Before the season started, the New York Mets had one of the best rotations in baseball, on paper.
They had the reigning AL Cy Young winner in Justin Verlander, a three-time Cy Young winner who posted a 2.29 ERA in 2022 (Max Scherzer), a steady veteran in Jose Quintana, an exciting Japanese import in Kodai Senga, and several quality options for the fifth spot in David Peterson, Carlos Carrasco, Tylor Megill, and more.
But things happen, injuries take place, age takes a toll on everybody, and plans are ruined.
To the surprise of many, the Mets rotation has a 5.00 ERA, which ranks 25th in the majors.
It’s fair to say things haven’t gone the way they wanted when it comes to the pitching staff.
For a myriad of reasons, they have had to alter the rest days between starts of most of their pitchers to this point.
“For Mets starters, number of times pitching on standard (4 days) rest this season: Megill, 5; Scherzer, 2; Verlander, 1; Carrasco, 0; Senga, 0. A trend to watch, but Mets are helped by 3 off days in first 15 days of June,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
For Mets starters, number of times pitching on standard (4 days) rest this season:
Megill, 5
Scherzer, 2
Verlander, 1
Carrasco, 0
Senga, 0A trend to watch, but Mets are helped by 3 off days in first 15 days of June. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) May 31, 2023
Pitchers have routines, and these routines stipulate a certain set of activities between starts.
Seeing that routine altered might be counterproductive, whether it is to add or subtract days of rest.
It’s probably not the main reason why the Mets’ rotation has had such a high ERA, but it might be one of them.
Let’s see how the group bounces back in the short term, but it’s fair to say their year as a unit has been a disappointment.
NEXT: Several Mets Stars Find Themselves On An Elite List
