New York Mets Need Matt Harvey to Perform More Than Ever in 2015

Some disappointing news hit the New York Mets' camp in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Monday morning, as ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reported that Zack Wheeler was diagnosed with a fully torn UCL in his pitching elbow that requires Tommy John surgery.

Now, if any team in the MLB can weather the storm of having its third starter miss the entire season, it is the Mets. They are absolutely loaded with quality arms, especially young hard-throwing pitchers who have already proved they can succeed at the big league level.

But it is still a tough blow to a team who had playoff aspirations.

The Mets will likely go with a five-man rotation of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon. Don't get me wrong—that's still a solid rotation. But it is just not the same without the dynamic arsenal of Wheeler.

Wheeler was sixth in the National League in K/9 and finished the season 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA. He was also pitching with a bit of elbow discomfort in the second half of 2014. He gutted through it without missing any starts, but his numbers might have been better had he been fully healthy.

And in his absence, the Mets need Harvey to return to full strength more than ever.

Harvey missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery but has pitched very well so far during this year's spring training. Unfortunately, spring training stats don't mean a whole lot. But his velocity has been spectacular, and his command has been improving.

He has made three Grapefruit League starts so far this spring training, and the results have been terrific.

He dominated the Detroit Tigers in his first start back on March 6, retiring all six batters he faced in two perfect innings. He hit 99 mph on the radar gun in that one, shattering two bats in the process. 

In his next start he got hit around a little by the Miami Marlins, surrendering two runs in 2.2 innings of work. He described himself as "sluggish" to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin, and his velocity sank into the low 90s.

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However, he rebounded on Monday, throwing four scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox. And it wasn't like he was facing a bunch of minor leaguers. Except for the catcher position, the Red Sox used their regular lineup of veterans and big leaguers.

"I felt great to the last pitch," Harvey told Rubin. "So we're moving in a good direction."

Harvey has all the tools necessary to return to the Cy Young-caliber ace he was in his first full season in 2013.

He has an overpowering fastball as well as a trio of off-speed pitches, including a changeup, slider and curveball.

That curveball could be the X-factor this season. Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on March 2 that Harvey "magically" found his curveball in a bullpen session. Harvey used his curveball often back in college at North Carolina, but he told Puma he hasn't used it much at all in professional baseball.

In an insightful article by Owen Watson of FanGraphs, Watson outlines what it will mean if Harvey does indeed use his curveball more in 2015.

According to Watson, Harvey had the most effective fastball in the MLB in 2013, so if he can develop a filthy curveball into his repertoire, he could be incredibly scary on the mound.

The Wheeler news is undoubtedly tough to accept, even for a team with as much pitching as the Mets, but they should be just fine.

I predict Harvey to return to elite status in 2015, and the back-end-of-the-bullpen arms like Jenrry Mejia, Vic Black and Bobby Parnell should be able to take a bit of pressure off of the starters to pitch deep into games.

And the Wheeler loss might just open up a spot for highly touted fireballer Noah Syndergaard, who despite his excellent track record is slated to start the season in the minors, per Rubin.

Whatever the front office decides, the Mets have the pieces to contend for a playoff spot. They definitely have enough pitching, and that will at least give them a chance.

And if they do manage to get into the Wild Card Game, with an ace like Harvey anything can happen.