Before the season, the belief of most was that the Mets' starting pitching was their biggest question mark.
I wrote as much in SNY's Mets season preview and prediction.
But while the starting staff was a question mark, there was plenty of upside with every expected starter.
That upside has not just been met, but exceeded.
Even while operating without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, the Mets' rotation just made history.
With Tuesday's strong start by Kodai Senga, the Mets became the first team ever to have five pitchers with earned run averages 3.15 or lower and 40 or more strikeouts through the first eight starts of a season, via Greg Harvey of Stats Perform and OptaSTATS.
The numbers:
Kodai Senga: 1.22 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 44.1 innings over eight starts
Clay Holmes: 2.74 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 42.2 innings over eight starts
Tylor Megill: 3.10 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 40.2 innings over eight starts
Griffin Canning: 2.36 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 42.0 innings over eight starts
David Peterson: 3.05 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 44.1 innings over eight starts
The level the Mets' staff is performing at is eye-popping, but it really shouldn't be stunning given David Stearns' track record when it comes to identifying starting pitching -- and New York's foundation for pitching success.
Manaea and Montas are both nearing rehab assignments, so the expectation is that the Mets will turn to a six-man rotation in the near future.
Beyond that, possible top-of-the-rotation arms Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean are with Triple-A Syracuse, meaning they're on the doorstep of the majors.
It will be interesting to see how the Mets deploy their rotation later this season if everyone remains healthy and productive. As we've seen time after time -- including right now with the injury-depleted Dodgers -- you can never have enough quality starting pitching.