30
2012
Prospect Pulse: Power Arms For The Mets Pen
An article by 
There is no doubt that one of the weakest aspects of the 2012 Mets so far has been the bullpen. The Mets bullpen ERA is second to last in the National League at 5.04. Their bullpen’s WHIP is at 1.51, good for 14th place in the league. The Met bullpen this year is also fourth in the National League in giving up hits, and also fourth in giving up HR’s.
So rather than scratch our heads and except this mediocrity, lets get proactive and see who might be toiling away down on the farm, guys that might actually be able to come up and give the Met bullpen a boost.
Here are some guys that could be called up at any time, and could I believe, help out in the bullpen. Unfortunately none of them are on the 40-man roster so someone else would have to be waived, but here’s the list just the same, and what each player has done so far this year.
There are two relievers on the 40-man roster who are players the Mets could promote without subjecting anyone to waivers if need be. Of course both have been up before: RHP D.J. Carrasco (presently on minor league rehab), and LHP Rob Carson. But if the team were to go in another direction, who would be the candidates to come in and contribute for the big club?
Fernando Cabrera (RHP) The power-armed closer for the Bisons is a veteran of parts of seven seasons in the major leagues. As a member of the Red Sox, Indians, and Orioles, Cabrera amassed a lifetime major league record of 8-7 with an ERA of 5.24 over 175 innings.
This year as the Herd’s closer he has been virtually untouchable in 9 games. Over 10.1 IP, he is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.87, four saves, and the league is hitting .171 against him. At 30-years-old, 6’4″ and 225 lbs., Cabrera has the experience and the tools to help out in the Mets bullpen when needed.
Jack Egbert (RHP) According to his manager Wally Backman, Egbert has his velocity back to where it was when he was pitching in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 2009. Backman also likes Egbert’s sinker/slider combo, and thinks he’ll be back in the big leagues soon.
Egbert, who will turn 29 in May, stands 6’3″ and 220 lbs., and has been very good this year for the Bisons. In 14.1 innings spread out over nine games, he has only surrendered three ER’s. His overall record is 1-2 with a 1.88 ERA, ten hits, four walks, and ten K’s. The league is hitting .200 against him, but right-handed hitters are hitting just .167.
Josh Edgin (LHP) Had arguably the best spring training of any pitcher in big league camp. If not for the fact that he had never pitched above single-A before this year, he might have made the big league ball club. Instead he went to AA Bingo for seasoning, and after dominating there for the first two weeks of the season was quickly moved up to AAA Buffalo to be tutored by baseball guru, Wally Backman.
Overall this season Edgin is 1-0 and two saves, with a 1.74 ERA over nine games, 10.1 IP’s. He has surrendered two ER’s, on eight hits, and four walks while striking out ten. Opposing hitters are hitting just .205 off the 6’1″ 225 lb., 25-year-old south-paw. Perhaps just a little refinement of his off-speed pitches and Edgin should hit the big league scene to stay sometime later this season.
Brad Holt (RHP) With new improved mechanics, a faster delivery and a dominant curveball, Holt, now 25-years-old and 6’4″ 194 lbs., seems poised to take that next big step in his development. It’s doubtful he would get a call-up before the first three pitchers on this list, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Holt make his debut sometime late this summer. This seems to be the year Holt is finally putting it all together.
So far between AA Bingo and AAA Buffalo this year, Holt has pitched rather unevenly, at times getting pushed around, but for the most part he has been able to show flashes of brilliance on the mound in tough situations. Holt is just turning the corner and it’s too early to see the improvement reflected in his stats which are a combined 0-0, one save, and an ERA of 7.04, five walks and eight strikeouts over 7.2 IP’s. By mid-season I expect Holt to have built his confidence, and to be ready for his next big challenge.
Elvin Ramirez (RHP) Ramirez has been simply lights out so far in the AA Eastern League. The challenge of AAA looms straight ahead for the 6’3″ 210 lb., 24-year-old power pitcher. After that, quick success at Buffalo could continue to accelerate Ramirez towards his own debut with the big boys later this year.
I’m sure the opposition in the Eastern League will not be sorry when Ramirez gets called up to AAA. This season for Bingo he is 0-0 with a save, and a 0.00 ERA in 11.1 IP’s over seven games. He has surrendered only three hits and five walks all year, to go with 16 strikeouts. His WHIP stands at 0.71, and opponents are batting 0.79 against him. I’m sure glad the Nationals were forced to return him to the Mets in the Rule V Draft last year.
Armando Rodriguez (RHP) A developing set of off-speed pitches have enabled Rodriguez to show a new level of consistency this year. Despite being removed recently from the 40-man major league roster, Rodriguez continues to shine in the Eastern League in 2012. At 6’3″ and 250 lbs., the knock on the 24-year-old Rodriguez used to be his lack of secondary offerings but this season he is showing confidence in his two change-ups, and it seems to be paying dividends for him.
I spoke to Armando in Binghamton the first week of the season and he explained to me that he was working very hard to master his change-ups, of which he throws two, one to lefties and another to righties. He showed me his grip on the change he throws to right-handed hitters, which looked to me like a circle change grip, held with the seams. Then he spun the ball so that he was holding the change across the seams and said it was one he learned from Johan in ST, and he was using it against lefty hitters. Whatever he’s doing it must be working. In eight games and 14 IP’s, Rodriguez is 0-0 with a 1.29 ERA, two ER’s, seven hits, three walks, 12 strikeouts, a WHIP of 0.71, and an opponents batting average of .149. At this rate, he could move very quickly, like some of the other players on this list.
RHP’s Jeremy Hefner and Jeurys Familia are already on the 40-man, but they have been starters this season, and Familia should be left that way. How do you feel about these Mets bullpen options for 2012? Are there players on this list you would have confidence in in tight situations? Or would you rather wait to see if the current Mets bullpen gets itself straightened out? Whatever your point-of-view, always remember:
LGM!
About the Author: Peter Shapiro
The first time I went to Shea was not for a Mets game, it was for the Beatles concert there in August of '66. My first Met game was '67, a guy named Salty Parker was the interim-manager then. My first pennant race was 1969. As a 12 year-old that summer and fall, I managed to get to the park for 3 games. The first was the beginning of the Miracle which actually started on Tuesday July 8, 1969 with a day game against the Cubs. I was there a lot in '73. I saw games 3 & 5 of the 1973 NL Playoffs against the "Big Red Machine", from the upper deck behind home plate. It was from there that I witnessed the fight between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, and the mayhem that ensued. And that sweet victory in game 5! I saw a couple of WS games at Shea that year against that legendary Oakland A's club. I was there in 1985 for every single game Dr. K pitched including his two 16 strikeout performances, and the day he one-hit the Cubs on an infield single and the Mets won 1-0. I loved being a Met fan in those days. Hopefully we are once again preparing to emerge from the darkness.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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ramirez and edgin, come on up! Soon.
a 40 man spot will free up with Pelf on the 60 day DL. and they would be replacing someone on the 25 man (in the pen) that likely will deserve being removed.
Cabrera, how is he doing it, without striking anyone out? Could he possibly have added some new twist that would translate to ML success finally?
I bet it wont be long until Acosta is replaced by Egbert. Nice job Pete, you’re the best!
Hey Joe, how long will it be till Francisco is replaced by Edgin?
Hitman, I love Edgin and spoke extensively about him even before spring training on MMO. But there’s a pecking order at Triple-A and it’s pretty clear that Egbert will get to the Mets before Edgin does. But in the big picture, Edgin’s chances as a closer of the future are quite good. It’s amazing though, because what has been an organizational shortcoming for over a decade has now become a strength for the Mets. I’m talking about the incredible number of late inning reliever prospects that are well dispersed throughout every level of the system.
he’s still only at st lucie but dominating – adam kolarek 6’2 215 lefty. 23 years old, should be in binghampton soon (why he’s not already i have no idea). 17k’s in 11 innings and 1 walk
Kolarek will be in Binghamton as soon as the logjam in Buffalo is cleared up. Replacing Acosta with Egbert could open up a spot for Kolarek but dont forget Adrian Rosario who is bucking for a promotion as well.
Thing is I would assume that Acosta clears and the Mets would place him back in AAA in case he is needed later.
yuck.
though he would be the last man in the pen.
not sure though that some team doesn’t take a shot at him, or he may refuse the assignment and become a FA? I assume he can do that.
I could see that playing out that way, stick. With Batista too. Bingo has a couple of good arms that may be Buffalo bound and once that happens I’m excited to see just how good Egbert and Rosario really are. I had completely forgotten Rosario was from the K-Rod trade until Pete mentioned it to me yesterday.
can’t be. I heard that Sandy hates talent, and goes out of his way to avoid getting good players back…
He’s cleared a couple of times so I would expect him to again. Also I don’t expect the Mets to just say the hell with him… sorry.
I’m so glad no team picked up Armando Rodriguez when he got cut from the 40 man (the guy who was claimed, Josh Stinson, is sucking in the Brewers farm). I was always a big fan of his and I’m hoping we see him in the majors within the next year.
Will they for crying out loud send Acosta somewhere else. We’ve had chances to get back in games and he comes in and craps on the mound!
While he’s been awful you can’t blame him for last night. He should have been done after his nice clean inning. Why pitch him 2 innings?
I say Edgin should be brought up cause Byrdak is good but his soft stuff against certain lefties is not good and Edgin showed in ST that he has the arm and the attitude to pitch in majors.
Wait just a minute PETEY….
Bro, what the hell do you mean by,
“There is no doubt that one of the weakest aspects of the 2012 Mets so far has been the bullpen.”
Sandy Alderson the Godfather of GM’s and moneyball told us Mets fans that he drastically improved our bullpen this year by signing guys like Francisco,Rauch,Ramirez. Are you saying he gummed up the works on this one???
Isnt the Mets fans saying #InAldersonWeTrust ??? or was it #InReeseWeTrust???
Best move by Sandy in his Mets tenure was cutting Oliver Perez and Castillo.
Sandy is nothing more than a Liquidator brought in by Bud Selig to reduce overhead/trim payroll.
Best move by Sandy in his Mets tenure was cutting Oliver Perez and Castillo.
What about sticking with Tejada and Nieuwenhuis when most of the fanbase screamed for him to sign an Ankiel and sign a replacement for Reyes?
Sometimes a non-move is a great move too.
Very true and just like we don’t know for sure those things will work it is also way to early to say the bullpen will be a weakness all year.
there have been some obvious rough games/appearances, but overall, the pen has been worked hard, and carried the team quite a few times. Certainly there will be a few personelle adjustments soon (and that liekly continues through the year), but the pen actually should still shape up as a relative strength.
Right. When a GM sticks to his guns about topics, and the end result pays off so far… he has to get credit for it.
The Mets could have easily signed a bunch of veteran OF’s, then that would/could have blocked Kirk.
People knock the pen but Rauch-Ramirez-Francisco-Parnell-Byrdak combined I think make less than the $17.5 mil KRod would have gotten if they didn’t trade him.
Not every move has to be “Jason Bay” to be successful in the off-season.
Well BB, I’m not going to open a can of worms by contributing to a Sandy-bashing comment thread. All GM’s make bad trades and bad signings, all of them. However! I will go on the record as saying that I was totally against the Rauch and Francisco signings from day one, and I’m still scratching my head over that particular allocation of funds, when there were obviously so many other glaring needs in addition to the bullpen this past winter.
I thought the Rauch signing was rushed. However, lets take that 9M and say who we would have spent it on considering the “other needs of the team”.
At this time it’s irrelevant to try and decide how $9 mil should have been allocated last winter. What is the point in that? Suffice it to say that to sink that much do-re-mi into one Frank Francisco was pretty dumb. It’s not like he was gonna be the finishing piece to the Yankee bullpen or anything. And no one else offered him a deal like that. Just what the heck do we need him for anyway trs, to blow games for the next three seasons?
2 seasons. It is very relevant as you are saying you would have spent it on other much needed areas and I am saying what area was more lacking than the BP? Take those 3 guys out of the pen and see if it gets better with Parnell closing and Acosta being the setup guy. Also to your point on who offered Frankie a contract, how do we know what he was offered? What “closers” that were not an injury question went for cheaper?
Pete, trs alluded to it, but I’ve been screaming it fron day one, Rauch and Francisco were simply cover from the Reyes PR hit. 1.5 hours after Reyes signing goes down and 15 minutes after Alderson landed in Dallas, those signings go down? Yeah, right.
Whoa wait a minute I was not trying to allude to that because I don’t believe it for a minute. You think that they had time enough to get both of those deals done that quickly just for a smoke screen on Reyes? They had to fix the pen regardless of what happen with Reyes and at worst would have signed one if not both of them even if Reyes returned. Dang all these conspiracy theories get me.
Not only that joe D, but he also said “we had no money, we lost $70 million and yada yada”.. right after reyes was signed, i mean, he knew he’d take a hit for butching the negotiations.. Worst GM i’ve seen in mets history imo… Players are winning and playing well DESPITE him doing nothing to help them out… Everyone is overachieveing so far…
Butchering the negotiations gives the impression they wanted him to start with. Which is it? Did they want him and butcher it or not want him and move on?
he only signed for 2 years. and if he doesn’t straighten out soon, he won’t be in for saves anyway.
My take, Sandy did not want to roll with an entirely kid/inexperienced BP. So, he brought in some veteran presence. But at the same time, he was trying to stay away from huge injury risk guys, and also did not want to tie up excessive $$ or years.
so, that eliminated wing and prayer guys (Lidge) to count on, and the “name brand” guys like Paps. Once they were gone, every option had some “issues”.
so, he picked these 2. And so far, Rauch has been solid, no problem with him. FF? looking like a bust, but there is still time for him to rebound, and if not, his contract is such that he can easily be moved into a middle/set up role, and there is the possibility of a trade (again, helped by a managable contract).
anyone can 2nd guess of course (though some people here seem to abhor the concept). But pens are fluid, and at least they aren’t locked into an immovable closer (contract wise, or role on the team).
Oh, and ramiriz could/should still end up being a big plus. over the last few years, he was one of the best RH set up men around, and seems to be settling in after a rough start.
I have to wonder if Frankie has been healthy yet? He has had some type of ailment and pitching through since February. I think he was unavailable last night due to his knee right?
Unavailable last night due to hamstring problems. Which TC was attributed to dehydration.
Don’t shoot the messenger….just repeating what TC said.
OK and wasn’t it his knee earlier? Maybe they need to shut him down a couple of weeks and call up a fresh arm.
Sandy is nothing more than a Liquidator brought in by Bud Selig to reduce overhead/trim payroll”
BINGO!!
That makes 0 sense. So, you maintain a perfect record. Good job.
Why bring in an outside GM and let him not only hire new executives, but also increase some departments (like scouting) if all he is here to do is chop it up? Why couldn’t Minaya or Ricco do that?
Not only that but still pay Omar while Sandy is doing all that.