According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets have a rule in the minors that prohibits pitchers from being used three straight days. Yet now, in the absence of Tim Byrdak, rookie left-hander Josh Edgin has been used in six games in a seven-day span in the major league bullpen.
Are the Mets using Edgin too much, putting him at risk of injury, like the excessive work that may have contributed to Byrdak requiring shoulder surgery? Or, at the very least, are they taking life out of Edgin’s arm, which might have a negative impact on his 2013 performance?
After all, Edgin has made 63 relief appearances so far this season between the majors and minors. That’s a jump from 49 last year in Class A ball and 20 in his first professional season, in 2010.
Had the 63 relief appearances all been made at the major league level, Edgin would be one shy of the National League leader, the Chicago Cubs’ Shawn Camp.
Edgin was drafted in 2009 but signed late and din’t start his pro career with the Mets until 2010 when he made those 20 appearances between Kingsport and Savannah. In 2011, Edgin was used exclusively as a closer and racked up 27 save in what was a significant increase in workload.
I don’t really get this philosophy of having just one lefty in the bullpen. It took a toll on both Pedro Feliciano in 2011 and Tim Byrdak in 2012. What is the benefit to having one lefty, because to me I think it puts the team and the manager at a clear disadvantage. And obviously it puts too much wear and tear on your reliever and potentially puts them in harm’s way.
Luckily, we should be seeing Robert Carson on September 1st and he will certainly take some of the pressure off Edgin who has shown some real ability out of the pen, but has also started to leave too many pitches up in the zone – a clear sign he’s getting fatigued.
