Last year, when Max Scherzer signed with the Mets, he knew he was there to support Jacob deGrom. The newcomer was #2 and that was okay for him.
But having two top pitchers gave Buck Showalter options. Example?
In the playoffs, in Game 1, he pitched Max Scherzer. For what? Because if he won the first game of a two from three, deGrom would have been saved in hopes of seeing his club sweep the opposition without using deGoat.
It didn’t happen and deGrom pitched (well) against the Padres, but Showalter showed that with two big pitchers he had options.
This year it will be the same… except that Jacob deGrom has been replaced by Justin Verlander. But again, Showalter could play with his pitchers a bit.
He will have to protect them a bit due to their age, but hey.
For example? One of the two should pitch the first game of the year… and the other could pitch third in the rotation.
This is a theory that is being explored right now.
Thus, by separating the two, the one who does not start the season (the March 30 game in Miami) will be in line to start the first home game of the calendar, which is April 6.
Will it be Verlander or Scherzer? We do not know yet: Showalter did not want to decide so early in the camp.
What we do know is that Verlander didn’t speak the same way as Scherzer last year, saying he was definitely the club’s #2 pitcher.
However, he did not claim the contrary either. In fact, he said that for him, being the pitcher in the opening game was not important since he did not come to New York to pitch on the first day of the season.
For my part, I would wait to see how the camp is going to go, but I think I would go with Scherzer as the first pitcher out of respect (since he was there last year), but also to allow the fans of the Citi Field to see Verlander faster.
But in fact, I repeat: it is not important. The important thing is that both guys stay healthy this season to win games… in October.
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