Feb
3
2011

Taylor-Made For The Mets Bullpen

An article by Joe D

In an off-season filled with signings that required extensive use of Wiki and Baseball Reference to figure out who they were, one among them really captured my attention; Taylor Buchholz.

Probably the least familiar among names like Chris Capuano, Chris Young, Willie Harris and Scott Hairston, Buchholz to me seems to have the most upside and could offer the most bang for the buck. Let me explain why.

Obviously, for the amount of money we were willing to pay, all of the players we signed came with a lot of risk and a variety of built-in issues ranging from being too old, reclamation projects, battling back from a serious injury or coming off a terribly bad season. There’s no sure thing in the entire lot.

Taylor Buchholz falls into the ”battling back from a serious injury” group. He missed all of the 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but thanks to some remarkable medical breakthroughs with the procedure, TJ survivors have done quite well upon their returns to the game, especially for those who were under 30 years old as Buchholz. In some cases, they even come back better than before their surgery.

Buchholz came back last season and pitched in only nine games, going 1-0 with a 3.75 earned run average in 12 innings. The numbers are not nearly as important as the fact he felt great and suffered no setbacks with his arm. Five more months off will give him even more time to heal and max out his arm strength.

It wasn’t long ago, that Buchholz was a highly regarded prospect who had a lethal 12-6 curveball that many scouts considered to be the best in the minor leagues at the time.

Buchholz was well on his way to becoming one of the league’s premier relievers posting a pristine 2.17 ERA and an even more remarkable 56/18 K/BB ratio over 66 1/3 innings with the Rockies during the 2008 season. I see no reason why we cant expect to see that kind of performance again, and perhaps an even stronger one given the pitcher-friendly park and improved defense.

Mark Simon, who does a spectacular job for ESPN and is a die-hard Mets fan, posted some additional information that makes me even more confident that Buchholz could end up becoming the catch of the day (or offseason) for Sandy Alderson.

Simon delves deeper into the science and mechanics of Buchholz in 2008 and cites some great data from Inside Edge;

But the numbers that really jump off the page are the ones we get from our Inside Edge Scouting Service, which does video review for every pitch thrown in the major leagues. Inside Edge charted Buchholz throwing 330 breaking balls in 2008 and its value came in being one of the game’s ultimate swing-and-miss pitches.

Let me quickly recap some of the findings from that analysis:

1. In 2008, no right-hander was better at finishing off a hitter with a two-strike breaking ball than Buchholz.

2. When hitters made contact with a Buchholz curve, they hit it “well” 16.7 percent of the time, significantly below the average for right-handers (23.5 percent).

3. Opponents hit just .116 against Buchholz’s curveball, swinging at it 136 times, and missing 71 times. Ranked fifth best among all right-handers.

4. Buchholz’s 2008 put-away rate with his breaking ball (38.5 percent) was the best for any right-handed pitcher in the game.

Simon concludes that the Mets may have found their eighth-inning man for 2011. To learn more about what these numbers mean and how they are determined, read the full article on ESPN New York.

If he makes the Opening Day roster, and I see no reason why he wont, Buchholz will earn $1.2 million dollars, far less than what we paid for J.J. Putz, Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi who all flirted with the setup role in previous seasons. Bobby Parnell is probably the favorite for the job going into spring training, but he certainly doesn’t have a lock on it. Keep an eye on Buchholz in the coming weeks, I think you’ll all like what you see.

In closing, I’ll say just this… It’s a nice feeling to know that in Taylor Buchholz, we got a pitcher who Theo Epstein wanted very badly. The Red Sox GM claimed Buchholz on waivers from Toronto, non-tendered in hopes of getting him to take a lesser offer, and ultimately made him an offer that was immediately shot down by Buchholz. Instead, the young right-hander accepted a similar deal to play for the Mets. You don’t see that happening very often.

About the Author: Joe DeCaro

I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.

16 Comments + Add Comment

Mr North Jersey February 3, 2011 at 1:46 pm

Fingers crossed on Taylor for sure. Nice article Joe hope your feeling a lot better.
Squidoo February 3, 2011 at 2:05 pm

This reliver sounded like the real deal before he got hurt. I hope he does manage to get back to that same form. I’d love to see if anyone could find some video of him throwing that curve. If I find something I’ll come back and post it here.
Des February 3, 2011 at 2:26 pm

Joe — Great story of a possible future. I’m rooting for Taylor.
K Maxx February 3, 2011 at 2:28 pm

He signed a minor league deal so there’s very little chance he even makes the team when you have guys like Capuano, Tankersley, Acosta, Igarashi, Parnell, Beato, Misch and more ahead of him. I dont know what kind of a minor league deal he got but someyimes if they dont make the team they end up walking so he’s no sure thing.
- any February 3, 2011 at 2:44 pm
  
  the pen will be made of of whichever guys show the goods in ST. A number of those others you mentioned also have options.
  
  If taylor gets back close to what he did before the TJ, he is light years better than Acosta, and anything Iggy showed last year.
  
  This is also a good example of why BPs fluctuate year to year.
- Pete February 3, 2011 at 3:19 pm
  
  The bullpen could be good, and it could be awful too, or anywhere in between. Look at all the question marks. Whose gonna replace Petey and Tak? Tank? Byrd? O’Connor? Anybody? How will Buchholz perform? Will Misch give you anything as a long man? What about Igarashi and Acosta? Can they do any better than what we have already seen? Is D.J. Carrasco any good? And of course the biggest question mark of them all, will Frankie explode again when he falls behind in his life or death quest to finish 55 games this season. I think the closest thing to a sure thing in the bullpen, and one I am really looking forward to is seeing Bobby Parnell pitch an entire season now that he has figured it out.
  - Bayonne Mets Fan February 3, 2011 at 3:28 pm
    
    Add to that, that according to Mike Francesa said he’s hearing is that Santana won’t be back until the 2nd half – makes me even more angrier about the offseason Sandy had.
    
    The Mets have a NICE lineup that should compete for WC and another route should have been taken to get us some healthy starting pitching. Sure you could gamble with Chris Young but just spending a little bit more and/or taking a little bit off next year’s payroll (like he did with Dickey) could have helped land us a guy like Harang or similar too as well.
    
    But Saber Sandy is consumed with is own intelligence (?) and I guess him and his google boys figure the’re smarter than anyone else even though Billy Beane has had 13 years for his beliefs to revamp the A’s minor leagues – and they’re now WORSE.
    
    The Mets have had all HIGH RISK signings this offseason. The Mets are in a precarious situation so there is no “Low Risk” financially or not.
    
    As for this Dollar store science mentality, if that’s the case then you’re gonna get exactly what you pay for.
    - Donal February 3, 2011 at 3:39 pm
      
      So, who out there would have been a replacement for Santana?
      
      Who is it specifically that you wanted? Cliff Lee? Is Bartolo Colon your savior? Kevin Millwood? Carl Povano? Do you really Beleive Harrang was the answer?
      
      “As for this Dollar store science mentality, if that’s the case then you’re gonna get exactly what you pay for.”
      
      With a payroll over $140 million, we should hope so.
    - any February 3, 2011 at 3:40 pm
      
      santana was never supposed to be back before the 2nd half, at best. Mike is just figuring this out now?
      - Donal February 3, 2011 at 3:42 pm
        
        You expect him to know about the team his station is upposedly the home station for? That requires competence and professional integrity. Something you don’t see much of in sports media.
    - Mr North Jersey February 3, 2011 at 5:07 pm
      
      I saw you write this in the shoutbox and i just want to ask you where did you get the idea that Santana would be back b4 the 2nd half of the season?
      
      At best it was hoped that if everything went well he could be back for the 2nd half and clearly that was but a estimate not some definitive deadline.
      - Des February 3, 2011 at 5:23 pm
        
        I think Sandy helped foster the story by saying that Santana was cleared for throwing. It implied he was making good progress. My own view is that the Mets will be fortunate to get Johan the Warrior by September. I’m referring here to Santana being in competitive shape. More likely to me is that Johan will be ready for the 2012 season.
        
        any February 3, 2011 at 5:28 pm
        
        I will consider it a miracle if we get the old vintage johan back for 2012. I consider him to not exist for 2011.
        
        Mr North Jersey February 3, 2011 at 5:30 pm
        
        With all due respect all it implied was that he was cleared to begin throwing. If you read more into it than that it can’t be helped.
        
        Des February 3, 2011 at 5:41 pm
        
        You underestimate the value of good marketing. Sandy knew exactly what he was doing. Did he utter any cautionary statement?
        
        Mr North Jersey February 3, 2011 at 5:45 pm
        
        Again with due respect the idea that saying in what December? That your ace can begin throwing was done for marketing again falls under reading more into it than it implies.

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	24	18	.571	-
Nationals	23	20	.535	1.5
Phillies	20	23	.465	4.5
Mets	16	24	.400	7.0
Marlins	11	32	.256	13.5

Last updated: 05/18/2013

MMO Mets Chat

Need Tickets To The Mets Game?

Check Out These Great MLB Links!

For wholesale prices on New York Mets gifts and equipment, check these stores out!
Mets Autograph Signings
Mets Fan Apparel
Mets Autographed Baseballs
Baseball Card Supplies
Baseball Equipment

For the best seats and lowest MLB ticket prices, go to PurchaseSeats.com. Get your Mets Tickets now and follow them on the road with Yankees Tickets, Phillies Tickets, Nationals Tickets and Braves Tickets!