PCL notes: Matz makes it all the way back

One of the modern myths in baseball is that every pitcher who undergoes Tommy John surgery will come back quickly and be at least as good, if not better, than he was before.

Mets prospect Steven Matz contradicts this and proves it at the same time.

Matz was a 2009 second-round pick out of a Long Island high school. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010.

His first pitch in a competitive game after that? Try 2012.

"From the time I started throwing to the time I got back on the mound, I had a bunch of setbacks," he said. "Nothing really too serious. And then I was throwing bullpens -- it was OK, it wasn't great. It was the first time I got on the mound again to face hitters, it was hurting pretty good."

Matz said the pattern was he would be shut down for two weeks, feel better, throw again, hurt and get shut down again.

"It was pretty much back and forth the whole time," he added. "I had [the surgery on] May 18, 2010. I didn't become symptom-free for two years."

Matz was able to make six starts for Rookie-level Kingsport in 2012, followed by 21 starts with Class A Savannah in 2013. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2014, going 10-9 with a 2.25 ERA in 24 starts for Class A Advanced St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton.

"I felt like with the way I ended in 2013, I was able to carry it into 2014," Matz said. "I kind of started out like that. When I got to Double-A, that's when I really felt good. I felt really in sync -- I felt the routine was there every time."

Now Matz is back to being the prospect the Mets always thought he could be, ranked No. 3 in their system. He's started the season 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six games, including five starts, for Las Vegas.

"I'm just not trying to do too much," Matz said of his success in the hitter-friendly PCL. "It's definitely in the back of your mind, as soon as you get a guy on base, if you make a mistake here it could really hurt you. I have that mind-set: every batter is a runner in scoring position."

Matz has been particularly sharp in his last two starts, allowing three runs and three walks while striking out 19 over 13 innings.

"Pitching is all feel for me," he explained. "It's really that I feel comfortable and try not to do too much with anything."

The Mets are awash in pitching prospects. Matz had top prospect Noah Syndergaard as a teammate until he was promoted to the big leagues Saturday.

"We honestly don't push each other too much; everybody is pretty self-driven," Matz said. "I would say there's some friendly competition that goes on subconsciously. But it's all good fun."

In brief

Power up: With the Astros having promoted Preston Tucker, Sacramento's Adam Duvall has a chance to take over the PCL home run lead. Duvall, the Giants' No. 17 prospect, clubbed his ninth homer of the season on Friday, pulling within one of Tucker.

No Jokisch: Eric Jokisch, the Cubs' 25th-ranked prospect, was one of the PCL's best pitchers last season, but it took him some time to get going this year. In his last two starts for Iowa, the left-hander has allowed two runs over 12 innings to lower his ERA from 5.25 to 3.38.

Garcia gets going: Another slow starter also has picked up the pace in Memphis, where infielder Greg Garcia is hitting .480 (12-for-25) in May. The Cardinals' No. 20 prospect is hitting .289 overall with a .379 on-base percentage.