Bartolo Colon threw six scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Mets 3-1 loss on Wednesday. On the same day news had broke that Alex Rodriguez would retire after his contract with the New York Yankees expires in 2017. This had caused “Big Sexy” to be asked on his status, past his current one year contract with the Mets.
“For me, I am not worried about it, I take it year by year. We’ll see what happens for me. For Alex, I guess we’re going to see what happens with him between now and then,” Colon said. (NY Daily News)
Colon has been able to still be quite an effective pitcher despite his age due to his near perfect control of his fastball. Being able to paint corners has been his specialty and has served him well in recent years with the Mets. Yesterday in his six scoreless frames, Colon has struck out six while allowing three hits and did not walk a batter.
“I was very happy, obviously I was happy I was throwing strikes,” Colon said. “I like to think I throw a lot of strikes, but there were a lot more today. And (strikes) with my changeup which is something I was really working on.”
“Early in the year, he’s a perfect guy because he pounds the strike zone and hitters are still feeling their way,” Terry Collins said Wednesday about Colon. “You look up his numbers early in the seasons and they’re pretty impressive because he throws a lot of strikes and I’m not sure guys are ready to hit.”
“If everybody’s healthy, you’ve got a legitimate guy you can stick in the rotation,” Collins continued. “It makes a big difference. He’s a veteran who’s not gonna be fazed… when you need an extra pitcher, he can handle it.”
Colon, 42, will enter his 19th season in 2016. This past offseason he signed a one-year, $7.25 million deal to stay with the Mets after reportedly receiving better offers to pitch elsewhere.
A team leader and fan favorite, Colon went 14-13 last season with a 4.16 ERA and the best walk rate in MLB. He also provided a formidable relief option in the postseason. He will be looked upon as the fifth man in the rotation until Zack Wheeler makes his return from Tommy John surgery.
