Jim Henderson, the former Milwaukee Brewers closer, has made the New York Mets Opening Day roster. After missing nearly two seasons of baseball the Mets’ reliever put together a strong spring campaign, earning himself a spot in the bullpen.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Henderson said. “The last two years were pretty grueling for me with the second shoulder surgery and battling back from it last year. I’m really excited right now, definitely.” (Mets.com)
Henderson, 33, has seen a renaissance of his fastball this spring and regained the mid-90s velocity that once made him so effective against opposing batters. He underwent the second shoulder surgery of his short major league career in 2014, spending most of that time rehabbing with the Brewers. In his last full season he pitched to a 2.70 ERA and accumulating 27 saves. He finished this past spring with a 1.69 ERA.
“Any time you have an injury or you go through that process, I always told myself that I owe it to myself to keep playing and keep battling,” Henderson said
Doing just that, Henderson turned in one of the best performances among all relievers this Spring and he could prove to be quite the formidable addition to this bullpen.
“Coming in to the offseason, I didn’t know whether I was going to be in independent ball or have any kind of contract, but I knew I was going to play,” Henderson said. “I knew I was going to give it all I have for the next year, and I’m happy it led to this point.”
Henderson could be yet another solid under-the-radar acquisition by general manager Sandy Alderson. Henderson owns a career 3.44 ERA over 102 innings, while striking out 137 batters and accumulating 31 saves.
