Brad Penner- USA TODAY Sports
Last year, we saw R.A. Dickey have one of the greatest seasons we have ever seen from a New York Mets pitcher. Every scheduled start that he made, fans would clear their schedules and make sure they were on their couch to be a part of the excitement. This year, Dickey isn’t around. But that doesn’t mean the Mets every fifth day aren’t must see TV. Enter Matt Harvey.
This year, Harvey is the new sheriff in town. To begin the season, there hasn’t been a better pitcher in the game. He sparkles every time he toes the rubber and has become an even bigger hit on TV than lifelong Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld.
In my 15 years as a Mets fan, I have never been so excited to see a player pitch in my life. Every outing is something new, whether it’s his blistering fastball that he throws by some of the best hitters in the game or his slider that makes opposing hitters look like high school freshman ball players. Harvey, in other words, is something special.
This excitement that he is creating is something this franchise most desperately needs. Since the Bernie Madoff scandal, the Mets organization has been classified as a second tier group, playing in a major TV market. The team’s funds have been low and as a result it has shown on the field by their play. But with Harvey’s arrival, it is marking a new time in Mets baseball.
Harvey isn’t the only one that will be making them must see TV. When Zach Wheeler gets the call up, we will see two of the best young pitchers in the game pitching on the same team. Then throw in a couple of the hitters that will be called up probably in 2014-2015 and we will see a very good, young team that will be a threat to win the division for years to come.
Jerry Elsing is a New York Mets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ j_els22, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
