28
2012
From Left Field: Capuano Dominating In LA
An article by 
Coming off a 17-1 victory against the Cubs, the Mets will open a three-game series against the first place Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets desperately needed that win and came through in huge fashion by clubbing four home runs. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are coming off being swept by the San Francisco Giants without scoring a run in the series.
Former Met starter Chris Capuano will take the hill tonight for the Dodgers. After a decent year in New York last year, Capuano is off to a 9-2 start with a 2.60 ERA for the Dodgers.
Is this the same Capuano the Mets had last year who was 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 31 starts?
It sure is, yet this year’s Capuano has pitched more efficiently, limiting his pitch counts which has allowed him to go deeper into games and qualify for wins.
Capuano was actually a present surprise for last year’s Mets. Yes, he finished under .500, but to make 31 starts a year removed from Tommy John surgery is pretty impressive.
He kept his team in the game, but once again, the high pitch counts hurt him. It seemed as though he was always throwing his 100th pitch sometime in the fifth inning. Naturally, it would have been unwise to push him past his limits based on his injury history.
I thought the Mets would have been players this offseason to re-sign Capuano. They had Johan Santana coming back, as well as R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee. Capuano could have served as a spot starter and long reliever. Once Pelfrey went down, Capuano could have slid back into the rotation.
However, the 33-year-old’s price tag was way too high for that sort of swingman role, so the Dodgers took a gamble on him, signing the lefty to a two-year, $10 million deal. Let’s just say $10 million for Capuano was not exactly on the Mets top priority list this offseason.
I’m glad Capuano is experiencing success. He seemed like a hard-working guy and a good teammate while he was here, and it’s a great story that he’s been able to overcome injury.
That being said, I’d like to see the Mets put up another 17 runs today—this time at the expense of Capuano. The team needs to put together consistent offensive performances, and tonight’s a great way to start.
So good luck the rest of the way to Capuano, but hopefully he enters his next start with a 9-3 record.
About the Author: Jim Mancari
Jim Mancari hails from Massapequa, N.Y. He recently earned a Master's degree in Journalism at Hofstra University. He is a devout Mets fan and takes pride in his team, despite their lack of success over the last few years. Like all Mets fans, Jim has plenty of hope. He also writes as the sports reporter for the Brooklyn Tablet newspaper and the senior editor of metroBASEBALL Magazine. Click my name to view my personal website.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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Capuano was ok for us last season. He gave the Mets 6 innings often times and mostly gave up no more than 4 earned runs in his starts. I could had never predicted he’d be having the season he is having. He has been a good pickup for the Dodgers. Like you said though Jim, hopefully we can smack him around for 17 runs tonight as well.
couldn’t* had
We’ve vetted this guy plenty. Many of us wanted him back–YTI (yours truly included). Cappy’s performance last year was pretty much his career avg. in a miniature.
A look at his career shows you that this year is a kind of fluke–real success.
Let’s hope we bash him around tonight. I think we win if we get four runs.
The Mets are now a haven for players coming off injury or trying to reestablish themselves from career declines. These players are dirt cheap and what appeals most to moneyblall minded Mets.
Once these players do prove they are healthy and valuable, they move on to other teams who will appreciate them and pay them their true worth.
Both Isringhausen (2.33 ERA) and Capuano proved to be healthy but were not brought back. Instead we signed Francisco and Rauch for significantly more money.
I believe Izzy got less than a million? And Capuano at $5million per was only $750K more than what the Mets paid him in 2011.
Capuano was less than a year removed from surgery and Alderson should have known the two-year rule and expected Capuano to do what he’s doing now. Especially after witnessing Capuano’s late season gem against the Braves.
Last year I thought Capuano was the best signing the Mets made in the offseason, I thought it was a smart move but now I know it had nothing to do with intelligence and was just a cheap lucky signing that panned out.
Based on what manifestation of his career numbers?
And you knew Izzy was going to be good at 39?
Izzy was good as hell for us first half, until Sandy decided to break the bullpen and move everyone from their original bullpen spot… Then, all hell brooke loose
However, the 33-year-old’s price tag was way too high for that sort of swingman role”
So wait, pay mike pelfrey who was 7-13 4.74 last year $5 million for this year is ok??? Am i the only one who has a problem with this? swingman role? we could’ve had him, Santana, Dickey, niese and Gee… Mike pelfrey did not belong with this ball club, but hey, he even got a raised from last year.. Now, THAT is taking a gamble… Jesus H C… You people are just amazing.. We did not have Pelfrey to a guarantee spot up until the genius sign him to a raised in arb… Not sure what he was thinking, but i would’ve paid Capuano those $5 million this year..
Think about this, Between Rauch, Ramirez, Torres and Mike Pelfrey the mets spent $13 million on those… We could’ve pay reyes, Capuano, Izzy and hell even Brad Lidge for what we saved on krod.. I mean, wasn’t that the plan? Get rid of Krod to spend it on Fa no???
Great job on this article in pointing out the shortcomings of our GM… Amazing the lovefest for the guy..
I love all of the commentary re: guys Mets didn’t re-sign, b/c some have shown good success this year.
Of course, those who bellyache and lament about the fact that NY is the toughest BB market b/c of the intense pressure never seem to think things might not be the same for people who succeed in CA ot St. Lou or Milwaukee after leaving the Mets. Sigh!
Fair enough point…
I am not complaining that they didn’t re-sign him (I don’t think he was all that good last year myself)
My compliant is if the guy is a bargain and pitching for half price of what he was worth you should go for it and make it a 2 year deal so if he re-establishes himself you either get another year at half price or a player to trade so you get some sort of return on your investment and willingness to take a risk!
This is a very good example why these one year contract signings are pure folly!
We paid Cap to re-establish his career and got zilch for it.
If your a GM and believe a guy is good enough to pitch for you for a year then he should be good enough to pitch for you for two years!
You want to take a flyer on a guy coming back from injury thats fine, but get something for him if the risk has paid off.
We all talk about how cheap Capuano was well he was cheap because of the risk and we should have doubled down and got a two year deal or one year with a team option so if he did manage to do well we got something for our troubles in taking the risk and giving him a chance.
We are now in the same boat with Young. If he manages to re-establish his career pitching for us you know what we get? Squat!
He will go the same way Capuano did, Thanks for giving me my career back, sorry but now that you did that I’m going for the money elsewhere!
If a guy is cheap it makes sense to get more than one year at the depressed price. otherwise it’s an investment that is risky but has no payoff in the end.
Very valid point/argument.