PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets much-heralded rotation has Frank Viola’s fingerprints all over it — with Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler all having pitched in the minors under the tutelage of the former All-Star.
Despite the success Viola has had in six years coaching in the team’s farm system, he still hasn’t become a major league pitching coach.
“After being in Vegas for four years, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t love to have an opportunity to make a difference in the big leagues,” Viola said Thursday. “If it happens, it happens. If not …”
Most recently, Viola interviewed with the Orioles this past offseason, meeting with general manager Dan Duquette, manager Buck Showalter and Brady Anderson, the vice president of player operations.
“I thought the interview went well and I walked out feeling good,” said Viola — who lost out on the job to another ex-Met, Roger McDowell. “They waited 2 ¹/₂ weeks before they hired Roger.”
So instead of spending the spring in Sarasota with the Orioles, Viola is back with the Mets.
“It’s not a bad situation with the guys we had,” said Viola, standing just feet from what the Mets hope is their starting rotation this season of Matt Harvey and the four pitchers Viola worked with extensively.
“I’d love to see what these [guys] can do when everyone’s healthy,” Viola said. “It’s a really scary thought.”
But there is no guarantee he will stick around Las Vegas long enough to tutor the next generation of young Mets pitchers.
“The hardest part is being away from my family,” Viola said.
Viola and his wife moved from Florida to North Carolina during the offseason, and their three grown children live on the East Coast.
“Being in Vegas, that’s way out there, that’s rough,” Viola said. “That’s why I left the game in the first place, when I retired [as a player] in ’96. I was missing out on my kids. The travel, it’s tough. And there aren’t many easy trips in the [Pacific Coast League].”
While he sorts out his future, the 56-year-old said he feels good after 2014 heart surgery.
“When I come here to spring training and see all the boys again, I say, ‘This is what I’m meant to do,’ ” Viola said. “So right now, I’m where I’m meant to be. And I’m 100 percent here, ready to help someone else get to the big leagues and make it.”
Beyond that, not even Viola is sure.
“When I first started, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Viola said. “I just wanted to make a difference. I wanted to work with kids. Eventually, though, you think of other things. Hopefully I’ve made a difference.”