Jun
25
2012

Parnell Back As Mets Closer… Hold On To Your Butts…

An article by Joe D

Bobby Parnell is on the hot seat again as an oblique injury to Frank Francisco has once again led the 27-year old reliever to assume the role of Mets closer.

It’s a role he’s held three times before, but never could retain for more than a week or two and never with any success.

While Parnell looks tantalizingly fit for the closers role by virtue of his devastating fastball which can check in at 100mph, his stomach for the job has been found wanting.

In the 22 save opportunities he’s been entrusted with in his career, Parnell has accumulated a whopping 15 blown saves. That includes his three blown saves in three opportunities in 2012.

When pitching in the ninth inning, opposing hitters are batting .303 against him, and in high leverage situations it’s even worse as Parnell has been torched for a .344 batting average, .410 on-base, and an .856 OPS.

Look, I completely understand that the options for the Mets are limited at this point, but they have been burned by Parnell too many times already in these situations, and it’s clear that under pressure Parnell has always failed to deliver the goods. The issue here is not mechanics or performance related. Parnell simply doesn’t have the makeup for the role. He has no growl, no sneer, no eye of the tiger.

The Mets currently have the worst bullpen in baseball as evidenced by an unsightly league-worst 5.27 ERA. But unless Parnell has suddenly been exposed to some green gamma rays that have left him with some yet unseen super powers, things are about to get worse for our poison pen.

Collins isn’t worried because he says, ”Parnell’s been throwing very, very well”. But Parnell is always throwing well when he’s not pitching in the bowels of those hellish ninth innings.

This could get real ugly.

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.

10 Comments + Add Comment

Bobby June 25, 2012 at 3:55 pm

4th time a charm?

Let’s hope!

Closers can be like NFL kickers, scary!
Metsie June 25, 2012 at 3:58 pm

So Joe….
Tell me who you would put there instead?

I agree Parnell isn’t the best option….but he might just be the only option…

It’s time for this glacier of a front office to get off it’s butt, start working the phones or start promoting some kids in here to play in the pen the way the Yankees did and got the MLB 2nd best Bullpen ERA while doing so!
Mr North Jersey June 25, 2012 at 4:02 pm

Say what you will about Francisco but he was getting it done the past 5 weeks. Hopefully Parnell can step in and hold it down as long as need be. God knows he has the physical tools to do the job. He just needs to find whatever it is he needs to put it all together.
- Metsie June 25, 2012 at 4:09 pm
  
  All he needs to do is pitch to the batter not the radar gun and he will be fine!
Mr North Jersey June 25, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Off Topic: Mets lineup vs. Cubs: Torres-8,Tejada-6, Wright-5, Hairston-7, Duda-9, Cedeno-4, Davis-3, Nickeas-2, Santana-1

Davis back in lineup but batting 7th.
Russell Zanca June 25, 2012 at 4:47 pm

Yeah, this may be a huge mistake, but he sure has had many more ground ball outs this year. If he keeps control, the fourth time round indeed may be the charm.
Fonzie13 June 25, 2012 at 5:10 pm

As a closer Parnell Makes Fatcisco look like Mariano Rivera. They’re better off going by committee until Francisco gets back. They need to go outside the organization and acquire another backend reliever even when Francisco comes back if they expect to stay in this thing . And a RH bat to balance out the lineup. Lefty specialists kill us in the late innings because we’re too top heavy left handed and none of our young lefty hitters fare well against lefties.
jdon June 25, 2012 at 5:56 pm

Batista is a joke. true, Parnell’s super heater does travel well when contacted, and he can give up runs in a hurry, but he is really the only option. Can we DFA Batista already?
The Nameless One June 25, 2012 at 7:30 pm

I’m at least interested to see how he handles it. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m looking forward to it, but I’m interested. And it’s not like the Mets currently have any better options. So we just gotta hope that he handles it better than he has in the past.
Joey D. June 25, 2012 at 7:42 pm

I agree, maybe Parnell has gained some confidence in himself after his recent performances.

Besides, what have we got to lose? As the Bard would say “A Met reliever by any other name smells…..”

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	23	18	.561	-
Nationals	23	19	.548	0.5
Phillies	20	23	.465	4.0
Mets	16	24	.400	6.5
Marlins	11	31	.262	12.5

Last updated: 05/18/2013

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