“Generation K”: The Haunting of the Mets

The New York Mets starting rotation took a major hit on Thursday. Right-handed pitcher, Carlos Carrasco, went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him on the shelf for the next 6 to 8 weeks. That’s about the same time that Noah Syndergaard is supposed to return to the Mets starting 5. Syndergaard did not pitch in 2020 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery.

The Mets organization has been haunted by major blows to their pitching staff for decades. Do you happen to remember “Generation K”, Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson? Maybe not, because there were only glimpses of greatness to remember, at least with the Amazin's. They were a trio of Mets star young pitchers in the mid 1990’s. All showed so much promise before each went down with injuries and did little to nothing for Mets fans ever again. Jason Isringhausen became an All-Star with Oakland and St. Louis, a few years after being traded away by the Mets. Wilson and Pulsipher spent another 5 plus years in the majors trying to regain that promise that never delivered following their Met injuries.

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The more recent version of Generation K featured names like Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. Coincidentally (or not), those names have been added to that prestigious list of Mets pitchers who were once dominant rising stars that ended up mostly injured before they faded away from the blue and orange, except for Syndergaard, for now. Lesser names but no less important pitchers like John Maine, Oliver Perez and John Neise were frequent occupants of that starting pitchers disabled register. A catalog that continues to haunt the New York Mets rotation.

Now to be fair, pitchers these days are monitored more carefully and teams don’t want to rush their large investments in fear of missing more time. Carlos Carrasco’s injury isn’t uncommon. The Mets should expect him to be back in late May. These injuries happen. They just seem to find a way of pestering the New York Mets organization.

We’ll talk to Dr. Max Alley from the Bone & Joint Center in this week’s Breakdown of the Bones about Carlos Carrasco’s injury and the recovery prognosis on Sunday Sports Buzz, 8a to 10a, right here on 104.5 FM, The Team and the FREE 1045theteam app.