18
2012
Mejia Could Be What The Mets Need In The Bullpen
An article by 
Let’s face it, D.J. Carrasco was gone before Todd Frazier’s home run landed. Carrasco was designated for assignment after Wednesday night’s bullpen meltdown, the perpetrators being Jon Rauch and Carrasco. The victim, not surprisingly, was Johan Santana.
Sandy Alderson met with reporters on Thursday and discussed the state of the bullpen.
“The bullpen has been a frustration, there’s no question about that,” said Alderson. “We made an attempt to fix it (in the offseason), and at this point, it hasn’t worked out as well as we would have liked.”
Mets relievers are 1-3 with an 8.69 ERA in the past seven games, having given up 19 earned runs in 19 2/3 innings.
The nine blown saves are tied for the most in the major leagues.
“At some point you have to start making changes, and last night was a step in that direction,” Alderson said. “It’s not that we have outstanding candidates in the minor league system at this point. We’ve got some good candidates, but like a number of our other prospects, (they’re) perhaps not ready to pitch as this level.”
Taking Carrasco’s spot on the roster will be left-hander Robert Carson from Double-A Binghamton. Carson was 0-1 with a 1.84 ERA and one save in 12 appearances for the B-Mets this season.
Alderson was also asked about the progress of Jenrry Mejia, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May. Mejia was just promoted to Binghamton and is scheduled to start for them on Saturday, but Collins acknowledged that he could be a bullpen option for the Mets down the road.
With Chris Young expected back into the rotation by early June, that leaves the Mets with the dilemma about what to do with Jenrry Mejia. He has the stuff to be a lights out closer, that is when his command is on. What he doesn’t have yet is mastery of his secondary pitches. The Mets are working with him on that as a starter.
Two years ago, under Jerry Manuel’s watch, the Mets brought him up to work out of the bullpen. He had flashes, both mostly was hammered and demoted, where he was put into the rotation and eventually hurt his arm. Manuel insisted on Mejia because he was worried about his job security. That didn’t work out well for Mejia or Manuel.
Despite pitching as a starter now, the organization doesn’t know what Mejia’s future role will be. If Bobby Parnell made it as a closer, this decision would have already been made.
But, he didn’t and the bullpen remains a mess. That they signed Frank Francisco to two years means they don’t have faith in Parnell as closer and lingering doubts about Mejia’s durability.
It is easier to make the transition from starter to reliever than the reverse. The Mets have had plenty of time to decide. One or the other.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
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NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Correction (as of yesterday)
Our pen has the 2nd worse ERA in the majors right now! And they have given up the most runs of any pen in the majors!
The Mets have 9 blown saves! They are one Blown Save behind the Rockies for the most BS this year.
If the won 1/2 of those games, they’d be in first this year!
That’s pretty impressive considering the bullpen only has 8 losses. You do know that you can get a blown save in a win and multiple blown saves in the same game right?
For example the April 29th game against Colorado. Byrdak got a blown save in the 8th, FFF got a blown save in the 10th (along with a win) and Ramirez got the save. So you actually had 2 blown saves a win and a save from the pen in the same night.
I could be wrong but I think I counted 4 truly blown save losses.
Sandy apologists will look for way to try to show us that the bullpen is not as bad as we have SEEN with our own guys… The worst bullpen in the league.. Hell, even numbers say so and still.. Somehow we’re not as bad… SMH
LOL, the bullpen is awful right now Alex. I am not doubting that. However, the post he made was incorrect. You could say though that we could have 2 more wins if we had won half of our blown losses.
So….you’re advocating taking one of the better prospect arms down there – one admittedly who is still working towards being an effective ML starter – and stick him in the BP now b/c our BP is crap?
Uh no….let’s not sacrifice the potential of a solid arm in the rotation for years to come, for a short term solution to this BP rest of this year.
Seriously, didn’t we already try that? Now granted if it is late July and we are still in the thick of things and Young is pitching well and Johan still going strong then maybe you can consider it as a playoff push. Otherwise let him develop as a starter and IF he fails send him to the pen.
keep in mind that mejia is still ahead of schedule on his rehab, but he is still rehabbing. They need to be careful not to rush through that. Make sure he is 100% done and ready to go before worrying about him saving the Mets!
working as a SP in the minors will also give him much more controlled work and prep/recovery time, while giving him the time to work on his full arsenal of pitches (and of course his command).
Nope, Mejia stay’s in. Still too rare and in need of seasoning.
Don’t rush what could be a very properly done pitcher when the time is right.
Zanca — The talk of pushing/rushing Mejia, though Sandy and Terry would deny they are doing it, is insane. It makes me think that Sandy and Omar share the same scoliosis of the spine.
No! No! NO! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, promote Mejia to the big leagues until he gets an adequate amount of time in AAA. He’s a STARTER. In time, his secondary stuff will improve. If the pen needs fixing, and it badly needs to be, there’s a few options in AAA right now in Hampson, Egbert and Elvin Ramirez (Edgin too when he gets his shit together). The biggest weaknesses in our pen are Acosta & Francisco. Either reassign Francisco to either middle relief or send out to AAA and release Acosta.
Lets give FFF a few more games to see what happens first. He most likely can’t be as bad as he has been. If he continues then you move him down in the pecking order and if that continues you look for more options. As for Mejia, no way do you make him a BP guy until he has failed as a starter.
Basing on what Alderson said I expect Acosta’s days are numbered and they most likely are just trying to manage until Young can get up here anyway.
He should’ve been moved down the pecking order since Mother’s Day as a middle reliever. Right now, he has given up the 3rd most runs of any pitcher on the staff (Gee & Acosta have given up more). He is not a closer. When Collins figures that out, we’ll be a lot better off.
Mejia a starter? It would be nice but even the Mets don’t seem to think he will be one. Closer? Maybe, but more likely a decent set-up guy for 2-3 seasons before he breaks down.
I think Alderson is trying to develop his own closer. but needs a stop gap and knows it might be a couple of seasons before it happens. Mejia could take Acostas place in the meantime.
It will be a monummental mistake to put Mejia back in the pen after spending all that time to try and make him a starter!
They should continue to push him and groom him to be a starter until he completly fails as one or until the Starting rotation is set so well he can’t possibly break into it.
I don’t know if they lost faith in Parnell or not but I will say he has been one of the better pitchers out of the pen and I can understand not making him the closer right now for the purposes of letting him build his confidence in less pressurized situations before you throw him into the fire of closing games.
As bad as he has been they are not going to just give up on francisco after giving him the biggest contract given by the mets since this FO took over.
So we are going to have to live with Francisco at least until July where we once again flip the coin on being Buyers or Sellers and if we are buyers I bet closer will be at the top of the shopping list!
I think calling how to proceed with Mejia starter or reliever a dilemma is a bit of an exaggeration John but for now it seems he will continue to start based on reports to at least allow him to continue to develop his pitches.
Mets should let him continue to work his way back by starting and should send him to AAA to continue his development where he left off last year as a starter before deciding if he is better suited as a reliever. I mean the kid only has 6 starts under his belt above the AA level.
If the Mets feel he’s ready for the majors, and he’s fully recovered from his injury, then I have no problem with it. Moving him to the bullpen for a year doesn’t mean he has to stay there. The Mets can move him back to a starter next year – Last year Neftali Feliz, Chris Sale, and Daniel Bard were used as a RP’s, and were transitioned back to starters this year, and they are having good seasons so far. The Reds are also going to move Chapman back into the rotation at some point.
So, just because you put Mejia in the bullpen for this season doesn’t mean he has to stay there.