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Palladino: Picking Opening Day Starter A Simple Job For Mets' Collins

By Ernie Palladino
» More Ernie Palladino Columns

Terry Collins has set Friday as the day he will answer the easiest question of his managerial life.

Who will pitch Opening Day?

He'll of course put some thought into whether he will run Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, or Noah Syndergaard out there to start this season of high expectations. No matter who he chooses for April 3 in Kansas City, he'll have to line up this rotation accordingly over the next two weeks, just like his brethren around the league.

But Collins will have the easiest, least nerve-wracking decision of the bunch. He gets to pick between three guys who fit the description of "ace."

He can't go wrong with any of them, at least on paper.

Collins will have a few items to check off on each of them, however. None will have an overriding effect on their respective seasons, as all three are in healthy enough shape to pitch that first week of the season. But Opening Day is a time to put a team's best foot forward, so a little contemplation rather than a simple round of Enny-Meeny-Miney-Moe is in order.

The manager might, for instance, want to weigh the state of deGrom's sore back and Mrs. deGrom's plans to deliver the couple's baby boy.

The former poses no problem. The right-hander sat out Monday's start as a precaution. He is expected back for his next one, presumably after finding a better mattress.

It's the other issue that could get a tad sticky. His wife's due date falls during that opening series.

"I have to be there when my son is born," deGrom told the media Monday.

Unless Baby deGrom decides on a super-early entrance, Collins might want to avoid another potential Daniel Murphy situation and save deGrom for the last game of the series.

Harvey is certainly a logical choice. He's no longer coming back from Tommy John surgery. He IS back, though last year's search for consistency from his slider remains ongoing.

He's off to a good start, though. He threw some nasty ones Sunday in four scoreless innings against the Marlins.

A solid Opening Day start might serve the competitive Harvey well in shaking out any lingering bitterness over his ninth-inning blowup in Game 5 of the World Series.

With just one run allowed in seven innings over two starts, Harvey appears ready to go. And unless Harvey has tempered his personality since talking his way back into Game 5, he'll probably lobby for Opening Day.

Collins might just listen to him this time, too, unless he has his heart set on Syndergaard. The righty would certainly be up to the task, given his two winning performances in the NLCS and World Series.

Even if this would be Syndergaard's first Opening Day assignment, a lot of other managers will be fielding worse options than a 23-year-old who throws regularly in the upper 90s, just like the other two.

The matters Collins considers with his three "aces" before Friday are comparatively small. Scheduling, fine-tuning, and youth are not long-range problems. Only deGrom's potential physical absence should prevent Collins from going with him.

Beyond that, pick one.

Any one.

They can all make for a grand Opening Day.

Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino

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