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Should Fred Wilpon’s New York Mets call up future star pitcher Steven Matz from their AAA Las Vegas affiliate? The Wall Street Journal seems to think so.
The publication writes that the Mets’ surplus of starting pitchers has allowed the team to turn to a six-man rotation. But with the team only a half-game out of first place in the NL East and veteran Jonathon Niese’s recent struggles, it might be the time to roll the dice and call up prized minor-league prospect Steven Matz from Triple-A Las Vegas.
Matz’s ERA after Sunday’s five-inning, one-run start in Nashville stands at 1.98, which is significantly better than how any of the Mets’ current young guns fared in Triple-A. It’s also worth noting that Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler (out for the season with elbow surgery) didn’t even pitch exclusively in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, where Matz pitches. Also Matz’s home park, Las Vegas’s Cashman Field, is a hitter’s haven even in the context of the PCL.
By MICHAEL SALFINO
