Post columnist Steve Serby throws some questions at Mets lefty Steven Matz in a Q&A session.
Q: Hypothetically there are four young aces in the rotation. Finish the sentence: Noah Syndergaard is an ace because …
A: Because he throws 100 (chuckle).
Q: Matt Harvey is an ace because …
A: Because he throws 100.
Q: Jacob deGrom is an ace because …
A: Because he throws really hard and he just paints the corners.
Q: Steven Matz is an ace because …
A: I’m bad about talking about myself, so I just don’t know.
Q: OK, how about this: Steven Matz has a chance to be an ace because …
A: He’s got a good arm, and deceptive, and got good command.
Q: How do you feel about comparisons to Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner, and can you get to that level? And what stands out about both of them?
A: I admire their presence on the mound. The way they stay composed no matter what the situation is. They look the same no matter if it’s bases loaded and no one out or nobody on and two out. I don’t like to compare myself to anyone. I just want to keep improving and get better and be the best possible pitcher I can.
Q: Tell me why the 2017 Mets can win the World Series.
A: Because it starts with pitching, and I think we got great pitching in this organization — not only in the big leagues but in the minor leagues, and as you saw last year you have guys come up and make a big impact right away. Then you go past that and you look at the lineup, and the lineup is pretty stacked as well. Staying healthy, I think we’re a great team and be in really good shape.
Q: Can this team be better than the 2015 team?
A: Yeah, I think so, because we pretty much got everyone back other than Daniel Murphy and a couple of bullpen guys or whatever. As far as the pitching goes … we’re still young, but we gained a little bit more experience, and same thing with the hitters. We added guys like Jay Bruce and stuff, so … I think we are.
Q: Describe what a presence Yoenis Cespedes is in the batter’s box.
A: He’s a monster, he’s just a monster. He’s the guy you just pitch around. He can do some serious damage whenever he wants.
Q: How confident are you in Addison Reed in the closer role early in the season?
A: Oh, very confident. You saw what he did last year coming in the eighth inning, he was lights out. I think Reed’s an awesome pitcher. I think we’ll see some good things out of him again this year.
Q: Describe David Wright.
A: He looks like he’s in great shape to me, and he’s moving around great.
Q: Michael Conforto.
A: He’s also in great shape. I think that’s what’s really cool about this team, you see a lot of guys that worked really hard this offseason to get better. It’s really exciting for all of us in here to see that because you know guys are pushing to make a World Series. Another guy you can expect big things from.
Q: Asdrubal Cabrera.
A: Gets out there every day and plays short and makes all the plays. Is really enjoyable to have him play behind you.
Q: Do you sense a hunger on the team having come so close, having tasted the World Series?
A: Yeah, I think I do. You see guys come in to camp in great shape and kind of got that itch for the season to start. And knowing that we’ve been there and experienced it and come so close.
Q: Are the Nationals the team to beat?
A: Yeah, I think so. They won the division last year. … There’s some tough teams in this division. … It’s gonna be a battle.
Q: Why will Steven Matz be better this season?
A: I’ll be better this season because I put in a lot of work. I was living down in Nashville and was working out with a great group of guys, a great trainer. I really worked my tail off this year. I’m continuing to do it. I think I’ve learned from last year a lot about my body, a lot about pitching, a lot of different things. It’s part of the learning curve, and I’m getting better and smarter and stronger, I think. I had a good group, too, when I was in New York, but I just think we just had a good camaraderie … We had guys like Ben Zobrist, Chase Headley, Steven Wright, Rex Brothers, Logan Forsythe, and there was just kind of a lot of experience there. We just pushed one another, and then we have a really good trainer giving us kind of smart workouts.
Q: What are your personal goals?
A: Making my starts when my name is called. When it’s my turn to pitch, I want to toe the rubber and get on the mound and make a start for my team.
Q: Do you think about winning 20 games?
A: I don’t think about the numbers stuff. My main focus is to just to fine-tune everything in between starts and then just go out there and pitch, try to win a game.
Q: Has your mound mentality changed?
A: I don’t necessarily think my mound mentality changes. I think you learn stuff along the way. I think my mentality out there is all of the time to just go out there and … dominate. I think you learn about sometimes getting over frustrated out there when you make a bad pitch or you give up a hit or home run or whatever. That’s part of the learning curve that you gotta kind of just relax out there.
Q: What was it like for you watching the wild-card loss to the Giants?
A: It’s tough. I mean, Noah pitched a great game. … Stuff happens. It was disappointing. It sucked that I was hurt anyway and wouldn’t have been part of it anyway. Watching that stuff just kind of motivates you to be on the other side of that next season.
Q: How frustrating was it for you — having a sore left shoulder that led to surgery to remove bone spurs — not being able to help that day?
A: It’s real frustrating. Coming out of there I was feeling really good and strong before I got hurt. It’s hard when you’re in midseason form for that to happen, and just kind of have to shut everything down and knowing you’re gonna have to start back at square one and miss the rest of the season.
Q: Give me a scouting report on your fiancée Taylor.
A: She’s from Alabama, so she’s got that southern in her. She’s really hospitable. She’s one of the nicest persons you’d ever meet as soon as you meet her. She’s a country singer. Her and her brother and her sister are in a band called The Cains.
Q: Why would I enjoy listening to them?
A: It’s just good music. They’re kind of unique in the fact that they’re all family. It’s kind of different because it’s not really like the country you hear on the radio as far as the country pop goes. Taylor’s the lead singer and her sister will sing the harmony and stuff, so she’s kind of like Fleetwood Mac-style music.
Q: Have you set a date yet?
A: Yes we have. … Dec. 9.
Q: How did you propose?
A: I was in my old duck blind in New York, and I had two appearances to do, and she thought we were just flying up there to go to the appearances, and her whole family flew up there and she didn’t know. So I put her family and my family in the duck blind that was overlooking the water and the dock poked out, and I just did it on the dock, and her whole family and my family just stood up and cheered.
Q: How excited for this season is YouTube sensation Grandpa Bert?
A: He’s really excited. I know he loves it. He’s ready to come to some games.
Q: How has he adapted to his celebrity?
A: I think he likes it. It’s fun for him when people recognize him at the ballparks and stuff.
Q: He probably likes it more than you do.
A: (Chuckle) Yeah, I think so.
Q: What else is on your bucket list?
A: I would say I want to play 10-plus years in the game, and I want to do something that really impacts people around me using that platform to help people out.
Q: What are a lasting memory from your trip to Honduras?
A: There’s a lot of memories there. … If I had to give one thing, when we were leaving, the kids were just … we couldn’t even really communicate with them that well, with the little Spanish I know, but when we were leaving, these 11-, 12-year-old kids were just like hugging our legs crying, and you don’t realize the impact that you have and the platform that we’re on. It’s only a short window of our lives, it could be if we’re lucky 10 years, but the impact that we have at this point in time is huge on people.
Q: Describe your Steven’s Strikeouts involvement with Angela’s House (Long Island) where you ask for donation pledges for every one of your strikeouts.
A: They’re helping these families with kids with disabilities at an early age, and they’re giving them grants for their house, for their wheelchair to get in, just making their lives more convenient. And there was a girl there named Kim as a testimony to what they did for her. … It kind of just hit home. During the season, she came when I did an appearance at BMW. That BMW dealer joined with me to donate money to Angela’s House.
Q: What is Tru32?
A: I love the line of work of military, police officers. I have so much respect for those guys. Brad Ziegler does it with his foundation called Pastime for Patriots where he leaves tickets and has scholarships for ex-military or military kids who lost their parents overseas. We wanted to see how it went just leaving tickets for 32 members. Every home Wednesday was different, it was either firefighter one day, military one day or police officer one day. We’d leave 32 tickets for any guest and they come into the media room, I would meet them, sign or take a picture if they wanted anything. They’d come to our batting practice and they’d get a shirt, and I just give a little spiel just kind of thanking them for their service, for what they do and just kind of show them appreciation that way.
Q: What are your two favorite Mets moments?
A: I would say No. 1 is just the whole World Series experience … that was awesome. There’s so many things from that first season that I could go through. And then I think my debut, that was a lot of fun.
Q: Being from Stony Brook, describe the feeling of standing on the mound in a World Series pitching for your hometown team.
A: There’s a lot of nerves that come with that. You got the whole island, people who are into baseball watching you. There’s just a lot of nerves that come with that leading up to it. But once you throw that first pitch, it’s just another day’s work, and you prepare a million times for that situation, so it just feels like any other game, just a little extra noise.
Q: How proud of you to be wearing New York on your jersey?
A: I think it’s awesome. I’m very blessed to be part of this organization, especially having lived so close to it. My family is just one short car ride away from watching me pitch in the major leagues, and that’s something that’s been a dream of mine, and I know my parents and family really enjoy it, so it’s really awesome I get to do it in my home state.
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