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Matt Harvey: I'm Ready To Put The Mets' Staff On My Shoulders

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The loss of Zack Wheeler is a huge blow to the Mets, but staff ace Matt Harvey still believes that the Amazin's can contend in 2015.

And he's ready to lead the way.

The hard-throwing right-hander -- who didn't pitch in 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery -- has looked sensational this spring, and he knows that he'll need to be his brilliant self if the Mets have any hope of returning to the postseason.

"I kind of took over and took charge at North Carolina when I was a junior, and had the whole staff on my shoulders there," Harvey told the New York Post on Tuesday. "So now it comes pretty natural. It's something I enjoy. I'm ready to do the same thing here."

Even with Wheeler on the shelf, the Mets' rotation figures to be formidable. Dillon Gee is expected to replace the 24-year-old, and rounding out the staff is reigning Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon.

Rafael Montero will also be considered for a rotation spot, and top prospects Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are expected to make their major league debuts this season.

"I don't look at it that way," Harvey told the newspaper in regard to changing the organization's culture. "I just go about things the way that I do and the way that I know how. That's what I've always done ... I do everything I can to win and lead by example on the field. That's important to me.

"I never asked for it, but it's come and it's a great honor. It's something I take great pride in. We can't let this be something that ends our season."

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