5
2012
Jon Rauch Is 100% Healthy, Frank Francisco Happy To Be Here
An article by 
Jon Rauch was part of Sandy Alderson’s big initiative to revamp the bullpen this offseason. Today, Rauch confirmed in a conference call that the knee he had surgery on back in September is now fully healed.
“So right now, I’m 100 percent, right where I need to be in my workouts and getting prepared for spring training and getting ready for the season.”
The Mets signed Rauch to a $3.5 million contract during the winter meetings and he could be competing with Ramon Ramirez for the setup job this Spring. Ramirez, was one of the two players acquired from San Francisco in the Angel Pagan trade.
Reliever Frank Francisco, who the Mets signed to a two-year, $12 million deal (also during the Winter Meetings), is expected to be the closer.
Andy McCollough of the Star-Ledger transcribed some of what Francisco and Rauch had to say during the call today:
You guys played together last season. Can you each describe what makes the other effective?
Rauch: “Just watching Frankie as the year went on, he just kept getting stronger and stronger and stronger. Felt more comfortable in the role that he was in. And he’s got an unbelievable arm. A fastball that’s got tremendous life on it. Pretty good offspeed stuff to complement it. And he’s fearless. He goes right after guys. He attacks hitters. He’s not afraid to be put in any situation, in any spot.”
Francisco: “I think he was a great pitcher, to me. He was a guy who throws the ball hard, with his best fastball. But he’s got great command. He attacks the strike zone. He’s not afraid. He will do his thing.”
What appealed to you guys about the Mets?
Francisco: “I believe it’s a great city to play in. I think they’ve got great fan support. I think they’ve got a great group of guys. I see a great group of young guys. I believe we’ve got a great chance to have a good year.”
Rauch: “For me, I was fortunate enough to be part of the Nationals years ago and always come to New York and see how the fans reacted to the team and see the kind of organization it was and how they did things. I’ve had several opportunities to talk to David Wright. He was always very pleased about how he was treated. It just seemed to me to be a good place to play.”
Do you guys expect to compete for the closer’s role?
Rauch: “For me, I just want to pitch. I don’t care in what capacity, what role. I just want to be given the ball and given an opportunity to pitch and to contribute and to help the team win ballgames.”
Francisco: “I think for me, the same thing. I like to have a role. I just love to be an important part of the bullpen, and be somebody special in the bullpen. Somebody that they can trust in any situation. I don’t care if it’s eighth inning, ninth inning, any situation. In the hardest situations, I want them to think about me. I think that I can be the guy. That’s it.”
I believe the bullpen will be a strength for the Mets this season, but I’m worried about the numerous questions surrounding the rotation. Chief among them of course is the status of Johan Santana.
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.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 22 | 18 | .550 | - |
| Nationals | 22 | 19 | .537 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 19 | 22 | .463 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 15 | 23 | .395 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 30 | .268 | 11.5 |
Last updated: 05/17/2013
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“Big Pelf” falls apart in the fourth inning….
….in comes Acosta, Parnell, Ramirez, Rauch, and Francisco. Mets lose 8-5. The bullpen is getting a wee tired.
Next day: Gee is out of there by the fifth inning. In comes Parnell, Byrdak, and Rauch. Mets lose 7-4. The pen is getting very tired.
Following day: Santana goes four innings, and in comes Ramirez, Acosta, Herrera, and Francisco. The bullpen is getting burned up.
Dickey goes nine innings the next day to stop the Mets’ “slide”. The bullpen pitchers are seen cheering wildly!
Pelf lasted all the way to the fourth?
Not only does he throw 9 innings, Dickey does it while sparring with Yoda and grooming his beard.
Well they at least are showing a whatever is best for the team concept regarding the closer role. At least for now though it is only January.
I like the bullpen moves but I wish I could say the same for everything else. My wish is that they win at least 9-10 games in my 15 Pack this year. A good bullpen will only help.
You got a 15-pack? Wow, you got balls. I admire you for your confidence and hope.
I wouldn’t buy 1-pack. This is the quietest offseason in NY Sports History. Screw them,they’re not getting my money.
And yet people in here still think sandy is somehow a genius and know it all! (roll eyes)
‘I’m 100%’.
I really hope he is but if I had a nickel for every time one of our injured players came to ST declaring they’re ready to go, I could probably be one of those 20 MIL investors the Wilpons are looking for.
Is that better or worse than being in the best shape of his life?
Francisco: “I believe we’ve got a great chance to have a good year.”
Translation: “There’s a slight chance we might not suck.”
“Great chance to have a good year” instead of “Good chance to have a great year” doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
However, I’m a big, big believer in the value of the bullpen and a deep bench. I believe those two components, which by definition show up in the later innings, will be a strength for this team. I also think our starting eight are very good ball players.
Starting pitching is the question mark for this team. The odds of Johan returning to form are not in his favor. I think Pelfrey has a better chance of bouncing back to have a good season, however. If, by some twist of fate, we were able to secure Matt Garza, and Johan returned to form, then I’d really like this team’s ability to surprise a lot of the so-called experts and insiders.
If they pay you the money, then don’t take it unless you intend to win.
The only reason we got him is so we can call someone else “Big__…” Pelfrey will and/or should be sononer reather than later. Now we have “Big Rauch!”
I actually like both these signings, although, I think Rauch and Francisco could have been had for just a bit less…The acqusition of Ramirez was also a good move, I would deal Parnell however, because I just don’t see him developing into anything more than a hard thrower who can’t seem to locate his pitches well enough to ever be consistant, at least while he still has value…
Other than the fact I think he’d be worth more than double (or triple) what he’s making and would probably be the biggest addition to the Mets, were it a possibility, thoughts and prayers for Dave Duncan and his wife. Hope she wins her fight.
The defense is still terrible,especially behind the plate,RF is shaky,who knows which Torres shows up.The one from 2010 or the scrub throughout the rest of his career.2B is still a spot up for grabs,SS is still a huge question mark although I think Tejada will be more than adequate.Bay and Wright need to turn the clock back 3 years and Ike needs to be healthy in order for us to not suck. Have I mentioned the rotation yet? Ugly! Rauch is healthy though. Yay!
This team is going nowhere fast, the improved the bullpen but how will they score runs after losing reyes!?!?! seriously, sandy overpaid for these 2 because he needed to make soem noise, and he did, some idiots think he had a good day 2 days after losing the most important player in franchise history, good luck getting people in the seats watching the product on the field… i feel bad for terry collins, he is the one out of all of us who should be mad as hell…
“the most important player in franchise history”
I can think of 5 players off the top of my head that have meant more to this franchise than Reyes.
Tom Seaver
Gary Carter
Mike Piazza
Darryl Strawberry
Jerry Koosman
Good for you…
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