13
2013
Mets Shouldn’t Be Surprised At Francisco Injury And Losing Bourn
An article by 
Two days into camp and the Mets have already taken two shots.
The first was inevitable, that Michael Bourn signed elsewhere. Come to think of it, so was the second when Frank Francisco was shut down with elbow inflammation. The proviso was Francisco would be the closer if healthy and he is clearly not.
Terry Collins told us that it may be a while before Francisco throws a baseball again. Ouch. How long he’ll be shut down is anybody’s guess, and opening the season on the disabled list is a fair place to start. In the interim Bobby Parnell will close. Again.
I like Parnell over Brandon Lyon or Josh Edgin because he has the greatest upside. Parnell has pitched in several capacities for the Mets, ranging as a starter to a set-up role to closer, and hasn’t excelled in any of them for a variety of reasons.
First, he has been overly reliant on is fastball, which, if it isn’t darting is hittable, regardless of how fast he throws. As a starter, he didn’t develop his secondary pitches. Also, it isn’t unrealistic to think how the Mets bounced him around from role to role didn’t have an accumulating impact on his confidence.
Remember, over the past few years the Mets have not been contenders so there wasn’t really any harm in letting Parnell learn on the job, even if it meant taking his lumps.
The Mets initially wanted Parnell as a starter, but then-manager Jerry Manuel – managing only to save his job – yanked Parnell from the rotation in September.
Parnell never had clear stake to the closer role. Yes, there were times he pitched terrible, but for a team going nowhere it was a chance to learn and turn it around. Don’t think that couldn’t have happened. Parnell closed at the end of last season when Francisco was injured and pitched well holding opponents to a .196 batting average over 17 appearances.
There’s no reason to rush Francisco back other than to attempt to salvage something for his $6.5 million contract (count that as a Sandy Alderson mistake).
So, the Mets will move on for now without Francisco, and also without Bourn, who was a long shot in the first place.
Assuming the Mets could have worked out a deal with agent Scott Boras – the Indians got him for $48 million – there was the matter of Bourn waiting for an arbitration hearing to determine whether they would surrender their draft pick.
If they had to, there would have been no deal. There is no way Bourn would have waited for that outcome and miss another offer. Bourn was never going to let that happen and neither would any of you in that same position, and if I were a cynic I’d be thinking going after him was a smokescreen to suggest action.
That would have been a pipe dream, as is thinking Francisco wouldn’t go down again.
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 |
Last updated: 06/19/2013
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I think we need to consider these blessings in disguise.
OK so we didn’t get Bourn, so now in many ways there is more opportunity for a young gun to step up. It’ll be fun to watch who has the heart and guts.
Also Parnell was never mature enough to take on the closer role, but everyone has a chance to improve and grow so maybe this is his chance.
>>PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Frank Francisco will not pick up a baseball for two weeks, Terry Collins said Wednesday afternoon.
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/60877/francisco-wont-have-ball-for-2-weeks?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
There’s no reason to rush Francisco back other than to attempt to salvage something for his $6.5 million contract (count that as a Sandy Alderson mistake).”
You mean he didn’t have a good day then?? JesseP must be furious….
The slogan for 2013: Hey, a Miracle Could Happen Again, ‘Ya Know!
I love Bobby, and he has tools, but I dont think he has shown that he has the demeanor to be a closer.
I hope he proves everyone wrong, but I dont see it.
We have quite a few experimental options, but none of them can be considered a “shut down” closer….so where could we go to find that?
Sign Valverde, KRod, or Ishringhausen?
Or, convince, & sign, either Oswalt, Penny, Pavano, Zambrano, or Lowe to be a closer?
Sign B. Wilson & wait till June….?
Make a trade…?
I actually think Brad Penny could make a great closer if he wanted to, I think he has the mentality for it.
Did you really want the Mets to sign a player in their 30′s to a 5 year deal whos entire game is about speed? It was a good move not to sign him.
Definitely Michael Bourn was way more risk than reward for five years, even for four years.
No risk no gain…. sandy Alderson makes no risk, no gain,. Sandy Alderson is going to change the name of the team to the NY chickens.
This is the time for Bobby to step up, there is still no big pressure considering SA “hopes” to win this season, my words extrapolated from SA’s conversation with Fran this week.
I heard that FF had to deal with death in the family issues this off season but his season ended early plus it has been 4 month since last season so why does he not have a personal trainer to help in his off time, cause he has a guaranteed contract so why “rush” to health, my words extrapolated from his lack of condition so far.
Really, unless FF returns and is serviceable as closer/setup pitcher then this is money in toilet for Mets and Wilpons “investment in future trusted to SA”, extrapolated from his words concerning spending vs investment in his chat at Port St. Lucie B-) Really?
Lastly Bourn, unless he was Jason Bourne who could kick butt for team, was just using Mets to get biggest payday for himself, he lost cause he made just a few million avg less than Angel Pagan, past Met CF, traded for no good Ramirez and Torres who could have helped in transition plus leadoff till other OF ready for Mets
PS I know Mets would not have payed him that $$$ but maybeeeeee?
again, you dont want bourn. its not a failure to not sign him. he isnt good. stop saying they “lost” him. they didnt want him, and should not have wanted him.
No doubt Bourn goes against everything Sandy has stated regarding his business philosophy and how it pertains to not being “burned” and looking at things in the long-term. Bourn also would not fit into the Mets long-term plans since he would be aging and starting to diminsh in performance rather than mautring and starting to develop in performance.
That is why I do believe this was a well-orchestrated charade. As pointed out, nobody would sign a contract then wait a few weeks to find out if it would still be honored. One does not have to be a lawyer and former MLB executive of the year to know that. And we’ve been exposed to these types of charade before (i.e., Jose Reyes, the Madoff civil suit, etc.).
One can only cry wolf so often before one stops believing him.