New Mets skipper Mickey Callaway has already made it known that he will likely begin the season with a closer-by-committee, though he conceded Tuesday at a breakfast with local columnists, that Jeurys Familia will likely get a bulk of opportunities.
However, he doesn’t want to name him the official closer, because there are always circumstances where he might use someone else that’s a better fit. It’s been part of his philosophy since day one.
“We wouldn’t name Wilmer Flores as our Wednesday infielder and then start him even if we’re playing against Corey Kluber,” Callaway said. “So why name a closer and put him in a situation where he doesn’t fit?”
As Ken Davidoff points out in his column from this evening, this makes sense considering the four back-end arms are not necessarily lock down closers who would secure the job off the bat, such as a Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman.
Familia appeared in just 26 games for New York last year after being suspended the first 15 games of the year, then going down with injury. AJ Ramos has been erratic at times, Jerry Blevins thrives more against lefties and Anthony Swarzak is a relative unknown, considering he has a short history of being a reliable reliever.
However, this goes beyond just the bullpen. Alluding to Flores, Callaway makes it known he will also be conscientious of this on the other side of the ball with his lineup.
To read the rest of Davidoff’s column, click here. He also talks about how this is the bigger part of a culture change the Mets are looking to cultivate.
