New York Mets 2019 Preview – Relief Pitchers

If you’re familiar with Mets history, and by this point you’re basically an expert, you should understand heartbreak. The Mets are like the Country Music of the MLB. Rooting for the Mets is like having your wife cheat on you, the dog run away and the pick up truck died. It’s so disheartening. While injuries are at the forefront of the heartbreak, relief pitchers are a close second place.

I won’t even bring up Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. That’s heartbreak that even the countriest of country singers can’t relate to.

The history of Mets relievers is not pretty. Most have been huge fans of giving up walks and then a backbreaking homerun. Give this for the relievers of the past – they had the flair for the dramatic. No, they couldn’t break your heart fast with a game ending walk off homerun. Instead, they would walk a few, record several outs and THEN give up the homerun that broke your heart. I won’t go through every reliever in the past, but here’s a quick hit of some of the standouts that made me the cynical jerk I am today.

John Franco – A Mets “legend”, Franco was famous for never playing on a good team and blowing every game I saw him pitch. Outside of the mustache and his New York accent, I really don’t see what people love about this guy. Maybe I was too young? I just remember him not being too good.

Armando Benítez – Ok, most people would not consider Benetiz good, and that’s with good reason. He was horrible. You knew he’d blow any big game and boy did he live up to that reputation. At least he was also a jerk about it. I’ve never met a baseball fan who had a good thing to say about Benítez.

Billy Wagner – A hard throwing lefty, Wagner was much better before ever putting on a Mets uniform. By his third season with the team, it was easier to squint at the scream then to watch it with opened eyes. I suppose changing the channel was also better for one’s health too.

Francisco Rodriguez – The Mets answer for their bullpen blowing beascially every game. Instead of beefing up the bullpen entirely, the Mets overpaid a reliever off his career year. Predictably, Rodriguez declined before our very eyes, struggling to record even one out saves in year 3. He was far from a lock down closer, and had a physical altercation with a family member in the clubhouse. Great.

Bobby Parnell – A potential Mets set up man, Parnell threw really hard and hated to miss bats. In fact, line drives were one of his favorite past times. At least he kept opponents in the yard nearly 50% of the time.

Jennry Mejia – After years of injuries, the Mets finally did what I asked for – convert talented pitcher Jennry Mejia to a reliever. While he walked way too many hitters, he managed to dance around it and close games. It was a bad recipe, but I thought he could manage it. Then, almost on que, Mejia received multiple suspensions for PEDs and only recently has been allowed back into baseball. So say this was embarrassing was an understatement. I wrote about it once, but that was years ago now. I’ve moved my anger to other players.

Jerry Blevins – At one point, Blevings was a lock down lefty specialist. By the end of his three year run, he decided to just walk most of his opposition instead. Honestly, the most memorable moment in Blevins’ 2018 run was that he had a sock giveaway.

Pedro Feliciano – Now Feliciano… this was a guy who knew what was up. He was wonderful against lefties. There was always talk about expanding Feliciano’s role, but that never happened. He just cut through lefty hitters like a hot knife through butter. After his Mets tenure, he went to the Yankees, but was too broken down to pitch effectively anymore. In a rare turn of events, the Mets didn’t acquire a washed up player. Honestly, it was a shame, because Feliciano was so good for the Mets for so long.

See, not every review is negative.

Addison Reed – Reed was solid for his multiple seasons with the team… except when he let men on base. He was one of the worst pitchers in history when baserunners were on. I would scream so many obscenities every time the team inserted him with runners in scoring position. The Mets brass is not known for pattern recognition. If Reed had clean bases when he came in, he was filthy. But if he inherited or let one single runner on, the game was over.

Jeruys Familia – Oh, we’ll have plenty on him in a minute.

So yeah, it’s not ideal so say the least. This season, the Mets added two relievers of significance, and brought back a few classics. With a pitching staff with the potential of the Mets, relievers are extra important. You want players capable of holding leads. Ask Jacob deGrom how it felt to have 8 blown saves in his first 6 starts last year. I’ll give you a hint, it’s not great.

I’m not fully sold on this year’s relievers, but it could be worse. Actually, no it couldn’t be. We brought back Jeurys Familia. It’s like the Mets are actively trying to make me root for a different team. Perhaps back as a Set up man, he won’t blow every game he pitches.

I doubt that heavily though.

I’m not going to review 7 pitchers form the pen. Instead, I’ll review the five pitchers who should have an important role, for better or worse. There will be plenty of players who pitch in relief this year, so covering the 2 remaining spots seems a bit silly. Hopefully the Mets uncover a gem that becomes a staple, but that’s unlikely to stick for the full season. Typically, Met managers find a reliever they like and wear his arm to dust. Then, they move on to their second choice in May and do the same.

I remember Jim Henderson a few years back. He was nasty out of the gate. He also pitched in every game for the first three weeks and quickly had shoulder pain. When he returned a while later, he was nowhere near the same. Never, under any circumstances get attached to a Mets reliever. If you do, there’ll be singing a country song about you soon.

Mostly about how dumb you are. I mean, did you read that list? Come on man.

Edwin Diaz (RHP)

Career – 2.64 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 14.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9

2018 – 1.96 ERA .79WHIP, 15.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9

This is why the Cano trade happened. I know Cano is still pushed as a big star, but that’s not the case. Diaz was the best closer last season and his stuff is pure filth. He’s an incredible strikeout pitcher, with his fastball touching 100 MPH. Really, the only issue he’s ever had was a bit of wildness but he seemed to have that under control.

He certainly did not have it under control in 2017. Diaz was actually demoted to the minors for a bit to find himself. That was only a season and a half ago. There has to be some concern of him losing his touch. I mean, you saw the list above, didn’t you? It’s not pretty.

He has not been good in Spring Training. Now, does it really matter? No, not really. We have no idea whether Diaz is working on specific pitches or if he’s been trying to strike everyone out. I just wanted to mention it for completeness.

Most bullpen arms don’t stay elite forever. They are on a clock. Most only throw 2-3 pitchers. Once there’s enough tape out, hitters can figure out just about anyone. However, the true elites stay that way for a while. Diaz has the stuff to be truly elite. Look at how he lowered his walk rate, really his only issue. also, average to good pitches good strike out 124 batters in 73 innings. That says something. Whiff, I’d think.

Prediction: Diaz takes a slight step back to his career averages. Of course, his career averages are fantastic so he has a marvelous season.

Robert Gsellman (RHP)

Career – 4.38 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9

2018 – 4.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 3.2 BB/9.

The artist formally known as fake deGrom moves to the pen full time last year. Rumors of him cutting off his hair cannot be exaggerated enough.

I’ll be honest- I though Gsellman was much better out of the pen last year. I think his hot start made me think otherwise. Really he had two outstanding months and four disgusting ones. Those disgusting months helped give him a line that…. well, his numbers lined up with his career averages. That’s not great.

Still, I think he can be useful. Gsellman throws sinkers which should play well in relief and force some timely double plays. He was also used a lot last season. Hopefully with a stronger pen, he won’t be called on as much as stay fresh. Maybe get a little lucky too.

Prediction: Maybe we can get that ERA under 4, ehh? No? Ok then. I expect Gsellman to basically be the same as he was last year. It’s fine. Not elite, but fine.

Seth Lugo (RHP)

Career – 3.44 ERA, 1.19 WHIP , 7.9 K/9, 2.5 BB/9

2018 – 2.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9

Some of Lugo’s numbers came in a few starts last year. You can argue he was actually a better pitcher than the results showed, and they showed a good pitcher. Personally, I wish Lugo got more run as a starter. I’d rather see him in the rotation over Vargas and, sadly, Matz. Maybe if injuries befall the team, he’ll join the starters but for now, he’s our multi inning option.

Honestly, he’s really good at relief too. Without the need for a plethora a pitches, batters get a healthy dose of Lugo’s curve. It’s one of the more devastating breaking pitches in the game. He doesn’t throw hard, but his fastball is effective enough. It’s all about setting up the curve anyway.

In a tight situation, Lugo is probably coming out first. He’s our chess piece. You know how most smart teams don’t make their best reliever their closer? Well, the Mets aren’t quite there yet, but Lugo a very good option for a multi inning assignment, a spot start, or getting the heart of the order out. He could start, but maybe this is where he belongs.

Prediction: I expect more of the same form Lugo this year. That curve is the stuff of nightmares for hitters. He won’t get the acclaim he deserves, but Lugo is one of the most valuable Mets.

Justin Wilson (LHP)

Career – 3.33 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 4.0 BB/9

2018 – 3.46 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 11.4 K/9, 5.4 BB/9

This year’s version of Jerry Blevins is much different. Wilson is a fireball reliever who’s always put up good to great strikeout numbers. Last year’s 11.4 K/9 isn’t quite elite for a reliever, but it’s damn good. Wilson has great stuff. The problem is, he doesn’t know where any of it is going.

Wilson has never met a batter he didn’t want to walk. This has been a career issue, but last year he nearly averaged 5.5 walks per 9 innings. That’s at least 1 free base runner every other appearance. That’s a death sentence for a team, especially when the job is to get a big lefty bat out. If he’s just going to walk them, we could have brought Blevins back for cheaper.

In Wilson’s defense, he’s been better than last year reflects. I don’t hate having a hard throwing lefty in the pen. I just wish we had a second one we could rely on. This is like betting on black in roulette. I need a few more outs to feel good.

Prediction: I think Wilson is going to struggle. The heat will remain, but the call will be all over the zone. There’s effectively wild, and there’s a command problem. Wilson is on the latter side. Not a great move.

Bonus prediction: If the Mets are in the playoff hunt, don’t be surprised if they add a starter and move Matz to the pen to conserve his body. I said this for Harvey a year ago, but Matz isn’t a raging, self centered asshole, so it could work.

 

Jeurys Familia

Career – 2.73 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9

2018 – 3.13 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 3.5 BB/9.

Lost 3 games in the 2015 World Series.

Lost the 2016 Wild Card Game.

Accused of Domestic Violence days after filming an anti Domestic Violence commercial days earlier.

Was Harvey not available? I hate this signing and I hate this player.

I don’t care what his numbers show. Sure, they are great in his career and he was wonderful for the A’s last season after we traded him. But this is damaged goods. You don’t blow that many big games as a reliever and come back. Your mystique is gone. Everyone knows they can hit you. You might as well throw a slow pitch soft ball.

Or you know, a shitty quick pitch that blows game one of a World Series when you had hitters off balance. Whatever you’d prefer.

He’ll walk guys more often in tense situations. He gets hit harder when it matters. What more do I need to say? To summon Chris Jericho, I will never EVER trust Familia again.

Plus, do we really want a domestic violence guy on the roster, again? Why do I have to say again in that sentence? It’s embarrassing. It’s frigging ridiculous we don’t care about character at all. The Mets tried to hype up this signing. Did they think we didn’t remember the last three years? I wouldn’t be surprised if the brass believes were all morons.

Could he be good in a set up role? Sure. Of fact, I expect him to excel early and look dominant again.

Will he be good in a set up role in September? Sure, for the Braves, Nationals and Phillies. Light this contract on fire please.

Prediction: Somehow, Familia will blow another 5 wins for deGrom in the first few weeks. He will continue to be the set up man with no threat of losing his role. I lose my voice multiple times this year cursing his name.