The first pitches that Matt Harvey threw this spring, and the last, seemed to have redefined what the Mets might be this year. If the chorus of rival evaluators is right, that Harvey is already an East Coast version of Clayton Kershaw -- right now -- that’s a nice starting point.

The numbers that Harvey generated this spring echo what the scouts and executives and uniformed personnel are all saying: He allowed one walk, struck out 21 and surrendered three runs in 22 2/3 innings. Harvey says he’s ready to go, Adam Rubin writes.

But for the Mets, the great spring has not only been about how quickly Harvey has returned to extraordinary, or what a revitalized Curtis Granderson could mean to the offense, or how another 30-homer season from Lucas Duda could translate in the NL East.

It’s also about the parade of prospects