After spending some time as a reliever last year, New York Mets lefty Steven Matz wants to be in the rotation in 2020.
Steven Matz is entering his sixth season as a New York Met with his 2020 role still undetermined. Since New York now employs six legitimate starting pitchers on its roster, there’s a chance he could head to the bullpen. Matz appeared in two games as a reliever in 2019.
Nonetheless, the veteran southpaw doesn’t wish to return to the role that was short-lived last year. For this upcoming season, the 28-year-old veteran ultimately wants to be a part of the rotation.
“I enjoyed being in the bullpen down there, but at the end of the day, I really love starting. I want to be a starter,” Matz said this past weekend at Mets FANFEST, per Corey Hersch of SNY.
Matz additionally commented on the rotation’s overall depth. To go along with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Marcus Stroman, the Mets added Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha on one-year deals this offseason.
“I think it’s good to have depth,” Matz said. “It’s a good situation for us to be in so we’ll see how it pans out.”
Last year, Matz appeared in 32 games (30 starts) and finished with a record of 11-10. Through 160.1 total innings pitched, the lefty recorded a 4.21 ERA and a 1.341 WHIP. Matz additionally struck out a career-high 153 batters and walked 52.
His pair of bullpen appearances came on July 3 and 6 against the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively. In the two games combined (1.0 total inning), Matz allowed three hits and zero earned runs.
