. Not only did he eat innings, but his 3.43ERA shows that Colon showed out in his last year as a Met.

The same can be said about Noah Syndergaard, who joined Colon on the All-Star team. His 2.60ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings displayed that Syndergaard wasn’t capable of being elite, rather, he already was.

Two promising seasons

Here is where the injuries come into play. Both Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz made over 20 starts in 2016 but fell below the 150 innings pitched mark. When it came time for the playoffs (Mets vs San Francisco Giants Wild Card), neither were available as they were out the season.

Like all Mets pitchers that season, the defense behind them faltered. Nevertheless, deGrom had the least memorable year of his career, as elbow issues sidelined in September. Ultimately, deGrom finished with a 3.04ERA in 148 innings pitched, with a career-low of 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Steven Matz on the other hand finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. Despite only pitching 132.1 innings, Matz provided the team with the backend starter they needed even with his inconsistent location. Except, as Matz battled elbow issues during the season, a shoulder injury ended his season in mid-August.

Zack Wheeler a no-show

As previously mentioned, Zack Wheeler was always the wild card of the rotation. His Tommy John recovery wound up eliminating his 2016 season in addition to 2015, as Wheeler would not return to the Mets starting rotation until 2017.

The Dark Knight falls

The 2016 Mets season will be remembered in large part for the meteoric decline of Matt Harvey. The former All-Star pitcher wasn’t in baseball shape, lost velocity, and struggled with ball placement. Quickly, Harvey went from the most reliable ace of the rotation to the most volatile.

Harvey finished with a 4.86ERA in 17 starts, as numerous injuries plagued him throughout the season. By July he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which led to him opting to undergo season-ending surgery. Very few pitchers are ever the same afterward, and Harvey would soon join that list.

Mets have hope for starters

Bye bye Bartolo

Following the 2016 season, the Mets let Bartolo Colon walk. He found his way to the Atlanta Braves, although Colon’s days as an innings-eater were behind him. With him gone, it paved way for a healthy Zack Wheeler to re-enter the starting rotation.

Injury bug remains

The injury bug followed the Mets to 2017, as Syndergaard and Matz would combine to start just 20 games. deGrom and Wheeler had the worst seasons of their careers. And the final dagger – Harvey was a completely different pitcher, being a shell of his dark knight self on the mound.

The clock begins

Following the failure of the 2017 season, the clock came into sight as to how much longer the Mets would have their high-ceiling rotation. Shortly into the 2018 season, Harvey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, as the dark knight had officially fallen.

That season, injuries and poor production on offense and out of the bullpen wasted a year which Mets fans saw the potential of the rotation. deGrom won his first Cy Young in one of the most dominant seasons in history, while Syndergaard and Wheeler were great in their own right. Even the inconsistent Matz would finish with a sub-4.00 earned run average in 30 starts.

Nevertheless, a lineup where Asdrubal Cabrera and a young Michael Conforto are the biggest threats was never going to do the starters justice. Thus, it all came down to 2019…

Mets 2019 reality check

By the 2019 trade deadline, the Mets rotation was a mess. With the exception of deGrom, Wheeler and Matz struggled in the first half, as Syndergaard held strong. Harvey’s replacement, Jason Vargas, may have bounced back after a poor 2018, but the Mets still felt the need to acquire Marcus Stroman.

The move worked, as Mets fans got to enjoy the high of the Mets ultimate starting rotation. In the second half, deGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler, Matz, and Stroman dominated in their own stretches. With an improved offense and bullpen, the Mets went 46-26 in the second half of 2019 but still fell short of the playoffs.

Departures begin

After 2019, the departures of the Mets starters began to hit home. Zack Wheeler signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and become one of the top starters in baseball in 2021. Wheeler went on to have his prime elsewhere is something that for the Mets, who had high hopes of this core having their primes in Queens, hit hard.

Wheeler leaving via free agency was just the beginning of the departures, as the Mets had enough of Matz’s inconsistency (in large part due to injuries). New York traded Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 2021 season, where Matz would finally find his footing. He stayed healthy, as his 3.82ERA in 29 led him to sign a four-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Meanwhile, Syndergaard signed with the Los Angeles Angels for more than the $18-million qualifying offer the Mets gave him. To see 2015 hero “Thor”, who is a Cy Young caliber pitcher if healthy walk, has been the most gut-wrenching loss from the 2016 Mets staff to date.

Only Jacob deGrom is left

Entering 2022, the lone pitcher from the fabled 2016 New York Mets starting rotation remaining is Jacob deGrom. Compared to the others, nobody has come to touch the resume that deGrom has amassed.

Fast forward to today, where all four are healthy and ready to go for the 2022 season. deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball, with Wheeler being a Cy Young finalist in 2021. Matz has proven to be a mid-rotation starter and Syndergaard is expected to return to his elite form.

The truth is one will never know what the Mets mid-2010s starting rotation could have accomplished when healthy. But it would have been something special.