New Stadium; Same Ol' Mets
April 29th 2009 01:54
The Mets are having a better week than in previous weeks, but this team could be the most overrated team in major league baseball.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya improved the bullpen this offseason with signing Francisco Rodriguez and acquiring Seth Green and J.J. Putz, but the starting rotation is still overrated after Johan Santana.
Oliver Perez is one of the most inconsistent pitchers in baseball, but the Mets were aware of this when they re-signed the veteran pitcher. Perez is 1-2, with a 9.31 ERA in 19-plus innings pitched. He is close to averaging one walk per innings pitched as he walked 15 batters this season. Perez might be demoted to the bullpen or Triple-A to fix his mechanics and regain his confidence, but this is the way Perez has pitched in his entire career. What did the Mets expect when they signed him again?
Livan Hernandez is back to pitching to his expectations after a great spring training. He allowed two runs in his first start, four in his second, but struggled in his third start against the Cardinals, allowing seven runs in four-plus innings. His Cuban birth certificate says he’s 34-years-old, but everyone knows you need to add 10 years to every Cuban birth certificate so this is what you expect from a 44-year-old pitcher. He is a workhorse that is going to eat innings and rest the bullpen, unlike John Maine or Mike Pelfrey.
Both these pitchers are only allowed to pitch five to six innings per start, according to decisions made by manager Jerry Manual. Monday night John Maine allowed one hit over six innings and Manual replaced him for Seth Green. Pelfrey has not pitched into the seventh inning yet this season, despite consistently pitching deep into games a year ago. A reason for this could be the shoulder tendinitis that forced him to already miss a start. Manual needs to let these pitchers earn their money and not rely on his bullpen.
The inconsistently and lack of starters going deep in games will burn out the bullpen for the third straight season. The team is going down this familiar path again. The bullpen will take the criticism in September, but the starters are to blame. Did Minaya really think this team could compete with this pitching rotation in this division? This is just another year of an overrated Mets team.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya improved the bullpen this offseason with signing Francisco Rodriguez and acquiring Seth Green and J.J. Putz, but the starting rotation is still overrated after Johan Santana.
Oliver Perez is one of the most inconsistent pitchers in baseball, but the Mets were aware of this when they re-signed the veteran pitcher. Perez is 1-2, with a 9.31 ERA in 19-plus innings pitched. He is close to averaging one walk per innings pitched as he walked 15 batters this season. Perez might be demoted to the bullpen or Triple-A to fix his mechanics and regain his confidence, but this is the way Perez has pitched in his entire career. What did the Mets expect when they signed him again?
Livan Hernandez is back to pitching to his expectations after a great spring training. He allowed two runs in his first start, four in his second, but struggled in his third start against the Cardinals, allowing seven runs in four-plus innings. His Cuban birth certificate says he’s 34-years-old, but everyone knows you need to add 10 years to every Cuban birth certificate so this is what you expect from a 44-year-old pitcher. He is a workhorse that is going to eat innings and rest the bullpen, unlike John Maine or Mike Pelfrey.
Both these pitchers are only allowed to pitch five to six innings per start, according to decisions made by manager Jerry Manual. Monday night John Maine allowed one hit over six innings and Manual replaced him for Seth Green. Pelfrey has not pitched into the seventh inning yet this season, despite consistently pitching deep into games a year ago. A reason for this could be the shoulder tendinitis that forced him to already miss a start. Manual needs to let these pitchers earn their money and not rely on his bullpen.
The inconsistently and lack of starters going deep in games will burn out the bullpen for the third straight season. The team is going down this familiar path again. The bullpen will take the criticism in September, but the starters are to blame. Did Minaya really think this team could compete with this pitching rotation in this division? This is just another year of an overrated Mets team.
| 69 |
| Vote |
