If the Mets hope to compete in the talented National League East in the near future, their success will hinge on the development of three highly regarded arms climbing the ladder of the minor league system.
Last season was a clear indication the major league club is depleted in the pitching department, ranking 13th in the National League with a team ERA of 4.19.
Only the Cubs, Rockies and Astros had worse pitching numbers as a team, leaving the door wide open for competition come spring training 2012.
Dillon Gee was a pleasant surprise for New York with 13 wins, while R.A. Dickey somehow continues to pitch better with age.
Johan Santana should be at full strength come 2012, giving the Mets at least the ace starter they lacked for most of 2011.
While the current Mets rotation is hardly one of the most dominant staffs in the majors, one could argue they have the most talented trio of minor league starters on the brink of being major league ready.
Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jeurys Familia all posted strong minor league numbers in 2011 and continue to ascend through the organization, waiting for their respective turn to try and mend a battered New York rotation.
A first round pick out of North Carolina in 2010, Harvey breezed through his first assignment in St. Lucie (A), going 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA.
The impressive pro debut resulted in a promotion to Binghamton (AA) where Harvey finished the season, posting a 13-5 mark with a 3.32 ERA between the two levels.
His dominance was also exemplified by 156 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings, walking just 47 batters during that span for a strikeout/walk ratio better than 3:1.
Look for Harvey to start the season in Buffalo (AAA), but if he continues to dominate minor league batters he could get a shot at breaking the rotation at some point in 2012.
Another impressive prospect for the Mets also finished the season in Binghamton (AA) and struck out 10.2 batters per nine innings--giving New York two hurlers in their system who have struck out more than a batter per inning while in the organization.
Getting six starts for St. Lucie (A) was all Jeurys Familia needed to get a promotion, posting a 1.49 ERA during that time before moving to Binghamton (AA).
His success continued there as the 22-year old finished the season 4-4 with a 3.49 ERA, giving him an overall ERA of 2.90 in 124 innings pitched.
His strikeout totals weren't quite as impressive as Harvey's, but Familia still whiffed 132 batters in those 124 innings between two levels.
With Harvey and Familia going into the 2011 season, the Mets were thrilled to add another front line pitching prospect before the trading deadline when the San Francisco Giants offered former first round pick Zack Wheeler for outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Wheeler was 7-5 for San Jose (A) at the time of the trade with a 3.99 ERA, but lowered his ERA to 2.00 in six start for St. Lucie (A) once joining the Mets organization.
Already having two starters who struck out more than a batter per inning in minor league duty last season, Wheeler becomes the third Mets' pitching prospect to post such numbers, striking out 129 in 115 innings pitched.
It's only a matter of time before the Mets give each one their turn to debut in New York, a time that may be sooner rather than later if the pitching continues to perform at last year's level.
If Harvey, Familia and Wheeler can all live up to the billing, New York could have three front of the rotation horses on their hands with Johan Santana still under contract and set to return in 2012.
The temptation the organization must fight is rushing top arms too soon to the major leagues, but the Mets should have enough short term solutions with Santana, Gee, Dickey, Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese.
Don't look for New York to compete in 2012 with talented division rivals like Philadelphia, Atlanta and Florida--but with three top pitching prospects likely to arrive around 2013 or sooner, the Mets will have the pitching in place to complete for a long time in the National League East.
Projected 2013 New York Mets Pitching Rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. Matt Harvey
3. Zack Wheeler
4. Dillon Gee
5. Jeurys Familia
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