Luis Avilan

Player Data: Age: 30, B/T: L/L
Primary Stats: 45 games, 32.0 IP, 4-0 record, 5.06 ERA, 30 K, 1.47 WHIP, 8.44 K/9
Advanced Stats: 0.1 rWAR, -0.1 fWAR, 81 ERA+, 4.96 FIP, .315 BABIP, 74.4% LOB, 4.61 xFIP

Free Agent: 2020
2019 Salary: $1.39 million

Grade: C-

2019 Review

While Avilan was viewed as a nice pickup when he was acquired on a minor league contract by Brodie Van Wagenen during the offseason, he didn’t turn out to be quite the steal they were expecting.

Being misused by Mickey Callaway didn’t help as he struggled to the tune of a 9.28 ERA through May 3, before landing on the injured list and missing over two months.

Avilan returned in June though, and while operating at full health, he finally looked like the pitcher the Mets thought they were getting. From June 5 to the end of the season, he posted a 2.95 ERA and proved to be a reliable bullpen piece down the stretch as the Mets attempted a miracle run.

Looking closer at how Avilan was used last season, his splits are appalling. He actually dominated left-handed batters, which is the main thing he was brought in to do, holding them to a .102/.185/.184 line.

The problem was that right-handed hitters absolutely crushed him, mashing to the tune of a .373/.460/.587 line off of him. And the worse thing is that he was used heavily against righties, facing 87 right-handed batters compared to only 54 lefties. He was not put in a position to succeed from the offset of the season, which makes his overall stats a little bit misleading. Avilan needs to be taken for what he is, which is a solid lefty specialist, not a multi-innings reliever.

2020 Outlook

Hopefully, whoever the Mets end up hiring as their new manager will be smarter about Avilan’s usage. As we saw in the final few months of the 2019 season, Avilan absolutely can be a valuable out of the bullpen. He’s just not someone who you can rely on too heavily, as he can’t provide much length and needs to be limited against right-handed batters. However, when used properly, he can be very effective, especially against lefties.

Avilan will also look to stay healthy in 2020 after missing over two months in 2019. When he’s healthy and being managed properly, he’s a very nice left-handed asset out of the bullpen to have behind Justin Wilson. His 2019 season was forgettable overall, but there’s certainly reason to be optimistic about his role with the 2020 Mets.