SNY pregame and postgame analyst Nelson Figueroa talks with The Post’s Justin Terranova about the inconsistencies of Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard and whether he has talked to Jerry Seinfeld, yet.
Q: Are you starting to get concerned about Matt Harvey?
A: [Not] about his stuff or his arm. My only concern is about his execution and his pitches and the frustration level that he’s feeling. But it’s concerning because they are not getting bloop singles, they are hitting balls that are leaving the yard. Sometimes you need to be humbled in this game. He’s the “Dark Knight,” something more than Matt Harvey. I imagine he’s going to get better because of this.
Q: Aramis Ramirez has been mentioned as a trade possibility. Would he be a good fit?
A: Aramis is kind of an enigma. He’s a guy that’s capable of 20-home-run power, but he’s an older player and it’s interesting to see how he would fit in. He’d have a connection to Bartolo Colon and some of the other Dominican players on the team. I think he wants the opportunity to win, and to do it in New York would be intriguing. It’s interesting to see what he has left in the tank. His bat’s looked a lot slower than in recent years.
SNY analyst and former Mets pitcher Nelson FigueroaSNYQ: What do you see as the reason for Syndergaard’s inconsistent start?
A: He has the talent to be a frontline starter. However, getting outs at the major league level is not nearly that easy. It’s such a mixed bag from him. He is a viable option, but he’s not a finished product. There’s a lot more room to grow. He doesn’t use his changeup nearly enough, bounce his curveball nearly enough, or go outside the zone enough with his 98 mph fastball. That’s been the disappointing part for him so far.
Q: What have you seen from and heard about Steven Matz?
A: The Mets want to take their time, but sometimes you need a spark. I’ve talked to a number of people who have seen him and caught him and they’ve been so impressed. They feel like he can possibly have the best stuff on the staff. I’m not saying he’s going to come up and blow away the world, but the curiosity is there to see what he has. [Ed.: Matz had his worst Triple-A start of the season Thursday night: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K] We’ve seen what we are getting out of [Jonathon] Niese and [Dillon] Gee right now, and it’s just not enough consistency.
Q: Seinfeld was upset that you replaced Bob Ojeda. Have you and Jerry spoken, yet?
A: We have not spoken face to face. He was on Colin Cowherd’s show last week. He was basically saying how he didn’t like how it came off. He didn’t want it to be against me so much, but he feels like they need an “old dude” to critique baseball. You have to respect that, but I’m 41 years old, played for 19 years, so I’ve seen a lot of the ups-and-downs. I may not be as old as some people, but I have seen enough to critique it and analyze it.


