Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is making lower pitch counts and going deeper into starts his main goal in 2015, the New York Daily News reports.
"I think the biggest thing is just being consistent in the (strike) zone,” Wheeler said Wednesday from the team's spring-training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "I’m a power pitcher, so I can afford to get away with some walks. But I think it’s cutting down the pitches and the innings. I think it’s a little bit hard for me, just because I throw a little bit harder, so guys foul more stuff off and some things you can’t help like that. I think it’s just that I have to learn how to adjust to that and maybe throw it more in the strike zone. If I start getting hit, maybe just back off of that a little bit. It may take a bit of a hard learning experience to sort of accept that and try it out. But at the same time, that’s what we’re down here for at spring training and we’ll see how it goes over the next few months and go from there."
Wheeler is at the team's spring-training facility early in order to work on achieving his goal in the upcoming season. Pitchers and catchers aren't required to report until Feb. 19. Wheeler went 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA and 187:79 K:BB ratio in 185 1/3 innings in 2014.