Mets will look to keep starters in rotation healthy down the stretch by moving to a six-man rotation.
Update, May 27
Once Dillon Gee rejoins the Mets after his start in Binghamton today, the Mets will move to a six-man rotation, pitching coach Dan Warthen said today. That will continue until at least early to mid-August.
The goal, Warthen said, is to cut down each pitcher from about 33 starts over the course of the season to about 30. They will now also throw two bullpen session between starts instead of the usual one. The team will add a light bullpen session to the conventional one, and could also have pitchers throw batting practice to stay sharp.
The team felt some resistance from the pitchers, however he also said it was best for their futures. From ESPN New York:
“It is better for the player. It’s better for the organization, at least, until we get to where we feel like we have plenty of innings left in September and still have the possibility of innings left in October,” Warthen said.
“Our No. 1 concern is our pitchers, and our pitchers staying healthy,” Warthen said. “We have some other [young] ones — [prospect Steven] Matz is coming along. We’re going to have Syndergaard here, deGrom here, Harvey here. Those are the guys who are the big concerns. As for the other guys, they have to go along with it. It’s going to only prolong their careers. From the organization’s standpoint, from my standpoint, I think it’s a smart thing to do.”
Between the minors and majors last season, Jacob deGrom tossed 178.2 innings while Syndergaard threw 137. Harvey tried to return from Tommy John Surgery at the end of last year, but never got to pitch in live games. Coming into today, the three of them have combined for 168.2 innings so far this season.
Original Post, May 25
Terry Collins spoke with reporters before the game on Monday and expanded on the upcoming six-man rotation which will kick in once Dillon Gee is activated from the DL for his start against the San Diego Padres on June 2.
- The primary reason for the six-man rotation was so that the team could keep Noah Syndergaard in the rotation. “We want this guy pitching here,” Collins said.
- It also allows the team to keep all six of their starters fresh with the extra rest afforded in between starts, and ready for September baseball and beyond.
- It helps the team to control and manage the innings limitations for Matt Harvey, Jaob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
- Collins said the six-man rotation means that the team goes back to playing with a four-man bench, something they tried and abandoned earlier in the season.
The team will reevaluate this plan after two turns through the rotation and if they don’t like what they see, adjustments will be made. Thum, Thum, Thuh…
