If Matt Harvey is considered for Mets' rotation, what about Zack Wheeler?
U.S. Futures All-Star Zack Wheeler, then of the San Francisco Giants, throws a pitch during the 2010 XM All-Star Futures Game. (July 11, 2010) Credit: Getty Images
ATLANTA -- Why not Zack Wheeler?
With Matt Harvey -- who some would say is a less developed pitcher -- one start away from a possible promotion to the major leagues, are the Mets also prepared to call up Wheeler in the near future?
Not yet, says manager Terry Collins, who nonetheless raved about Wheeler's start for Double-A Binghamton on Saturday before the Mets wrapped up their weekend series at Turner Field. Wheeler threw a six-hitter, striking out six, in the B-Mets' 1-0 win over Erie.
"They said he was outstanding," Collins said. "Best command so far."
Wheeler, 22, improved to 9-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 16 starts for Binghamton. In his last two, a stretch of 161/3 innings, he's allowed one run and one walk and struck out 13. One scout who has seen Wheeler recently raved about his ability and said he is "better than anyone the Mets have up there right now."
At the conclusion of Sunday morning's sit-down with reporters, Collins was surprised that the prospect's name didn't come up.
"Not one Zack Wheeler question," Collins said. "Shocking."
The Mets need a starter for Saturday against the Dodgers at Citi Field, but they plan to watch Harvey pitch Monday night for Triple-A Buffalo before deciding whether to promote him. If Harvey flops, which seems unlikely, Plan B is Miguel Batista.
As for Wheeler, the Mets would rather have him make a few starts for Buffalo before trying him in the major-league rotation. The only complaint about Harvey is his over-reliance on his upper-90s fastball, but that's not an issue with Wheeler, who has an exceptional slider, a decent curveball and a developing changeup to go with a fastball clocked at 95 to 98 mph.
That's the kind of stuff that is awfully tempting to a manager, and Collins hasn't ruled out seeing Wheeler on the Mets later this season. Still, he added, "I wouldn't put him on the roster for a while."
