Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey -- As the second game of this week's four game series between the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs approaches, the mouths of Mets fans everywhere are watering with glee.

deGrom. Syndergaard. Harvey -- Those are the starting pitchers for the first three games of the series in Chicago, and even though deGrom clunked his way to a loss on Monday night, Mets fans still await Tuesday's game with utter joy. That's because New York's top prospect, Syndergaard, is set to make his first Major League start against the Cubbies at Wrigley Field.

Syndergaard was acquired by New York from the Toronto Blue Jays on December 17, 2012, in a seven-player trade that sent R.A. Dickey to Toronto and Syndergaard and catcher Travis d'Arnaud to the Mets, and it looks like the deal payed off for the Mets.

Syndergaard, who has been lovingly nicknamed "Thor," has swept through the Minor Leagues quickly, posting a 1.82 ERA in AAA for the Las Vegas 51s this season. Noah has climbed up MLB.com's top prospect ladder, landing at #10 before the 2015 season, and ever since the trade, he has been considered the Mets' top pitching prospect.

However, Thor does not feel like any other hyped-up prospect. Since he has become general manager, Sandy Alderson has put the Mets on a road to contention thanks to a bundle of young players and smart veteran free agents. The Mets are right where they want to be right now: eight games above .500 with a 2.5 game lead over the Washington Nationals heading into Tuesday night's game. They have seven pitchers on the disabled list, and last year's closer, Jenrry Mejia, is serving an 80-game suspension.

As Thor steps to the Wrigley mound on Tuesday, Mets fans will be reminded of how deep their team is in 2015. They have prospects galore, and an ailing pitching staff that amazingly ranks second in the Majors in ERA and WHIP.

Thor will give Mets fans even more reasons to cheer. He is 22 years old, and if he continues to improve, Noah could become a part of baseball's best pitching rotation.

That is what makes this debut so big. The Mets finally have this magical sense of potential. With pitchers like deGrom, Harvey, Thor, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, Rafael Montero, Hansel Robles, and Jeurys Familia, the Mets finally have the bright future that is a dominant, young pitching staff. Teams need pitching to go far in Major League Baseball, and New York has plenty of it.

Whether or not the Mets win on Tuesday night, Syndergaard's debut will mark the beginning of a new era for the Mets -- an era in which they are in most every game thanks to their pitching and in which they could achieve anything.

It all starts when Thor takes the hill Tuesday night.