Apr
13
2011

Doug’s Dugout: Revolving Doors, Sour Grapes and Whipping Posts

An article by Doug Branch

In Doug’s Dugout today we discuss: the broken bullpen, Sick Bay, and other feeble thoughts.

The best way to fix the Mets bullpen is to remove the door from it’s hinges. That will make it easier for the relievers to enter the field. And it would be more practical too! After all, it’s been like a stampede out there so far.

Better yet, install a revolving door, because by the end of the season, the exorbitant count may lead to the complete destruction of the structure. Moreover, it might be wise to also install a turn style to keep track of the number of different relievers that have jogged to the Citi Field mound from the home pen.

Instead of a counter it should contain an odometer. The Mets traveling secretary also might want to check on frequent flyer benefits for Bobby Parnell, among others. My guess is he’ll be on the Buffalo shuttle shortly and often.

Seriously, this is a motley crew, but what did you expect?

You get what Sandy (Alderson) pays for. He brought them all in except for Parnell and Frankie Rodriquez (and Iggy, but he’ll be shipped out before this hits the air waves- and Jason Isringhausen has a finite amount of bullets left its even money he breaks down very soon). Can a Boof Bonser sighting be far off?

It might help if Mike Pelfrey can pitch more than five innings. Except for Chris Young the starters have been equally retched.

The good news is the expectations were low. Good teams never fire on all cylinders at the same time. If they did, they’d be classified as great ones. Bad teams can’t score and walk the ballpark. The Mets seem to be competent offensively-for now.

However, if the bats go silent look out, this could get ugly.

Hopefully, the offense gets more potent when Jason Bay finally returns. Maybe the only hope is to bludgeon the other team, 9-8 or 8-7 nightly. Now we are informed that Bay won’t be in left field before the end of the month. Slowly he’s creeping up on more games missed than played.

When he does grace the fans’ with his presence here’s hoping he hits the ground running. For his sake. Everyone knows this fan base loves their whipping posts and Bay is a prime candidate.

All it will take is an 1-10 stretch with five or six K’s for him to get in the crosshairs (and lungs) of the bitter Mets fans. If past history tells us anything, Bay is capable of that type of start. Leaving Boston looks more like professional suicide for him each passing week.

Finally, listening to Yankees GM Brian Cashman grouse about the condition of Pedro Feliciano’s arm recently was absurd personified. No one put a revolver to his head to sign the rubber-armed lefty (to muliple year no less). It’s always buyer beware on the open market. But, to openly question why the reliever was overused (the reason he was not resigned) made Cashman sound like a horse’s backside.

What’s the big deal? The Yankees will simply put his contract through the same shredder used for pitcher’s Kei Igawa, Steve Karsay, and Carl Pavano, among too many to mention.

It’s just sad when you have to kick a guy when he’s down. We’ll get him back (in a decade or two).

About the Author: Doug Branch

Doug has been sports writing since 1983. He first wrote about the Mets at spring training that year, and his first interviewee was surly catcher Ron Hodges. He currently writes for Mets Inside Pitch, among other magazines published by Scout Publishing-which is owned by Fox Sports. He began following the team during the Wes Westrum era, and redeemed many Borden milk coupons for free Saturday baseball. The night of Tom Seaver's imperfect game against the Cubs, he was in line to buy a ticket when the windows slammed shut and abject disappointment ensued.

12 Comments + Add Comment

Donal April 13, 2011 at 12:45 pm

It will probably help when the starters can give better performances and be counted on to go at least 6 a night. Once they do that, we don’t expose the bullpen as much and don’t have to worry about shifting guys in and out.
- Pete April 13, 2011 at 2:27 pm
  
  But what if the bullpen sucks?
  - Donal April 13, 2011 at 2:53 pm
    
    Then they make changes.
    
    You want a guaranteed relief pitcher? I don’t think one has ever existed.
K Maxx April 13, 2011 at 12:58 pm

Broken Promises – 1. Better fundamentals 2. Pitchers walking fewer batters 3. Better plate approach
- t agee April 13, 2011 at 1:47 pm
  
  These are things that are supposed to be ingrained in players before they get up here.
- Pete April 13, 2011 at 2:26 pm
  
  Collins can bullshlt with the best of ‘em.
t agee April 13, 2011 at 1:09 pm

More innings are expected in the beginning of the season. No one wants their starting pitchers going 7 or 8 right off the bat. Pelf lasting only 2 1/3 made it much more pronounced and the one guy who could get away with 7 or 8 split a nail. No way do I want Young and Capuano going deep early, that could wreck what chance of a season we have.

Lets face it the days of the 100 M dollar bullpen are over. Not that that produced any results for us. Schowenweiss was a waste of 11M, Mota 5M, Wagner couldn’t even close out a game against the NYY because it “wasn’t a save situation.” He pitched well overall but had a 10 ERA in the NLCS and couldn’t even be on the mound in game 7. He also wasn’t available down the stretch in 2007 and blew a few before he went down. 2008 he was out almost the whole year. Even K-Rod is a high wire act every night. The only guy who was both healthy and reliable was Feliciano and it’s a good thing we didn’t sign him for a few reasons. Even Takahashi is off to a bad start with 3 IP in 6 games and 8 ERA and a 27 WHIP.

That kind of huge money should be put into the starting rotation, not the pen. A combination of trade acquisitions, FA, and your own IFA and draft choices should average out at about 50 – 60 M a year for 5 starters and 2 swingmen as long as you have 3 of them in their team control years, then develop and GROOM a prospect to become your closer. Parnell could have been that guy but no one here ever has the patience to develop a young pitcher. One pitch, regardless of it’s speed will never work, especially if it doesn’t come with some late movement.
- Pete April 13, 2011 at 2:36 pm
  
  Signing washed up relievers can never be the answer. Neither can riding the same horses year after year (see Pedro Feliciano). The best way to a solid and dare I say it, dominating bullpen is by having a pipeline. That is through drafting and amateur signings you stockpile a system of power arms. The Mets are making progress is that respect with the emergence of Matt Harvey, Jeuerys Familia, Nick Carr, Ryan Fraser and Brad Holt, but there is still a very long way to go before their minor league system is healthy and near the top amongst other organizations. When there are four or five legitimate power arms at each level of the minor league system, we will have a pool from which to replenish the bullpen, at will.
Pete April 13, 2011 at 2:25 pm

The Mets lead the league in player transactions already.
- Mr North Jersey April 13, 2011 at 2:27 pm
  
  I though the Cubs held the lead.
  - Pete April 13, 2011 at 2:28 pm
    
    They’re neck n’ neck, but by Monday morning we will have a considerable lead.
Doug Branch April 14, 2011 at 7:48 am

It’s an interesting debate: How do you develop relief pitchers? You can convince a young player with a popping fastball that he is the closer of the future and big money awaits,but who aspires to be a set-up man?

The answer is no one.

Usually when a player is ticketed for the pen early in his career it’s because he couldn’t cut it as a starter and does not have the electric stuff to close. That is why relievers are so up and down year to year.

If they were any good they’d be vying for a starters role.

Here’s an idea: Develop bonafide starters-like the Mets did in the sixties and eighties (copying the Orioles developmental model) and train them to pitch deep into games. Even exceed 100 pitches occasionally.

Then the bullpen is not stressed to the point of crumbling. Baseball is too specialized anyway, the Mets need to go back to their roots.

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