I initially submitted this when MetsGeek put out a call for new writers last month, but it was rejected for publication. My second writing career may be over before it even began!

I enjoyed the piece that the other guy wrote on Humber, mainly because we were on the same page. Here was my take:

It’s now or never for Philip Humber, who is running out of chances to finally crack the Mets’ starting rotation.

The fifth spot in the 2008 rotation is still anyone’s guess. The best answer though, lies in Humber, a cheap and intriguing internal option that will cost the Mets less money, but will require them to have a little bit more faith in their scouting department.

As it stands now, his ultimate destiny will be another season near

, waiting for the parent club to finally give him a chance. It is a mistake that could haunt the Mets down the road – a mistake that will haunt them even more if Humber is traded for veteran help this winter.

It’s hard to imagine that Humber could possibly have anything more to gain by spending another full season at AAA New Orleans. His last 39 minor-league starts are a testament to a pitcher ready to contribute at the major league level.

Since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2006, Humber has pitched 215.3 innings and given up only 185 hits. The underwhelming 16-12 record is fortified by a 3.76 ERA, 199 strikeouts and a 1.156 WHIP. What more does the guy have to prove?

Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez are going into the final year of their contracts, while John Maine and Oliver Perez are sure to be back after their breakthrough seasons. That leaves one more spot to fill, barring a trade or off-season injury.

Although the free-agent market for starters is embarrassingly thin, Omar Minaya could still try to make a big splash and import an ace from another club. He also loves reclamation projects, so it’s a safe bet that Minaya will sign a few retreads in the off-season and see if they can give him a solid month or two.

There is simply no need to do so. The answer is already in their farm system, waiting for his chance to shine.

Forget about the poor outing Humber had the last week of the 2007 season, giving up five runs in 4-plus innings in a loss to the Nationals. Blame Willie Randolph for letting Humber rot for a month in the bullpen before that start. Humber was given just one inning of mop-up relief work to prepare for that disastrous late September start, even though he would’ve a better spot-starter option than Mike Pelfrey or Brian Lawrence. No pitcher could’ve reasonably been expected to succeed with that much rust.

And don’t be fooled by the deceptively pedestrian numbers Humber put up as a Zephyr last season, going 11-9 with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.245 WHIP. He tied for third in the league in wins and led all qualified starters in WHIP. The ERA numbers were skewed a bit by the 21 home runs that Humber allowed, but it was still good for fifth-best among qualified starters. Combine that with the terrific 76 innings he threw across three levels in 2006, and it should be clear that Humber deserves a chance to perform at the major league level.

(It should be mentioned that only 16 pitchers actually qualified for the Pacific Coast League ERA title in 2007 using the conventional metric of 1 inning pitched per game. If you use selective endpoints and look at PCL starters making at least 19 starts, the pool expands to 45 starters – more than the number that qualified for the National League ERA title in 2007. Humber would’ve still been eleventh in ERA and the league leader in WHIP.)

Three years ago, Humber filled the hearts of Mets fans with excitement when they drafted him third overall in the 2004 Amateur Draft. A big right-hander who won 35 games in three seasons as a Rice Owl, those fans could be forgiven if they harbored visions of Humber’s sinking fastball and sharp-breaking curve on the mound at Shea Stadium by now.

Of course, not everyone is Justin Verlander. The Detroit Tigers snagged Verlander one spot before Humber in that 2004 draft and he has quickly shot to stardom, already establishing himself as one of the elite pitchers in the American League. Humber, on the other hand, battled injury and ineffectiveness early in his professional career before rebounding in 2006 and 2007.

Humber is going to be 25 years old on Opening Day 2008. He’ll have nearly 300 minor-league innings under his belt, not to mention the additional 350 innings from his college days at Rice. He’s even a full year removed from the Tommy John surgery that stole parts of 2005 and 2006 away. There’s simply nothing left for Humber to prove in the minor leagues. At this point, either the Mets believe that he is a major league pitcher or he isn’t.

If they do not, Minaya should trade him to a team with more foresight, before his value drops further and the false perception of “failed prospect” becomes permanently affixed to his name.

So don’t compare Humber to Brian Bannister, whose shocking 2007 season with the Kansas City Royals is unlikely to ever be replicated. Take a look further south, as Scott Kazmir toils in relative anonymity with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (are they officially the “Rays” yet?), if you want to see the potential impact that not giving a young guy the chance to prove himself can have.

The question is, will he ever get the chance to prove it in this organization?