Latest farm report steven matzs chance looming too

Adam RubinMay 13, 2015, 10:54 AM ET

The New York Mets selected Noah Syndergaard to make his major league debut Tuesday at Wrigley Field in place of injured Dillon Gee, in part because Syndergaard had 31 Triple-A starts under his belt since the beginning of the 2014 season. Still, Las Vegas manager Wally Backman told his big league counterpart, Terry Collins, that Steven Matz also is MLB-ready.

So it appears just a matter of time before the 23-year-old southpaw from Ward Melville High School on Long Island gets his chance.

In his first season in the Pacific Coast League, Matz is 4-1 with a 1.70 ERA. He has allowed 31 hits and walked 17 while striking out 45 in 42 1/3 innings.

After Matz took a no-hit bid two outs into the seventh inning on April 24 at Reno, ex-Met Nick Evans said: “I think the fastball was mid-90s, but it looks like he's handing you the ball almost. It just explodes out of his hand, onto you. It's pretty impressive. He definitely throws a good curveball. And he throws his changeup for a strike. … He's definitely been the best arm we've seen in this league so far this year. The consensus on our team is he's the real deal."

Matz took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning in Double-A Binghamton’s Eastern League championship clincher last September. This time, he suggested he was not close enough to the game’s end to start thinking he was on the verge of a no-hitter.

As this season has progressed, Matz has been pleased with cutting down his walk totals. He walked 11 in 15 1/3 innings over his first three appearances. Since then, he has walked six in 27 innings in four starts.

“I started out walking more guys than I would have liked,” Matz said. “After a few of those bad outings where I was walking a few guys, I kind of settled in and got into a routine. So I’m pretty happy with where I’m at now.”

As for Evans’ assertion that the 6-foot-2 Matz’s fastball jumps on batters, the southpaw has received that feedback from others, too.

“I’ve heard people say that before,” he said.

Asked if he feels ready for the majors, Matz added: “I feel like I’m ready. A big thing for me was the offspeed and being able to command that. I’m feeling comfortable with my command of my offspeed pitches. Like [Sunday], I was able to throw a 3-2 curveball, where the tying run was on first with two outs in the seventh. That was kind of a big stride for me.”

Matz witnessed Syndergaard getting summoned into the office in El Paso, Texas, this past weekend to receive news of his promotion.

“He was dominating in Triple-A, so it’s pretty cool to see him get the call,” Matz said. “It’s awesome to see guys who have a lot of hype around them, like [Kevin] Plawecki, Jacob [deGrom] and Matt Harvey -- those guys who I was in the minor leagues at the same time with, just to see them translate to the big leagues has been really fun to watch.”

ORGANIZATION LEADERS

Average: Travis Taijeron, Vegas, .363; Darrell Ceciliani, Vegas, .341; Jeff McNeil, St. Lucie, .324; Alex Castellanos, Vegas, .322; Gavin Cecchini, Binghamton, .321; Luis Guillorme, Savannah, .317; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, .316; Matt Reynolds, Vegas, .310; Wilfredo Tovar, Vegas, .307.

Homers: Alex Castellanos, Vegas, 8; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, 7; Michael Conforto, St. Lucie, 6; Darrell Ceciliani, Vegas, 6; Travis Taijeron, Vegas, 5.

RBIs: Matt Reynolds, Vegas, 26; Alex Castellanos, Vegas, 25; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, 24; Michael Conforto, St. Lucie, 22; Jared King, Binghamton, 18.

Steals: Champ Stuart, St. Lucie, 10; Wilfredo Tovar, Vegas, 8; Kyle Johnson, Vegas, 7; Matt Reynolds, Vegas, 7.

ERA: Robert Gsellman, St. Lucie, 1.46; Steven Matz, Vegas, 1.70; Casey Meisner, Savannah, 1.78; Noah Syndergaard, Vegas, 1.82; Rob Whalen, St. Lucie, 2.10; Seth Lugo, Binghamton, 2.45; Rainy Lara, Binghamton, 2.51; Luis Cessa, Binghamton, 2.67; Miller Diaz, St. Lucie, 3.00; Martires Arias, Savannah, 3.23.

Wins: Robert Gsellman, St. Lucie, 4; Steven Matz, Vegas, 4.

Saves: Jon Velasquez, Binghamton, 10; Paul Sewald, Binghamton, 5; Chasen Bradford, Vegas, 4; Akeel Morris, St. Lucie, 3.

Strikeouts: Steven Matz, Vegas, 45; Noah Syndergaard, Vegas, 34; Corey Oswalt, Savannah, 32; Brad Wieck, Savannah, 30; Robert Gsellman, St. Lucie, 29.

SHORT HOPS

Right-hander Robert Gsellman earned Florida State League Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday. He then lowered his ERA to 1.46 that night by limiting the Tampa Yankees to one run in five innings. A blown save by Bobby Parnell in a rehab appearance with St. Lucie deprived Gsellman of improving to 5-0 in seven starts. Opponents have hit only .178 against the 6-foot-4 Gsellman, a 13th-round pick in 2011 out of high school in Los Angeles. His fastball sits at 91-93 mph and touches 94 mph. He also throws a curveball and changeup.
University of Maryland product Adam Kolarek has lowered his arm slot to low three-quarters this season with Binghamton. The left-handed reliever was roughed up early in the season and still has a 6.06 ERA. But Kolarek has tossed 9 1/3 scoreless innings in his last five appearances. Lefties are hitting a modest .200 against him overall this season.
Third baseman Eudor Garcia, a fourth-round pick last June out of junior college in El Paso is off to a quick start after joining Savannah last week. Garcia is hitting .333 (11-for-33) with four doubles and two RBIs through seven South Atlantic League games. Corner infielder Pedro Perez (.177, 1 HR, 4 RBIs in 62 ABs) was bumped back to extended spring training to open the spot for Garcia with the Gnats.
Jeff Walters, who had a Binghamton-record 38 saves in 2013, should face batters soon as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
After opening the season on the disabled list with a side-muscle injury, Phillip Evans made his season debut with St. Lucie on Monday. Evans, a 22-year-old infielder selected in the 15th round in 2011, is 4-for-9 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored through two games.

Left-hander Ben Griset made his organization debut on Friday by contributing two scoreless innings for Savannah. Griset, 23, signed as a minor league free agent with the Mets during the offseason after getting released by the Tampa Bay Rays in October. A 13th-round pick in 2013 out of St. Mary’s College of California, Griset had a 3.42 ERA in 20 games (12 starts) in Class A with the Rays last season.
Binghamton third baseman Dustin Lawley suffered a mild ankle sprain attempting to break up a double play on Monday.
Domingo Tapia, who had been converting to relief with the B-Mets, underwent Tommy John surgery on May 5.
Matt Bowman returned to Las Vegas’ rotation on Tuesday for the first time since May 1. Bowman missed a turn dealing with tenderness in his right shoulder. He allowed five runs in three innings.