The New York Mets bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings have been on lockdown the last couple of seasons with Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia. They of course though have been used quite a lot during their time in New York, could this become an issue in 2017?
Reed, 28, is coming off the best year of his career in as he pitched to a 1.97 ERA while making 80 appearances. In the 77.2 innings he pitched this past season, he accumulated 91 strikeouts and an impressive WHIP of 0.94.
From the 2014 through the 2016 season, Reed finds himself as the 29th most used pitcher in the league (3rd in 2016), according to FanGraphs. In that time frame he has appeared in 197 games while tossing 193 innings. He also pitched in 10 playoff games covering eight innings during that span.
As dominant as he has been, it is hard not to wonder if the amount of appearances he has had the past few seasons will begin to take a toll on him or not.
Addison will find himself with an even more important role in this Mets bullpen in 2017 with the possible suspension of the team’s current closer, Familia, looming. Reed though of course is no stranger to closing out games as he did so with the Diamondbacks and White Sox from 2012-2015.
Familia, 27, has also been used quite a bit over the last few years. Of all pitchers from the years 2014-2016, the Mets closer leads the league in appearances with 230. Over the last two years, he’s also made 13 playoff appearances that covers 15.2 innings.
Manager, Terry Collins, likes to go to his closer often and the effects seem to show, especially towards the end of a season with Familia.
This past season was another spectacular one for the team’s closer, postseason aside. Familia appeared in 78 games while accumulating 51 saves and an ERA of 2.27. He pitched 77.2 innings in total while striking out 84 and putting up a WHIP of 1.21.
Familia always seems to walk the tightrope but is able to find his way across more times than not. The amount of times he is used may have a direct effect on how he performs not just in the postseason but in the years to come. Familia though is not looking to lighten up his workload anytime soon.
Jeurys has been pitching in winter ball for the Gigantes del Cibao and also looks to pitch in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. With the thought of him possibly facing a significant suspension, Familia wants to stay in game shape. The Mets though really need to take a look at the effect this may have on him, not just for this season, but his career as Familia may benefit from extra rest of his arm.
Of course, Familia’s arm could get some rest to begin the regular season, as he’s still facing a possible suspension from Major League Baseball stemming from an incident with his wife on October 31. Reports say he could still be suspended at least 30 games despite the charges being dropped.
With no other big relief signings being made this offseason as of yet, the Mets are sure to rely on Reed and Familia once again. The two relievers who currently sit in the top 30 for innings and appearances could certainly use some help if they would like to continue their dominance for years to come.
