As comfort grows with Mets, Kodai Senga stepping into role as ace of rotation

After his final start of the 2023 season, Kodai Senga provided a wish list for the Mets front office.

The Japanese rookie joked that he was hoping for "good free agents or good trades" to top off the team's rotation heading into the 2024 season. That desire was not cultivated completely, and this season's rotation will assuredly pale in comparison to the one led by Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer coming into camp last year.

Now, after a stellar rookie season of getting acclimated to Major League Baseball, finishing with 202 strikeouts and seventh in NL Cy Young voting, Senga has found himself leading the Mets' rotation by default after few earth-shattering additions to the starting rotation and whiffing in their attempt to land fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency.

"I think the fact that I'm getting these types of questions means that some other people out there might think of me that way," Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara, on the perception that he is the team's top starter. "But that was the result of me just staying healthy and running through the season last season. I plan to do no different, just staying healthy and getting through ’24 and we'll see what happens."

From rookie to ace

Entering last season, there was plenty for Senga to have to acclimate to as he joined Major League Baseball on a five-year, $75 million contract: a different baseball, new culture and unfamiliar schedule and travel.

After some early hiccups, Senga proved he could handle the adjustments. Now, in his second season with the Mets, the 31-year-old right-hander feels a sense of calm that has come with the familiarity of his surroundings in Port St. Lucie.

Despite moves to bring in Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser in free agency, the biggest adjustment for Senga could be handling the ace label heading into the season. Manager Carlos Mendoza wants to make sure that outside noise does not knock Senga off his game.

"I don't think it's fair for him to put that type of pressure (on himself)," Mendoza said. "We want Senga to be the best version of himself and continue to improve on his pitches. A lot of the things, he's very detail-oriented, and he's a gamer, so I’m happy to have him in the rotation."

Takeaways: Things that stood out from Carlos Mendoza's opening address at Mets spring training

After all, it is a role that Senga slid into during the second half of 2023 after Verlander and Scherzer were traded away. In the months of August and September, Senga was 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. Eight of his 10 starts were of the quality variety.

"They were already away from us the latter half of the season last year, so nothing's very different from that point," Senga said. "But thinking about the team and if our bullpen was used up the day prior, trying to go as deep as I can into the games and that's something I've thought about in Japan, as well."

Handling the workload

After pitching once a week in Japan, the Mets' previous leadership was cautious with Senga in his first season, pitching him only three times on regular rest over the course of the season.

It led to strong results, with Senga leading the Mets with 29 starts and 166.1 innings. Whether Senga's workload will change in year two is still a cloudy prospect.

"There's a lot that goes into this decision-making, but at the end of the day, it’s about putting Senga in the best position to have success and help the team win games," Mendoza said. "There will be a lot of conversations, not only day to day, but from start to start, bullpens. There's a lot that’s going to go on behind the scenes."

State of the Mets: 4 takeaways as David Stearns sets the tone for spring training 2024

The Mets manager said a number of factors would go into the timing of Senga's starts, including his health, the schedule and state of the bullpen. Senga is prepared to up his production.

"Obviously we don't know how the schedule is going to pan out with off days or road days and whatnot, but whether it's short rest or long rest, I plan to be ready for anything that comes my way," Senga said.

Areas of improvement

As Senga looks for a follow-up performance, an area where he would like to improve is his performance on the road.

The righty pitched to a 3.68 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 13 road starts, compared to a 2.42 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 16 starts at Citi Field last season.

"The long flights and long travel, my body can start to become unsynced, and it's all about how to sync it back up and how to get that synced up as quick as possible," Senga said.

Senga knows that teams will be keying in on his ghost forkball heading into his second season, so it's about maintaining that pitch's sharpness and bringing up the level of his remaining arsenal.

He offered a surprise for Mendoza during their first meeting: a new pitch shape. According to Senga, "it's still a work in progress." The first season in the major leagues helped Senga formulate a road map toward continued success and he'll be looking to use that to lead the Mets' staff in year two.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Kodai Senga ready to be ace of NY Mets rotation in 2024 season