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Zack Wheeler emerged in 2013 with solid results and a sky-high ceiling. His stuff is fantastic, from a 95-mph fastball with movement to a beautiful 12-6 curve ball. In his 49 career major league starts, he’s generated weak contact and struck out over 22% of the batters he’s faced. On a team full of aces, he’s not out of place.
That said, he’s never had a walk rate below 10 percent. He struggles with first-pitch strikes. And, he gets into a lot of deep counts, limiting how long he can stay in a game. But, is this something that could be improved after Tommy John surgery, which he is expected to return from next summer? Absolutely.
Wheeler reports having pitched through pain for almost a decade, which would explain why he’s been so consistently wild in the minors and majors. His delivery has a lot of moving parts, which is something he likely developed in response to discomfort. That kind of delivery can be difficult to command and continuing pain would just exacerbate that. Pitching pain-free can give him a chance to simplify his delivery a little, but – even if he sticks with what is familiar to him – he should be able to control each component of it better. Clearing out the calcium deposits is also likely to help the inner workings of his elbow so when he throws it will be more fluid and smooth.
However, is any of this guaranteed? Definitely not…
For starters, pitchers returning from a long rehab process often struggle with command, which would offset any anatomical improvements. And, pitchers are creatures of habit. His quirks and muscle memory have been developing for most of his life and even a change as significant as this one may not be sufficient. But, Wheeler is incredibly talented and is working with a coaching staff and organization that has produced a collection of pitchers with exceptionally good control. They also have experience helping pitchers back from Tommy John surgery, including Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom. Allow Wheeler some time to get back in to the rhythm of pitching, and we may see the ace-level pitcher everyone has been waiting for since he was acquired in 2011.
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from Metsblog http://ift.tt/1NvldHH
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